As many as nine in ten headteachers said they would support the union considering industrial action if Ofsted proceeds with its plans for school inspections, TES Magazine reports. A snap poll carried out at an online meeting of National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) members found that 89% of those in attendance would support the union considering such an option.
Members, the union said, expressed their concerns that Ofsted and the government have lost site of the original reason for the reforms, namely the death of Berkshire headteacher Ruth Perry after an investigation nearly three years ago.
Nearly 2,000 people attended the online meeting, organised to discuss the new Ofsted plans.
“This was the biggest turnout we have had at a meeting of our members since the pandemic, and the strength of feeling was palpable,” Paul Whiteman, the NAHT’s general secretary said. “We heard loud and clear that these plans simply do not have the support of the profession and should not go ahead in their current state. Rolling them out would pose clear risks to the health and wellbeing of school leaders and teachers.”
The union, he said, would liaise with its national executive committee to consider its next move. “We are appealing once again to Ofsted and government to put the brakes on these hugely flawed plans,” he said.
Ofsted has revealed its plans for a new inspection framework, setting out how it will inspect schools with a new five-point scale across six evaluation areas. The inspections are due to begin in November, as it looks for volunteer schools to take part in the first wave of inspections. Concerns have been raised that the sector has only been given two months notice between the plans being published and the start of inspections.
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