Headteachers and external inspection in England

Abstract

In December 2023 a UK Government Inquiry concluded that Ofsted, the English inspection regime, had ‘contributed’ to the death of a Headteacher, Ruth Perry, who had committed suicide whilst awaiting publication of an inspection report. The headteacher's suicide brought to the forefront of public discourse concerns about Ofsted and its effects, particularly on senior leaders. This paper examines the findings of a recent English research project entitled ‘Beyond Ofsted’ which aimed to gather a wide range of views from stakeholders on both the current inspection system and potential alternatives. Part of the data gathering included a survey of over 6000 teachers of 746 were headteachers. One of the main themes in the data was the particular effect of inspection on headteachers, in terms of preparation, anticipation and the experience itself. Our respondents reported on their unique position in terms of inspection, shouldering the responsibility for the school and the community, and the consequent fear of failure. They described the crunch points and the inevitable rise in workload and stress, which for some had negative effects on well-being and caused some to leave. They suggested that any future changes to inspection should include a more supportive and less high-stakes system.