Ofsted inspection system placing teachers in ‘imminent serious danger’ – union
The claim was made at the annual conference of the National Education Union in Harrogate.
Ofsted is placing teachers in “imminent serious danger” and its proposed report cards will not address the “crisis in trust and reliability”, a union has said.
The recent appointment of former Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman to the House of Lords was deemed an “insult” to teachers, delegates at the annual conference of the National Education Union (NEU) heard.
A motion, which was passed at the conference in Harrogate on Wednesday, called on the union’s executive to renew its campaign to “expose the harm, damage and cover up” from the watchdog, and to instead call for an “effective and fair” school improvement system with no “ranking and shaming”.
It added that members who “take action to protect themselves to keep safe where they have evidence that Ofsted is placing them in serious and imminent danger of harm or death” should be supported.
The Government announced, last year, that headline Ofsted grades for overall effectiveness for schools in England would be scrapped.
Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four single-phrase inspection judgments: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.
The move came after Ofsted faced criticism following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
Mrs Perry took her own life in January 2023 after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from the highest to the lowest overall effectiveness rating over safeguarding concerns.
During the debate, delegate Jennifer Cooper, an executive member of the NEU, said: “We hoped that Ruth Perry’s death would result in change.
