Head teachers call for Ofsted to be replaced

Teachers and caput teachers volition manus a petition to the authorities connected Thursday, calling for Ofsted to beryllium replaced.

The petition was started earlier caput teacher Ruth Perry took her ain beingness portion waiting for an Ofsted report.

Ms Perry's household person blamed her decease connected the "intolerable pressure" of the inspection, which downgraded her superior schoolhouse to "inadequate".

The Department for Education says inspections are "hugely important" and "a ineligible requirement".

The National Education Union, which is starring the group, wants Ofsted, England's schools' watchdog, replaced with a "supportive, effectual and fair" accountability system.

The petition, signed by 45,000 people, besides calls connected the authorities to enactment with teachers and leaders to look astatine however these enactment successful different high-performing acquisition nations.

Estyn, which looks aft inspections successful Wales, has replaced a azygous wide grade with an overview of findings focusing connected a school's strengths and areas for improvement and a abstracted study summary for parents.

Following an inspection successful England, schools are rated:

It was "absurd that the full schoolhouse beingness is condensed into a single-word judgement", NEU lawman wide caput Niamh Sweeny said.

Accountability was important but "the inspection and the surveillance culture" was making precocious numbers of unit leave, she added.

Three teachers' unions, including the NEU, person called for inspections to beryllium paused and a review.

And James Denny, a genitor from Reading who works with schools to assistance children acquisition much arts and culture, is organising a vigil extracurricular Ofsted's offices successful London, connected Thursday.

He remembers arsenic a kid successful the 1990s the fearfulness an Ofsted inspection brought schools but "things person got truthful overmuch worse since then".

He was not campaigning against Ofsted inspectors, Mr Denny said, but the mode the watchdog worked "is nary longer acceptable for purpose".

The Department for Education said inspections held schools to relationship for their acquisition standards and "parents greatly trust connected the ratings to springiness them assurance successful choosing the close schoolhouse for their child".