A leading head teachers’ union has called for an immediate end to graded Ofsted inspections, citing concerns about their impact on school leaders’ wellbeing and mental health. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) made the appeal following a survey of more than 5,000 school leaders, which found that nearly three-quarters believed the direction of inspections had deteriorated over the past year.

The call comes as the one-year anniversary approaches of Ofsted’s move away from single-word overall judgments to a more detailed report card system. Under the new approach, schools receive graded assessments across multiple categories rather than a single overall rating. However, NAHT argues that this change has done little to alleviate the pressures faced by school leaders.

NAHT’s general secretary, Paul Whiteman, described the current inspection framework as “even more stressful” than its predecessor and warned that it poses a significant risk to the mental health and wellbeing of education staff. Whiteman emphasized the urgency of the issue, suggesting the current regime may even constitute a danger to life.

In response, NAHT urged government ministers to replace the high-stakes graded inspections with shorter narrative reports that highlight schools’ strengths and areas for development without assigning grades. The union is calling on the government to halt graded inspections altogether to allow a comprehensive review of their effectiveness and impact.

An Ofsted spokesperson defended the inspection system, noting that over the past three years, the organization has collaborated closely with teaching unions to implement substantial reforms aimed at reducing unnecessary pressure on teachers. The spokesperson emphasized that these efforts are intended to create a more balanced inspection process.

As the debate over the future of school inspections continues, education leaders and policymakers face increasing pressure to find an approach that balances accountability with the wellbeing of those responsible for managing schools.