A Lancashire teacher has explained how Ofsted inspections are affecting the mental health of staff.
Recent events, where Ruth Perry, the headteacher of a primary school in Reading, took her own life due to the stress of waiting for Ofsted results, have led to questions on how Ofsted inspections affect teachers mentally.
MM spoke to Haleema Masood, a primary school teacher and admin from Lancashire, on her experience with Ofsted, and what she thinks about recent outrage following the passing of Ruth Perry.
She said: “There is considerable pressure from the onset.
“The barriers have been set very high to even achieve these grades which puts immense weight on all those in management.
“When it comes to Ofsted inspections you feel belittled. You are constantly in the hot seat for every little detail.
“Evidently this leads to depression, anxiety and suffering.”
She also highlighted how Ofsted inspections are not only mentally challenging for teachers but also for the students themselves.
She said: “If children are feeling under pressure then my question is to what degree do Headteachers and Management feel the burden of not achieving at least a ‘good’ in Ofsted.”
Ms Masood praised headteachers for their work, which may go unrecognised, saying: “The purpose of an education is to provide children with skills and resources to expand and exceed but if the headteacher works day and night to implement new and wonderful methods to enlighten the children.”
Since the death of Ruth Perry, many teachers have also called for a reform in the way Ofsted evaluates its inspections to be more mindful of the teachers’ mental health.
One headteacher from a school in Newbury, Berkshire refused entry to Ofsted in solidarity to teachers.
The ex-chair of Ofsted, however, spoke out and said that the organisation cannot change their inspection techniques as they are too important to determine how good a school is.
Samaritans can be contacted free by calling 116 123, or you can visit samaritans.org.
Image by Sebastien Bonneval via Unsplash
