I'm Luke Pargeter, CEO and Founder here at iAM Compliant, and I have a question I’d like to mull over with you. We’ve all heard the sad news about the pressures facing leaders in schools when it comes to Ofsted inspections. But are such inspections doing more harm than good? Are they putting undue pressure on staff and undoing all their hard work? These inspections are there to make people safer and deliver better outcomes, but is the reality making schools, psychologically unsafe?
It probably goes without saying that being a head teacher is both a challenging and demanding role, requiring individuals to be constantly adapting to meet the needs of their school community. In my job, I interact with hundreds of head teachers each year, and it's clear from our conversations that many of them are feeling utterly overwhelmed by the pressures of the job. Especially when it comes to inspections and ratings.
Look, head teachers often enter the profession because they're passionate about helping children to thrive. They certainly don’t enter teaching for the money because, well, it’s underpaid for the pressure they encounter, in my opinion. In recent years, the education system has become increasingly under-resourced, but their passion to educate future generations is simply too strong to let the low wages stand in the way. That’s why Ofsted ratings really matter, one word in an Ofsted report can make or break their career and affect the children’s lives negatively.
Due to schools being so critically underfunded, head teachers are often forced to juggle multiple responsibilities and find creative solutions to problems with limited resources - and that's what makes the education sector so magical to me, because they almost always find a solution!
However, one of the key challenges facing head teachers is the pressure that comes with the scrutiny of needing to continually improve their school, and to do it on a shoe-string budget. With Ofsted and other regulatory bodies placing such a strong emphasis on school performance, there's a constant, unrelenting drive to achieve higher standards and better outcomes for pupils while on a tight budget. While on paper, this is a noble cause, this can create a culture of high stress and anxiety for head teachers, who are always seeking new ways to improve their school's performance.
This pressure spills over to department heads, and teachers, affecting the entire organisation. That’s a hell of a weight on their shoulders. And let’s not forget how negatively this impacts their self-esteem when their school gets a below-par assessment delivered in one simple word. And how can one word simply define the school? Even estate agents put this rating in their sales literature. How is that balanced or fair? You can’t define a school using one word. And what about the staff? Who safeguards them? What happens when their mental health is impacted?
Unfortunately, the framework is so big that inspection teams can interpret it in whatever way they see fit, and cases of potentially minor things like playground fights can result in a lower status under ‘safeguarding’ regulations. Obviously, fights shouldn’t occur, but they do. Do the inspectors have too much power? Don’t get me wrong; I think most Ofsted inspectors are decent, hardworking and have good intentions, and everyone should have some accountability. But maybe the assessments should be done in a more transparent and granular-graded way.
I only have complete admiration for any head teacher in the education sector today. Speaking as a person in a position of leadership in my company, it’s a very lonely place when you are the person who is ultimately in charge of any organisation, especially when the chips are down - and I believe that running a school would heighten the anxieties of the very best leaders in the world! Certainly, I never see head teachers or even regular teachers quite as stressed as at Ofsted inspection time. It seems so wrong that a head teacher may be an excellent leader and work miracles on a tiny budget for their whole school community, but one word in an Ofsted report can potentially define their career - and their future.
I don’t know a head teacher that doesn't want to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people. There are some great groups and associations out there where head teachers can share best practices and continue to find solutions to most problems in their schools. But how many problems do head teachers mask with a smile because they feel it's their duty to display confidence and appear like they have all the answers even if they don't? Perhaps the answer may be to invest not only in their professional growth and development but also increase the emphasis on their personal well-being so that head teachers can continue to lead their schools to new heights of success and achievement.
If Ofsted is there to get a better outcome for schools, staff and young people, then who looks after the staff? Well-nurtured, psychologically safe teaching staff are key to getting the best out of the children. Who is currently in charge of safeguarding those people? Or is it just another job the head teacher has to swallow?
Now you’ve read my thoughts on the matter, what do you think about the situation? Should Ofsted be reformed? Please get in touch and share your views.
