{"id":235049,"date":"2025-09-20T04:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T03:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=235049"},"modified":"2025-09-20T09:09:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T08:09:35","slug":"we-can-no-longer-sustain-this-culture-of-fear-around-inspection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/we-can-no-longer-sustain-this-culture-of-fear-around-inspection\/","title":{"rendered":"We have to define ‘high stakes’ if we hope to lower them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve been troubled by the impact of the high stakes associated with school inspection on our school leaders since I became CEO of Education Support in 2019. To this day, a large proportion of those who turn to us for help are in significant distress because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the year to March 2025, we supported over 850 educators who were clinically assessed as at risk of suicide, and many thousands more who were struggling with wellbeing and mental health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also provided professional supervision to over 900 school leaders, among whom inspections were a significant source of stress and anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The anxiety is driven by two factors. First, leaders are concerned they will be on the receiving end of inspector bias. Second, and most importantly, they are understandably fearful of the consequences of a disappointing inspection outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

School leaders tell me they worry an adverse judgment could mean they lose their livelihoods, that their school could lose its ability to attract pupils or staff, or that their setting could be forced to undergo structural interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These consequences are the high stakes of inspection. It\u2019s important that we\u2019re clear on the meaning of these stakes, so we can work on dismantling them without affecting school standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a wellbeing impact assessment of the Ofsted framework<\/a>, I proposed a starting definition of these stakes in the hope that we can achieve clarity on what it is we need to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Excessive focus on compliance doesn\u2019t benefit anyone<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

My hope is that colleagues across the sector will amend it, improve it, and that we can eventually coalesce around a shared meaning that supports meaningful change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calling for the removal or lowering of high stakes is not a call for an easy ride or a lowering of standards. School leaders want and expect to be held to account, and most hold themselves to extremely high standards. Achieving great outcomes for children and young people is their core purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the stress generated by such high stakes is counterproductive. It distracts school leaders from their most important work: educating children and young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High stakes drive unnecessary workload among leaders who, entirely rationally, want to avoid the cataclysmic consequences of a disappointing inspection. This is effort that could otherwise be spent on frontline activity that makes a real impact on the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to see how excessive focus on compliance benefits the school, its pupils, staff or parents and carers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the inspection system should address poor or complacent practice.  Leaders of schools and trusts who are not working well for their communities should<\/em> be worried about inspection. There are countless cases where inspections have catalysed meaningful change in underperforming settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We mustn\u2019t lose sight of this, but equally we can no longer sustain the culture of fear that distorts the focus of school leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High stakes do not drive high standards; they only drive stress and workload. Our children and young people deserve energised leaders in their schools, focused solely on their core purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is time for government to act to improve the system. We can, and must, do better in pursuit of a high-performing education system that breaks down barriers to opportunity for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the impact assessment and find Sinead Mc Brearty’s working definition of ‘high stakes’ here<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If we want to dismantle the causes of school leaders\u2019 wellbeing and mental health issues, we must start by naming them clearly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311124,"featured_media":207509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"post-theme":[3559],"class_list":["post-235049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","post-theme-opinion-accountability"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t