ASCL Council, the association’s policymaking body, said it had seen no meaningful progress on the part of Ofsted to address significant wellbeing issues caused by inspections, and that it is increasingly concerned about the welfare and morale of members.

And it called on the government to pause inspections and review the inspection system as a matter of urgency.

It also agreed that ASCL will survey members on whether to hold an indicative ballot on industrial action if change is not forthcoming.

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This motion reflects the strength of feeling among our members. It is not a step we have taken lightly but only after our repeated attempts to resolve our concerns through discussion and negotiation have hit a brick wall.

“Ofsted’s warm words about recognising wellbeing pressures on school and college leaders have not been matched by the action necessary to dial down the incredibly high stakes of an inspection system which is damaging people’s health and driving them out of the profession.

“School and college leaders agree with the importance of having an inspection system which gives parents information and assurance and works in the best interests of children and young people.

“But the current system is not fit for purpose. It is an overbearing mess and urgently needs to be reviewed.”

The full text of ASCL Council’s position statement is:

ASCL has no confidence in the ability of Ofsted’s leadership to address the damage being caused by the renewed inspection framework. 

We have seen no evidence of meaningful progress on the part of Ofsted to address the significant workload and wellbeing issues caused by the framework, and are increasingly concerned about the welfare and morale of our members. 

The evidence is clear that schools serving disadvantaged communities are penalised by the methodology being used in inspections and we are not convinced that enough weight will be placed on similar schools comparisons to take school context into account. Neither are we persuaded that report cards are clear and helpful to parents given that they can only be properly understood by reading the toolkits provided to inspectors. 

Furthermore, we fear that the disproportionate stress and anxiety exerted by the inspection system will lead to school leaders deciding to leave their posts with a consequent impact on schools, children, and young people.

Repeated attempts to resolve these matters through negotiation have not been productive and ASCL does not believe that genuine change is achievable within the current culture of the inspectorate. 

We call upon the government to pause inspections and review the inspection system as a matter of urgency in order to allow these issues to be properly examined and acted upon in the best interests of families, schools, and colleges.