Brutal Ofsted regime driving us to quit, warn school heads

School leaders in England say they are being driven out of the profession by Ofsted's punishing inspection regime, blaming a culture of fear and high stress for damaging their health and careers.

- Richard Adams, Sally Weale

Senior teachers who spoke to the Guardian reported harrowing cases of "overwhelming panic" affecting their physical and mental health, including headteachers who felt humiliated or were reduced to tears by inspectors, and cases of school leaders hospitalised during Ofsted visits.

The outpouring follows revelations around the death of Ruth Perry, a Berkshire headteacher whose family say she took her own life in January after a critical Ofsted inspection rated her school's leadership as inadequate.

A headteacher in Kent summed up the feeling of many school leaders while awaiting inspections: "I cry most days because of the pressure of impending Ofsted. I work at least 80 hours a week. I am broken by it." An experienced headteacher in the West Midlands said she stepped down last year after a bruising inspection left her feeling incompetent.

"My most recent inspection was horrendous. I was put through the mill and made to cry by the inspector as she kept asking the same questions over and over and didn't listen to the answers," the former head said.

"I have no intention whatsoever of putting myself through an Ofsted inspection again."

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Our schools, colleges and students need a pipeline of great leaders but it is clear that Ofsted inspections are causing leaders to quit the profession and deter others from stepping up to leadership.

"If Ofsted is to achieve its stated aim of being a force for improvement it must work with leaders and not drive them out of leadership."