'I'm retiring early from career I love because Ofsted nearly broke me'

Head quits over the stress of inspections

- Emily Braeger

A HEADTEACHER says she has been forced to leave her "beloved" career because the pressure of an Ofsted inspection "nearly broke her".

Helen Slack is now calling for the removal of single-word judgments in Ofsted inspections. She said: "I can't put myself through another one because it's absolutely horrendous.

The last one nearly broke me." The head of Twickenham Primary School, in Birmingham, added: "I had to go to the doctors to ask for help with my mental health afterwards because it left me in such a bad place.

I was waking up in the night having panic attacks." Mrs Slack's account of her experience comes a year on from the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after Ofsted downgraded Caversham Primary School, Reading, from "outstanding" to "inadequate".

Mrs Slack, 56, who has been a headteacher for more than 20 years, says she feels she has no choice but to retire to protect her health.

She said: "When Ofsted visited before, it felt like the inspector was trying to catch me out and didn't believe me when I told them about the school's achievements.