School inspections in England will be revised again after a wave of complaints that the new system was excessively stressful and harmful to teachers’ mental health.
Lucy Powell, the education secretary, has instructed Ofsted, the schools regulator, to “go back to the drawing board” after raising concerns that inspection changes introduced under her predecessor, Bridget Phillipson, were creating problems for headteachers.
The move marks the second overhaul of inspection arrangements in a year following sustained criticism from educators about the way the new system was operating.
Teachers and school leaders said the revised inspection framework had placed undue pressure on staff and exacerbated mental health issues. The scale of complaints prompted Powell to call for a fresh review to address those concerns and to redesign parts of the inspections process.
Ofsted will be asked to reconsider elements of the system and produce amended proposals aimed at reducing stress on school staff while maintaining accountability standards.
Source: theguardian.com
