NAHT has sent a formal response to Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation, pressing the inspectorate to immediately revert to a model of ungraded inspections, similar to those conducted during the pandemic. NAHT is clear that single-word or -phrase judgements are a proven risk to life and should replaced by a short written evaluation of a schools’ strength and areas for development, pending full system reform.

In the longer term, working with representatives of the profession, a new fair, proportionate, and humane system of inspection is needed that offers clear diagnostic analysis, signals areas of success, affirms improvement priorities and signposts support. NAHT believes Ofsted should learn from reforms taking place in Wales and Northern Ireland and explore the potential for a low-stakes inspection model led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) working in local patches or areas.

Read NAHT’s full response to Ofsted's Big Listen.