NAHT members have passed an emergency motion on Ofsted at the union's annual conference in Newport following the government's refusal to commit to scrapping single-word judgements. The motion instructs the union's executive to explore all campaign, legal and industrial routes to secure necessary changes to inspection to safeguard wellbeing following the tragic death of Ruth Perry last year.

The wording is as follows:

A longstanding and broad consensus has urged government and Ofsted to reform the inhumane and unreliable inspection system .  Tragically,  that consensus has been strengthened by the coroner’s finding that inspection contributed to the death of Ruth Perry.  In turn, this led the House of Commons Education Select Committee to recognise the urgent need to mitigate the risks that inspection poses to the health and well-being of school leaders and their teams. 

Government has effectively ignored the findings of coroner’s prevention of future deaths report by rejecting the Select Committee’s recommendations.  Its tin-eared defence of discredited and reductive single-phrase judgements, and its unwillingness to enter into any meaningful consultation or negotiation, poses a real and present danger to the mental health, well-being and lives of school leaders and teachers.  Should another tragedy happen in the future, it will be ministers who need to answer for their decisions.

In light of Government’s wholly inadequate response, Conference instructs NAHT’s National Executive to explore all campaign, legal and industrial routes to secure necessary changes to inspection to safeguard leaders’ lives.