// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Union calls for halt to graded Ofsted inspections over health concerns
England's biggest school leaders' union has called for a halt to graded Ofsted inspections, saying they could pose a "risk to life" for school staff.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said the change to inspections, rolled out nationally just under a year ago, had been severely harmful to school leaders' welfare.
It said schools should instead be rated using short narrative reports that set out their strengths and areas they could improve.
Ofsted said it had worked closely with unions and parents to develop the new report card inspection system and that it would continue to grade schools.
Ofsted, England's schools inspectorate, introduced the report card system to replace its previous one or two-word judgements last November, following the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after Ofsted downgraded her school from "outstanding" to "inadequate".
An inquest ruled that an Ofsted inspection had contributed to her death in January 2023.
That led to a change in how Ofsted assessed schools, bringing in report cards designed to grade schools on several areas, rather than focusing on one overall grade.
But the new system has faced criticism since it was first proposed, with Perry's sister Prof Julia Waters saying it appeared to be "a rehash of the discredited and dangerous system it is meant to replace".
The NAHT issued a claim in the High Court for a judicial review over the changes, arguing there had not been adequate consultation on the new report cards before they were introduced, but this was rejected.
Nearly a year after it was fully rolled out, the NAHT said evidence from its members suggested the new system is having a detrimental impact on school leaders' mental health.