Senior Ofsted inspectors have “significant concerns” about the watchdog’s plan to start school visits on Monday next week ahead of national teacher strikes, according to the FDA union.
Ofsted doesn’t normally start inspections at the beginning of the week but it has changed this in order to carry out two-day school inspections before the teacher strike is due to start next Wednesday.
The inspectorate has told its His Majesty’s inspectors (HMI) to contact affected schools this Friday to inform them that they will be inspected from Monday.
Headteachers’ leaders warned that informing staff of an impending Ofsted inspection going into the weekend could impact on staff wellbeing.
Now it has emerged that HMI are unhappy about the plan, too.
Victoria Jones, the FDA national officer who covers HMI, said: “We have significant concerns regarding the proposals made by the employer to offset the impact of industrial action by other unions.
“HMI - who are FDA members - are already working well in excess of their contracted hours on a regular basis. The move to introduce Monday inspections adds additional pressure on our members who are working hard to meet ambitious targets that already require substantial travel time and long days.”
Senior Ofsted inspectors ‘have significant concerns’
She told Tes that a snapshot survey showed that 80 per cent of FDA members in Ofsted have “significant concerns regarding inspecting on Monday mornings”.
She added that members who were parents and carers were particularly impacted by this move.
Ms Jones added: “We’ve engaged with the employer and are keen to resolve this issue, but the strength of feeling from members on this is significant.”
On Monday Tes reported that Ofsted had decided to move to Monday inspections next week to avoid inspecting on Wednesday 15 March and Thursday 16 March, when the NEU teaching union is due to hold its latest strike over teacher pay.
Commenting on this decision, the inspectorate said: “To avoid the two-day national strike on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 March, we will notify schools on Friday 10 March for inspections taking place on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 March. You can find our full guidance on how we are planning inspections to avoid strike action here.”
Tes understands that HMI were told to emphasise to schools that staff would not be expected to do extra work to prepare for the inspection, including during the weekend.
However, headteachers’ leaders questioned the move earlier this week.
Tom Middlehurst, curriculum, assessment and inspection specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Ofsted states that they do not require headteachers to do additional work specifically for the inspection, including over the weekend. But this totally ignores the reality of the workload involved in preparing for Ofsted and two days of strike action in the same week.”
And James Bowen, director of policy at the NAHT school leaders’ union, had said: “We are certainly concerned about the impact on the wellbeing of school leaders and their staff if they receive notification on a Friday of an inspection for the following Monday.”
