Headteachers dealing with the exhausting effects of the coronavirus pandemic have called for Ofsted inspections to be suspended.

They warn that staff are at risk of burnout, with “disastrous” consequences for schools as they continue to deal with the pandemic.

Inspections: Ofsted accused of not taking Covid into account

Controversy: Call to halt Ofsted inspections over concerns about heads’ wellbeing

Background: Ofsted returns to a full inspection programme

The charity Schools North East, which represents 1,150 schools in the region, has written to education secretary Nadhim Zahawi asking him to step in.

Measures that the organisation has called for include suspending Ofsted inspections, stripping away bureaucracy and halting the league table system temporarily.

Appeal to halt Ofsted inspections to protect teacher wellbeing

Schools North East director Chris Zarraga says the education system has been under enormous pressure throughout the pandemic, and the situation is still far from normal.

He writes: “In the face of these challenges, schools have gone ‘above and beyond’ to ensure that students can access both education and vital support, such as food.

“This has increased staff workload significantly, with school leaders deeply concerned about the negative impact of this on staff, in particular the rising toll on their emotional wellbeing and physical health.”

Despite the lifting of lockdown restrictions and the rollout of the vaccine, North East schools continue to experience very significant Covid-related disruption, the letter continues.

It states: “Managing this disruption and supporting students as they recover from the pandemic’s ongoing impact has left staff exhausted, in what is always a uniquely challenging term.

“Failure to protect our schools could have disastrous long-term consequences for education in our region.”

Mr Zarraga says many expectations placed on teachers are “not realistic” and risk “increasing staff burnout and driving dedicated professionals out of education”.

He suggests schools need time to recover and urged the education secretary to suspend Ofsted inspections.

“It is not clear how Ofsted can make fair and accurate judgments considering the differences in regional impacts of the pandemic, as well as the varying experiences of different groups of students, such as those from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with special educational needs,” he says.

Mr Zarraga adds that schools need to “jump through hoops” to access Covid-related support grants, and he asks for the system to be simplified.

He also warns that league tables could be unfairly punishing those schools working in the most difficult circumstances - explaining that some in the North East had dealt with particularly high levels of disruption.

The NAHT school leaders’ union has previously called for a pause in Ofsted inspections, as has Headrest, a support service for school leaders.

Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “Ofsted inspections are a distraction to schools while they are still struggling to cope with the impact of Covid and are rightly putting all their efforts into pupils’ recovery.”

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of teachers and school leaders over the course of the past 18 months, supporting their pupils through the challenges of the pandemic.

“We have taken a wide range of action to address teacher workload and wellbeing, investing millions of pounds in programmes to provide mental health and wellbeing support for education staff.

“We are also now investing over £250 million in world-class training opportunities for teachers’ professional development across all stages of their careers.”