"Let me be clear, Ofsted does not raise standards.” And so began the National Association of Head Teachers’ annual conference – with a rallying cry that is echoing around our nation’s schools.
The cry came alongside calls to remove Ofsted banners from outside our schools, delete Ofsted quotes from our websites, and remove its logos from our stationery.
The event in Telford over the bank holiday weekend was dominated by the shadow of Ofsted and the anger that has erupted following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry earlier this year.
A poignant and powerful address by Ruth Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, accused Ofsted of destroying Ruth’s career, world, and sense of self with a one-word judgement.
Prof Waters made national headlines as she asked headteachers working as inspectors to “hand in their badges”. An emergency motion followed, unanimously approved by NAHT delegates, instructing the union to request that members refrain from inspecting schools.
