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88% said respectful. Four in ten said it hurt their wellbeing

Qurexa Editorial Team11 October 20268 min read 0 0
88% said respectful. Four in ten said it hurt their wellbeing

What happened

Ofsted has published the first independent findings on its new-look school inspections, one year after they began. The press release came out on 9 October 2026 and points to a report called 'Evaluation of Ofsted's renewed approach to education inspection: summary of interim findings'. The research was done by IFF Research, an independent social research agency. The headteachers' union NAHT helped design the survey questions. That detail matters: it means the questions were not written only by the organisation being judged. IFF used focus groups and online surveys with leaders of schools, early years settings and further education providers after their inspections. The findings cover inspections from January to April 2026, which was the initial implementation phase. Some background on what changed. Ofsted's renewed education inspection framework introduced new evaluation areas, colour-coded report cards, and a stronger emphasis on inclusion, wellbeing and collaboration. Inspections under the new approach began in November 2025 with volunteer schools, and routine inspections started in January 2026. The findings on how inspections felt are strikingly positive. 88% of providers said the inspection was respectful. 76% said it was collaborative, and 78% said it was empathetic. On accuracy, 74% agreed inspectors sought to account for their setting's unique context, and 72% said the inspection was tailored to that context. 81% agreed the report card accurately described what it is like to be a pupil, learner or child at their provision. Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty's Chief Inspector, said: "When I joined Ofsted, there was a clear need to change the way we inspected." He described the findings as showing Ofsted is "on the right track".

Why this matters

To understand why a survey about tone is front-page news in education, you have to remember how high the stakes became. Ofsted inspection has been one of the most feared processes in British public life. The fear was not abstract. Ruth Perry, head of Caversham Primary School in Reading, died in January 2023. In December 2023, the coroner Heidi Connor recorded a verdict of suicide contributed to by the Ofsted inspection carried out at the school in November 2022. The coroner was careful to say the inspection was part of the picture and not the only cause, and she issued a prevention of future deaths report to Ofsted and the Education Secretary. That is the backdrop to every change Ofsted has made since. So "was the inspection respectful?" is not a soft question. It is close to the central one. There is also a direct link to children. A school leader who spends a term braced for inspection is a leader with less attention for teaching. Inspection that feels collaborative rather than adversarial frees up energy that goes back into classrooms. The report card finding deserves attention too. 81% agreeing that the report card accurately described what it is like to be a child at their setting is about whether inspection tells parents the truth. For families choosing a school, that is the whole point of the exercise. And the timing is honest in a way worth crediting. Ofsted commissioned independent research, had a union help write the questions, and published results that include findings against itself, one year in rather than five. Organisations that are confident of good news usually publish faster; organisations that publish inconvenient numbers alongside the good ones are generally worth taking more seriously.

What the evidence actually says

Here is where the picture gets more complicated, and more useful. The positive findings are real. Most providers felt generally positive about their experience. Over 6 in 10 said inspection would help them improve. Nearly three-quarters agreed it identified the best of their provision. Nearly 7 in 10 recognised that inspectors took steps to minimise stress. 63% felt positive about the process once it was over. But look at the balance questions, which are the sharper test. 48% felt the benefits outweighed the negatives, compared with 31% who disagreed. That is a plurality in favour, not a consensus. Roughly one in three leaders still thinks the costs outweigh the gains. 55% said the inspection workload was manageable, against 27% who did not. And the hardest finding: about 4 in 10 providers said inspection negatively affected their or their staff's mental wellbeing "a fair amount" or "a lot". In schools specifically, that rose to nearly half. Nearly half of school leaders reporting a meaningful hit to wellbeing is not a footnote. It sits alongside the 88% who found the process respectful, and both are true at once. An inspection can be conducted respectfully and still be hard on the people going through it. Politeness is not the same as low stakes. Ofsted's own release describes workload and wellbeing as the clearest remaining challenges, and Sir Martyn Oliver acknowledged they "continue to be challenging". That is a fair reading rather than a defensive one. Two limitations are worth keeping in mind. First, this covers inspections from January to April 2026, the initial implementation phase, when inspectors may have been especially careful. IFF will publish a full report in 2027 covering the first full year, which is the better test. Second, the release was issued by Ofsted itself, so the framing of the findings is the regulator's own, even though the research is independent. One primary school leader in a focus group described the process as collaborative, saying that from "the planning call as well … we were just co-producing the mechanics of the inspection".

Practical advice

For parents, use the report card for what it is good for. On this evidence, most leaders think report cards describe their setting accurately. That makes them a reasonable starting point. But a report card is a snapshot by visitors over a short period. Visiting, talking to staff and asking current parents tells you things no inspection can. Read the detail, not just the colour. The whole point of moving to evaluation areas and colour-coded report cards was to replace a single overall word with a more detailed picture. Reducing it back to one impression defeats that. Check the date of the inspection. A school can change a great deal in two or three years, in either direction. For school and setting leaders, the workload finding is the actionable one. 55% found the workload manageable and 27% did not, so there is a real spread. It is worth asking peers who found it manageable what they did differently, particularly around preparation and the planning call. Use the planning call properly. The focus group comment about "co-producing the mechanics of the inspection" suggests that call is a genuine opportunity rather than a formality. Take the wellbeing finding seriously as a leadership issue. If nearly half of school providers report a meaningful wellbeing impact, that is a predictable event you can plan for: cover arrangements afterwards, a decompression day, and someone checking on staff who were most exposed. For teachers and support staff, remember that inspection judges provision, not your worth. That is easier to say than to feel, and it is still true. And for anyone who wants to influence this, the full IFF report covering the first full year of inspections is due in 2027. That is the document to watch.

What to know

Ofsted published the first independent findings on its renewed inspection framework on 9 October 2026, based on research by IFF Research with survey questions co-designed with the NAHT, covering inspections from January to April 2026. The positives: 88% of providers said inspection was respectful, 78% empathetic and 76% collaborative. 81% said the report card accurately described their setting. Over 6 in 10 said inspection would help them improve, and 63% felt positive once it was over. The problems: only 48% felt the benefits outweighed the negatives, against 31% who disagreed. 55% found the workload manageable. About 4 in 10 providers said inspection harmed their or their staff's mental wellbeing a fair amount or a lot, rising to nearly half in schools. Ofsted itself names workload and wellbeing as the clearest remaining challenges. The findings cover the initial implementation phase only; IFF's full report on the first complete year is due in 2027. For parents: report cards look reasonably trustworthy to the people being inspected, but read the detail and check the date. Sources: Ofsted (GOV.UK), 'Independent research finds Ofsted's new-look inspections are more collaborative and respectful', 9 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/independent-research-finds-ofsteds-new-look-inspections-are-more-collaborative-and-respectful; Ofsted, 'Evaluation of Ofsted's renewed approach to education inspection: summary of interim findings', October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-ofsteds-renewed-approach-to-education-inspection; Schools Week, 'Ofsted inspection contributed to head Ruth Perry's death, coroner rules', 7 December 2023, https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-inspection-contributed-to-head-ruth-perrys-death-coroner/. This article is for general information about education policy. It is not medical advice and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. If work-related stress is affecting your health, speak to your GP, and contact Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time if you are struggling to cope.

#Ofsted#school inspection#teacher wellbeing#education policy#report cards#schools

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