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Headteachers are “overwhelmingly negative” about Ofsted’s new inspection regime, according to an independent survey of schools.

The findings, compiled by academics and former inspectors, also suggest that inspections are “brutal” and “relentless”, and that the schools watchdog has not succeeded in its aim of improving the wellbeing of heads and their staff.

, produced by the campaign group Monitoring Ofsted, surveyed 100 schools post-inspection to gather views on their experience.

The research was conducted after Ofsted did not meet a recommendation in a 2024 independent review to commission post-inspection surveys overseen by a third-party independent organisation.

Inspections ‘relentless and gruelling’

The report states: “Heads’ comments on the new framework were overwhelmingly negative. The language used to describe inspections - ‘harsh’, ‘brutal’ and ‘relentless and gruelling’ - reflected the strength of their feelings. There was also a widespread perception that “conclusions were formed early and evidence was then used selectively to support those conclusions”.

Nearly 70 per cent of heads expressed negative views about the impact of inspection on their wellbeing.

Respondents were asked to rate their experiences against 10 statements about their recent Ofsted inspection, including whether it was “fair”, if the advice given by inspectors was “valuable”, and whether the inspection process was “supportive”.

Nearly two-thirds did not see the new framework as an improvement on the previous one, while just over half thought that the ratings given were fair.

Around a quarter of heads reported that the context of their school had not been sufficiently taken into account, with many of those serving the poorest communities feeling undervalued and professionally isolated.

The findings come after ����Vlog revealed that schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils were disproportionately more likely to be marked down by Ofsted on their achievement grade than their more affluent peers.

Ofsted has now committed to updating its inspection toolkits in an attempt to clarify how it judges the performance of disadvantaged pupils.

‘Urgent’ need for independent complaints

The researchers call on Ofsted to introduce a fully independent complaints system, to be introduced as “a matter of urgency”.

It also recommends that fresh independent evidence should be gathered on the impact of the inspection framework.

The report’s authors, Frank Norris, a former senior schools inspector, and Professor Christine Pascal, said: “Following the tragic death of Ruth Perry, our research worryingly reveals that those being inspected still feel vulnerable and unsupported.”

Ms Perry took her own life in 2023 after an Ofsted inspection downgraded her school to the lowest grade. A coroner concluded that an Ofsted inspection contributed to her death.

An Ofsted spokesperson said: “Our first priority is always to assess children’s education and welfare, and to report back to parents. But we also want inspection to be a supportive experience for schools. So while we can never remove all pressure from school inspections, we keep leaders’ wellbeing firmly in mind.”

The spokesperson added: “We’re pleased that many school leaders have reported that inspection now feels much more collaborative and constructive. But we have also commissioned rigorous independent research, which will give us a true and impartial picture of how our reforms are landing.

“In the meantime, we will continue listening to all feedback and improving how we go about our work.”