Headteachers threaten strike ballots after losing confidence in Ofsted

<p>Unions tell government to fix ‘overbearing mess’ of inspection regime and its impact on staff wellbeing – or risk industrial action</p><p>Tensions between England’s headteachers and Ofsted are developing into a crisis after school leadership unions said they had no confidence in the watchdog and would hold strike ballots unless “significant wellbeing issues” caused by Ofsted’s inspections regime were fixed.</p><p>The Association of School and College Leaders​ (ASCL), which includes senior leaders in many secondary schools, described Ofsted’s inspection system as “an overbearing mess” and urged the government to pause inspections to stop teachers leaving the profession.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/oct/10/ofsted-strikes-head-teachers-confidence">Continue reading...</a>