The NEW Ofsted window is open and post-Ofsted feedback is trickling in before any reports are seen. So far, I have heard nothing positive about the overall experience. This got me looking at Ofsted paperwork and in particular the guidance on inspector conduct. On paper, it sounds great: professionalism, courtesy, empathy, respect. Inspectors are reminded that visits can heighten stress and that compassion matters. The guidance spells out that inspectors should:

  • Act in the best interests of children and young people – safeguarding first.
  • Be mindful of leaders’ and staff well-being, adjusting their approach where possible.
  • Work with integrity, curiosity and up-to-date expertise.
  • Evaluate objectively, based on clear evidence, and report honestly.
  • Declare any conflicts of interest.
  • Demonstrate Ofsted’s values and follow the Civil Service code.
  • Respect equality duties, making reasonable adjustments for those with protected characteristics.

In short, inspectors are expected to be decent human beings…

But Here’s the Question

Can an inspection framework really do empathy and compassion? If the core of inspection is the toolkit and that toolkit sets out clear criteria: you’re either doing it, or you’re not? What’s empathy and compassion got to do with it when ultimately a very public report is going to be published to the people who know your school most – it’s community.

This is the contradiction at the heart of Ofsted. Inspectors are told to be compassionate, yet they operate within a system that is fundamentally judgmental. A single grade point can define a school (for years) and destroy a career along the way. No amount of polite conversation or “adjusting approach” can soften that reality. When the stakes are this high, compassion becomes cosmetic.

If Ofsted truly wants inspections to be humane, it must start by asking: is the framework itself compatible with empathy? Because right now, from listening to people who have gone through it – the answer seems to be a clear no.

Flaws in the Toolkit

I think there is a real problem brewing in this current framework.. A really serious one. On first-hand feedback I’ve heard from headteachers and other stakeholders who have recently been through the process. This current framework is the toughest and hardest ever. On the back of the reason to reform Ofsted, Ruth Perry’s tragic death, it is hard to understand anyone ever thinking this would have happened. If this small amount of feedback is replicated nationally, we clearly have an Ofsted framework worse than any before and not fit for purpose. I still stuggle to work out how this approach will ever be better than a proper professional dialogue about what is working, not working in a school and how to plan forward.

Some thoughts about the feedback I have heard so far:

There’s an uncomfortable truth around Inspectors conduct and the reality of the experience: inspectors are being asked to demonstrate empathy and flexibility while working within a Toolkit that seems to do the opposite. The inspection toolkit; the frameworks, schedules, templates and reporting structures seem rigid, high-stakes and unforgiving. No matter how empathetic inspectors are they have to follow the toolkit and this just makes the whole thing feel like a Velvet Fist.

Inspections are compressed into tight timeframes. Inspectors have to gather huge amounts of evidence quickly – therefore Leaders have to provide it whilst juggling the overall Inspection experience… Which, like it or not, for some people is VERY stressful. There’s little room for genuine dialogue or professional curiosity (and this causes resentment, fear and confusion) when every minute is accounted for. At the end of this very short time frame we end up with the most important report a school receives. And, like it or not it has the power to absolutely destroy a school leader.

The frameworks clearly uses certain data points and headline judgments (Vulnerable groups, attendance etc). But, there is no national average school – context is key and it seems that the powers that be want to create a easy to measure set of data points… I can’t wait for the KS2 outcomes conversation in my school where this year 19% have an EHCP. Empathy doesn’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet, it reminds me of the Little Britain sketch – Computer Says No. So, for example what happens to a Behavior and Attendance judgement when behaviour is fantastic, truly inspiring but attendance is slightly below national? That’s a massive sweep of a judgement – or vice versa – Attendance 99% but slightly above national exclusions? Is there flexibility in the toolkit – you’d hope so but if there is that opens the Inspectors up to personal judgement.

The system is designed for evidence collection, not professional exchange. Leaders often feel interrogated rather than engaged. Inspectors are trained to probe, not to coach or support – and the toolkit reinforces that stance.

Why This Matters

Until the inspection model changes, these expectations of empathy and respect risk being aspirational rather than operational. Inspectors can’t simply “be more compassionate” if the framework forces them into rigid patterns and high-pressure judgments. The system itself needs redesigning before its really started (It’s not like we didn’t say so!) with time for genuine dialogue, flexibility for context, and a shift from compliance to collaboration. Hey, you know – like every other school review system outside of England!

Compassion in inspections? It’s a nice idea but impossible under the current system. If Ofsted truly wants inspections to be humane, it must start by fixing the toolkit. Otherwise, these values will remain words on a page while leaders continue to bear the brunt of a process that feels punitive, not supportive. That’s why we remember Ruth Perry becasue we could see the lack of compassion and understanding in what happened. I’m truely afraid that nothing has changed in this current system… if anything, right now it seems worse than ever.