Leading article: Heads should roll

Ofsted inspections are to blame for deterring gifted teachers from applying for headships. Says who? So says the National Association of Head Teachers. The NAHT released the findings yesterday at its annual conference. The same research found that the vast majority of members thought inspections increased vulnerability and insecurity. Oh yes, and heads especially don't like spot-inspections. Does anyone?

Ofsted responded that it did not necessarily accept the findings, given that the NAHT research was based on a small sample and not compiled by a recognised polling organisation. But let's be generous and take the heads at their word, but also offer some home truths.

Head teachers are among those who have benefited most from the public service pay rises of recent years. Heads of large schools, including schools outside London, have salaries that compare well with professional salaries in the private sector. We won't even mention the hours and the holidays: we know – because they say so at every turn – that the workload leaves them no time for relaxation.

That a little (very little) insecurity is now built in to the careers of those who have reached the pinnacle of their profession, and that heads are judged by outside assessors on the quality and standards of the schools they run, is no more than any professional should expect. In some sectors, the validation comes from paying customers. For schools, it comes from parents and from Ofsted.

There are many things wrong with our state schools: the frustrations of the national curriculum and the tyranny of league tables, to name but two. Schools in some inner city areas present special difficulties. But parents and taxpayers have a right to know how schools are doing. Head teachers should do less complaining and get on with their crucial job.

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