UCU: Ofsted inspections: protecting staff wellbeing and reforming accountability

Motion

Motion title: Ofsted inspections: protecting staff wellbeing and reforming accountability

Motion text: Conference notes:
Continuing sector-wide concern about the impact of Ofsted inspections in Further Education, adding to UCU policy critical of the inspection regime and its consequences for staff and students.
Conference believes:
The inspection framework is not fit for purpose. High-stakes inspections, single-word judgements and shifting frameworks impose unrealistic expectations on FE staff while failing to account for funding constraints, local demographics and wider pressures in the sector. This regime drives excessive workload, confusion and fear across colleges, harming staff mental and physical health and wellbeing. A system that damages those delivering education cannot effectively serve students or the sector.
Conference resolves:
1. to intensify UCU's campaign against high-stakes inspections and single-word judgements
2. to lobby the Department for Education and Parliament for an accountability system that protects staff wellbeing and holds Senior Leadership Teams responsible where workplace practices or inspection preparation place staff health at risk.