Commenting on the latest Annual Report from Ofsted, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The hard work and tremendous achievement of schools is done against a backdrop of incredible challenges. This Ofsted report highlights these issues, which are not of schools' making. Teacher recruitment and retention and a lack of support for SEND students is a direct failure by Government to ensure that all children and young people get the education they deserve. It is no coincidence that attendance issues are increasing alongside waiting times for access to SEND specialist and mental health support services. School staff have been raising these issues, and picking up the pieces, for years and have been ignored by a Government intent on saving money not young people's lives.
"It is quite clear that pupils and parents have been sorely let down by a Government that refused to fund a proper recovery package post-COVID and have done nothing to address the fact that there is now a significant shortage of people going into the profession. Of those who do enter the profession a quarter of recruits leave within three years of qualifying, and a third within five. The strain that this has put on schools is evident with teacher shortages across the curriculum.
"The system is also being let down by Ofsted. As was clear from Amanda Spielman's valedictory interview with the BBC today, this is an organisation incapable of self-scrutiny. Nor is there a listening mode when it comes to feedback from teachers and heads. The Beyond Ofsted report, published this week, shows all too clearly that the current regime is not fit for purpose and Ofsted is out of touch with the profession. 93% of the Beyond Ofsted survey respondents said they experienced high levels of personal stress during an inspection. This is why we need a very different system - one that is effective, supportive and fair."