Heads unhappy with school inspections

Published on Thursday 5 November 2009 21:27

MOST headteachers are unhappy with the way their schools are inspected, a report shows.

Sixty per cent of heads questioned by the researchers were unhappy with the accountability of the process.

Their strongest complaints were over what they saw as unfair or unbalanced depictions of their school – and a "too public" exposure of weakness.

The unhappiness was disclosed in a research report commissioned by the Scottish Government into the views of headteachers, their recruitment and their retention.

The research was commissioned to study why becoming a headteacher is becoming less attractive as a career option.

The Conservatives seized on findings, which said headteachers thought they lacked autonomy in making decisions. More than half (53 per cent) felt they had only limited discretion on staffing, and a third said they had "very little" general autonomy.

The Conservatives' education spokeswoman, Liz Smith, said: "I welcome their report, which confirms exactly what the Scottish Conservatives have been saying for a long time – namely, that headteachers across Scotland would like to have far more control over the running of their schools."

The research findings said most headteachers worked more than 50 hours a week.