Schools facing more pressure than ever, says Ofsted chief

She began her career in education as a teacher in London, before joining Ofsted as an Her Majesty’s Inspector and eventually working her way up the ranks.

Now, as regional director for North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, Cathy Kirby says schools are facing some of their biggest challenges yet, with higher expectations and children’s worsening mental health both playing a part.

Based in York, Mrs Kirby presides over a vast geographical area that runs from the Nottinghamshire border all the way up to Scotland and includes 20 local authorities.

Her challenging role includes overseeing a team of around 300 inspectors and ensuring that inspections are carried out and are delivered to a high standard.

She is also in charge of workforce development and training and recruitment of inspectors, as well as external engagement.

And after 12 years at Ofsted, she knows a thing or two about the changing face of education.

She is therefore best placed to recognise the challenges and pressures faced by schools in the region.

“I think that five years ago, Ofsted’s push that only ‘good’ is good enough brought about the biggest shake-up in the system for a long time. Schools were satisfactory year-after-year and that had grown into an acceptability,” said Mrs Kirby, who grew up in Doncaster.

And this, combined with other challenges, has led to schools facing more pressures than ever, she said.

“The biggest challenges probably for schools, they would say, are there are higher expectations through our frameworks, that acknowledgement that only good is good enough,” she said. “I think they are also in an environment of a world that’s changing where, as well as making sure a child can read and write well, they have a curriculum that will enable them to contribute to the kind of econmy we have now. So matching their curriculum to suit the needs of the children and keeping the staff trained in order to deliver that well is absolutely a challenge for schools.”

Mrs Kirby said it was also a necessity for schools to ensure that that personal development of young people enabled them to function as “citizens of Britain” in a world where mass acts of violence were becoming increasingly common. “I think the very world we inhabit gives an extra degree of challenge for the schools,” she said.

And with children’s mental health increasingly on the agenda, Mrs Kirby added: “There are plans from the Department for Education that schools are better supported and trained to enable them to support children’s mental health.

“All of these things are additional for schools, teachers and leaders to take on. There is an importance for school leaders and governors to recognise those things and to support and develop their staff so they are better equipped to meet these challenges of our times,” she said.