New research reveals 98 per cent of His Majesty’s Inspectors are overworked

The FDA, the only recognised trade union for His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) in Ofsted, has published its latest report, Beyond the Framework: The people behind inspections, which explores the perceptions, roles and challenging working conditions of school-based HMI.

In a survey conducted by YouGov, 73 per cent of parents of children aged under 18 in the UK state that they think Ofsted reports are important when choosing which school to send their child to and 83 per cent agree with the principle that school performance should be independently reviewed and available to the public.

Furthermore, a separate YouGov poll of teachers in England reveals that 74 per cent believe their most recent inspection was accurate. This is despite 55 per cent of HMI believing that educators perceive them as negatively as stated in an FDA internal survey of HMI and Senior HMI.

This survey also reveals that 98 per cent of HMI are working beyond their contracted hours. Three out of five HMI are working more than 10 additional hours each week and the majority are exceeding legal weekly limits. Nearly 90 per cent of HMI say this is harming their wellbeing.

FDA General Secretary, Dave Penman, said: “The findings within our new report are both sobering and hopeful. On the one hand, we see overwhelming evidence that parents and educators value the role of Ofsted inspections. However, behind these numbers lies a workforce under immense pressure.

“If we want inspections to be meaningful, fair, and trusted, we must ensure that those delivering them are respected, supported, and heard. That means recognising the human cost of current workloads, the impact burnout will have on the organisation’s ability to deliver and reforming the system to prioritise quality over quantity. It also means listening to educators, who overwhelmingly want inspections to be more personal, more humane, and more focused on helping schools improve.”

The FDA’s new report has been published following the new framework for inspections being rolled out by Ofsted. The Union’s stance is that for inspection reform to be successful, the needs of HMI must be addressed.

Penman continued: “There have been calls from some quarters for the total abolition of Ofsted, but the findings included within this report suggest that these statements are coming from a loud minority as opposed to a majority. We acknowledge that reform is needed, and inspectors will never be the blockers to implementing changes that benefit both the education of children and the experience of educators. However, the success of any reform will be reliant on inspectors, and they are overworked and overstretched. Recognising and addressing long-standing issues impacting the lives of inspectors is vital for the success of the new framework introduced by Ofsted, and we look forward to working together with the organisation in pursuit of enhancing education for all school age children.”

Read the full report online here: Beyond the Framework: The people behind inspections

Survey data

HMI: Data compiled through an internal survey of FDA Union HMI and Senior HMI members. Survey was conducted in May 2025 and received 191 responses. In the UK, there are approximately 343 working HMI and 88 Senior HMI.

Parents: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1003 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 3rd – 8th April 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK parents of children aged under 18.

Teachers: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 880 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th – 21st April 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of teachers in England.