A day in the life of a headteacher facing Ofsted pressure, funding crises and recruitment challenges

  • Watch a day in the life of headteacher Maria Kemble


A headteacher is warning that children's education is suffering and teaching is becoming incredibly challenging with a lack of funding, difficulties recruiting staff and the pressure of Ofsted reports.

Maria Kemble, the head of St Joseph's in Sudbury and St Edmunds RC Primary in Bury St Edmunds, invited ITV News Anglia cameras into her school to see a day in the life of a headteacher.

School leaders' roles have come under the national spotlight recently following the death of Reading headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life while waiting for an Ofsted report which downgraded her school to the lowest rating.

Ofsted has since rejected calls to stop school inspections but Mrs Kemble told ITV News Anglia that their reports are not fit for purpose.

She says they do not give a comprehensive picture of a school, but put a stress on staff which is immense.

Mrs Kemble told ITV News Anglia that her job is a constant juggle because of a lack of funding. Credit: ITV News Anglia

"Ofsted... they're just they're constantly on your shoulder," she said.

"When you're waiting for the inspection there is that constant heightened sense of anxiety. Anticipation of 'is today going to be the day where we get the phone call?'

"If it goes badly then actually it is my name, and it is probably my job and my career over."

St Edmunds Primary has 14 classes in the main school, as well as a pre-school and special educational needs (SEND) unit on site, looking after more 470 children.

Around 80 staff are currently on the payroll.

Mrs Kemble says her daily battle is juggling a lack of funding, with budgets being cut and says the new pay offer put forward by the government would have to come out of resources schools do not have.

"We're really proud of our SEND unit and it brings an awful lot to our school but what it is really brought home is that actually that the funding is just not enough.

Inside the SEND unit at the St Edmunds RC Primary School Credit: ITV News Anglia

"Recruitment of staff has been the most challenging," she adds.

"Keeping those staff, given the funding we have for pay rises, is becoming incredibly difficult.

"The latest pay offer isn't going to be funded, which means that money has to come out of the school budget. It is coming out of resources for children.

"You are constantly looking at the budget and juggling. Do we do that maintenance and repairs to the building? Or do we actually see if we can maintain staff? Are we going to buy another set of teacher books?

"We just can't do that with the funding we've got."

In response, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told ITV News Anglia that the recent pay offer made to teachers was "a fair and reasonable offer".

She insisted that if teachers accepted the pay offer that would be funded from additional "new money" provided to schools.

Regarding the recent scrutiny of Ofsted's role, the Department for Education said the watchdog "has a crucial role to play in upholding educational standards and making sure children are safe in school".


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