The Judge, Inspector and Inner Critic

Trigger warning: suicide

Education is one of the most judged professions: the behaviour and results of the children; the WhatsApp groups of their parents; the support & challenge of governors; the book scrutinies, lesson observations and classroom drop-ins; staffroom whispers, open days, results days, press reports, social media and of course the inspections, both for schools, and soon for trusts. It is high-stakes, high-pressure, high-profile.

We respect where this culture comes from: our responsibility to ensure a safe and high quality education for young people, a healthy workplace for employees and responsible use of public money. Whilst this principle of public accountability is vital, and welcome, being under this amount of constant judgment can inevitably takes its toll on individuals.

With Ofsted launching their new Inspection Framework this month, I’m encouraging us all to ask ourselves: What am I noticing about how I respond to the feeling of being judged? Might it be helpful to reset how I manage these pressures in a healthier way?

The tragedy of Ruth Perry – and other headteachers - haunts every conversation around inspection and this article wouldn’t feel authentic without acknowledging the depth of human impact Ruth’s experience demonstrates. As a profession, we must continually seek to ensure we do better for our current and future leaders.

If you’re struggling with stress or anxiety, please see your GP or call Education Support:

Sinead McBrearty’s paper Independent wellbeing impact assessment of the revised Ofsted framework insists that we can no longer sustain the current culture of fear around inspections. In her article, We have to define 'high stakes' if we hope to lower them, Sinead shares the shocking figure from March 2025, that Education Support had supported over 850 educators who were clinically assessed as at risk of suicide, and many thousands more who were struggling with wellbeing and mental health issues.

Sinead asserts, “High stakes do not drive high standards; they only drive stress and workload. Our children and young people deserve energised leaders in their schools.” When leaders are under stress - as distinct from pressure - their performance is inevitably marred. We all hope this new wave of inspection will afford an opportunity to align the necessity of public accountability with these person-centred considerations.

I’ve certainly seen an openness across the sector to talk about this alignment, optimistic that this new approach can become a vehicle for compassionate school improvement. Martyn Oliver's speech to the Confederation of School Trusts last month brought some helpful unifying language, “When we collaborate – when we speak, when we listen, when we accept challenge from one another, and particularly when we do all of this with our core mission at the heart, that’s when we help children to achieve, belong and thrive.” He went on to highlight the combination of the Inspectorate’s legal duty “to shine the light on where standards need to be raised” and moral duty “to spotlight those examples of the very, very best provision in the country, and recognise them so that others can learn from them”. Whether this addresses the human duty of treating colleagues with respectful compassion remains to be seen through delivery.

There have been some promising experiences shared so far:

• Primary Headteacher, Asif Bhatti, writes here about their pilot inspection, describing how the new model felt more supportive, humane, and collaborative. He describes how Inspectors focused on open dialogue, inclusion, and understanding school context rather than catching faults. Overall, the experience was “not softer, not easier – but more human and meaningful.”

  
  

• CEO of Greenshaw Learning Trust, Will Smith, posted this:

• Ethos Academy Trust are hosting a short online session to share their reflections following their recent Ofted trial inspection on Thursday 13^th November 15:30-16:00 (email ESalter@eat.uk.com if you’d like to attend).

  
  

  

Historically, the education system's use of judgments has been pervasive: from League Tables and Super Heads deconstructing 'failing' schools to graded NQT interview lesson observations and Performance Related Pay. A quick snapshot to make a judgment and get on with things. 

But things are changing. Ben Parnell’s - CEO Athena Learning Trust - recent blog The Fickle Spotlight: Why We Love to Build Up and Instantly Condemn Our Leaders challenges us to question the “brutal arena of instantaneous judgment… where short-term results instantaneously override long-term foundational work”. He argues that instead, “an adverse inspection report must be treated as a prompt for system-wide reflection, not merely a search for a scapegoat leader.”

Cultural shift, for sure! And the potential for system-wide, structural change feels incoming. But what can you do, as an individual, today, to try and effect a small change towards alleviating the pressure of judgment in your school/trust?

Perhaps we should all start by accepting that judging, and feeling judged, is part of being human. The human mind is wired to notice and assess others. However, how we choose to communicate and respond to this IS within our circle of control. We just need to be intentional and values-led. We also need to respectfully recognise that colleagues will be at different stages on this journey of self-management.

Often, when external opinion / challenge / feedback is given, the recipient is left to process the personal impact without time or support, leading to them carrying it around unprocessed, as an unacknowledged emotional burden.

This article grounded in Buddhist psychology invites us to consider how we, and our colleagues, can take a healthy approach to processing other people's opinions of us:

1. First, think about the source of the judgement – does this person share your values or have the wisdom you respect? If not, maybe their opinion does not need to carry so much weight.

2. Second, look for any small piece of truth in what is said; if it helps you grow, take it, and if not, try to let it go.

3. Finally, choose your response. You might focus on forgiveness, both for yourself and others, and put your energy into the relationships and values that really matter.

This could mean recognising that criticism often says more about others, and their own frustrations, worries or insecurities, than it does about you personally. It might also mean allowing yourself time to acknowledge and sit with your emotional reaction before rationalising the key learning. And of course, staying connected to your purpose, vision and values can remind you that you are doing your best in service of something bigger than others’ judgements.

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without" - Buddha

In June, I was lucky enough to meet Mel Robbins at her live show in London. Author of the New York Times best-selling book ‘Let Them’, her simple message is that if people criticise or judge you – let them – without investing your precious emotion or energy.

An aspect of the Let Them theory which is often overlooked is the second part: Let Me. By freeing yourself from the burden of worrying what other people think, you are better able to process what you think! You are then able to take action, unhindered and free from self-sabotage.

The anticipation of being judged by others can be so strong that it can prevent us from trying something new, doing what we really want or, indeed, what we think is right. 

And then there's our own pre-existing inner voice of self-criticism, often our harshest judge: that voice in our heads telling us that we are weak, foolish or any number of other defamatory terms. If this resonates with you, you may like to watch these videos on the psychology of self-criticism in order to tame it:

1. Ethan Kross – author of ‘Chatter’ – How to Harness your Inner Voice (12mins) For up to 50% of our waking hours, our minds are not focused on the present, but silently making sense of our experiences, reflecting, planning or motivating us. Our inner voice is a remarkable tool but has a dark side: criticising, berating and distracting us from taking action. Venting our feelings to an empathetic listening can feel good but actually prolongs our stress response; we need to talk with someone who can broaden our perspective. Zooming out can reduce the seeming importance of what our inner critic is saying. 

   
   

2. Nick Wignall – psychologist, blogger, podcast host – The Origin of Self-Criticism (10mins). Whilst it’s important to acknowledge inherited and learnt causes of self-criticism, it’s more beneficial to approach your understanding through functional analysis: what purpose is your self-criticism serving and what is a better, healthier way to address that need? Is it trying to distract you from the emotion of regret, which can feel painful OR alleviate the fear of failure, which can feel uncomfortable? Instead practise tolerating those emotions eg. scheduling a daily worry time, de-sensitising your brain to fear or regret. 

I’ve written previously (Spotlight Director - May 2023) about our natural negativity bias, which explains further why it takes a sharp awareness, skillset and mindset to objectively and effectively process feedback and judgements. In education leadership, we tend to be very active in seeking feedback and listening hard to it. And whilst that is important, especially in such a people-focused role, do we really know what to do with it - personally - once we have received it? We need a mechanism by which to filter this data into compartmentalised places so we process it healthily and don't get upset, overwhelmed or distracted by it.

Earlier this term, Leadership Edge was delighted to support a multi-academy trust with confidential 1:1 coaching sessions for 20 leaders following their 360 surveys, helping them to process the data and what it meant for them both professionally and personally. This was a wonderfully supportive, human-focused offer, and reflective of the type of culture which creates psychological safety and enhances their employees’ sense of being valued and supported. 

As highlighted by Steve Rollett in Our collective agency in a new era of inspection, the sector stands in a position of opportunity. Education leaders have an important decision to make about how they present the new Ofsted approach in their settings and the culture that creates. He reminds us, “Leadership is, in many ways, about setting the weather. We cannot control every policy decision, but we can control the conditions within our organisations: the tone of conversations, the narratives we reinforce, the culture we model.” 

Culture is key. I wonder, when staff experience stress about the inspection process, are they more worried about making their best contribution to the overall findings, or avoiding being judged personally by their colleagues and leaders? 

So, a few reflective questions to support your thinking around your relationship with judgement:

1. Your personal reality - how do you respond to judgement? How developed is your ability to tolerate and manage challenge so it doesn’t fall into unhealthy self-criticism or unhelpful external blame?

2. Your colleagues – how could you support others to process judgement so it doesn’t fall into unhealthy self-criticism or unhelpful external blame?

3. Your organisational culture – how could you frame the narrative around feedback (including the new inspection framework) in a way that supports a positive and optimistic outlook for the work your school/trust is here to do?

Inspections, media soundbites, parent complaints, disgruntled colleagues… these forms of judgment can all contribute to the dark side of the job. It is tough! It is draining! Finding ways to respond to these challenges – personally, as well as professionally - is vital to the health, happiness and high-performance of ourselves and our colleagues. If we can intentionally strive to build the resilience, objectivity and, above all, supportive culture to hold these elements with grace, and at a manageable distance, we can learn, genuinely learn, to turn those mirrors into windows of what is possible for the education profession and people who work within it.

Warmest wishes,

Catherine Hulme

Owner Director

catherine@leadershipedge.org.uk

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