A SENIOR school leader suffered a “severe medical episode” after staff received feedback following the first day of an Ofsted inspection, it has been revealed.

Belfairs Academy, in Highlands Boulevard, Leigh, has been rated “requires improvement” following the inspection but school leaders have slammed the education watchdog for a lack of “concern for staff wellbeing”.

Bev Williams, Principal at the school and CEO at the Legra Academy Trust, has accused Ofsted of a “heavy-handed approach” by returning to the school to continue the inspection with “five additional inspectors”.

The first day of the inspection, where the senior leader fell ill and was taken to hospital for treatment, was conducted on May 14 before inspectors returned on June 4 for a further two-day inspection.

Ms Williams claims staff were “still severely traumatised” when inspectors returned and has written to the Chief Inspector of Schools to raise concerns.

In a letter to parents, Mrs Williams says: “I must inform you of our grave concerns at the way Ofsted approached its inspection with this academy. At the end of that first day, the feedback given by inspectors caused a senior leader to suffer a severe medical episode, and he was taken to hospital for treatment.

“Ofsted were unsympathetic and insisted on returning on June 4 to gather additional evidence.

“This inspection team was made up of an additional five inspectors, illustrating the heavy-handed nature of the inspection at a time when staff were still severely traumatised and anxious as a result of the incident at the end of the first day. We endured three days of intense scrutiny from Ofsted with little concern for staff wellbeing.”

The school has complained to Ofsted in a bid to overturn the “unfair” requires improvement rating - the second lowest rating Ofsted can issue. Ms Williams added: “We wrote to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Martyn Oliver, to outline our concerns regarding our inspection. We told him our shocking experience of Ofsted and its inspection process has proven his words are hollow.

“His pledges of change have clearly had no effect at all and the approach of Ofsted with no consideration for the welfare of staff persists in the inspection process.

“We face the findings of the report with sadness and disbelief.”

The trust has since employed a “consultant” to help give “additional insight and support” and claims they have “commended staff on their work ethic”.