A HEADTEACHER from Rossendale today launched an attack on the Ofsted system of naming and shaming schools, which he said created an "unhealthy climate of fear".

Clive Taylor, head of Waterfoot Primary, slammed the current inspection framework as ludicrous -- on the day his own 300-pupil school received a glowing report from the standards watchdog.

He said the naming and shaming policy was both unnecessary and unprofessional.

"Unless schools are able to explain every dot and comma of their practice, they are at risk of being labelled as at least having serious weaknesses and at worst being derided as being in need of special measures.

"The effect of this is to create an unhealthy climate of fear.

"Stress levels are unimaginable to those who have never had the experience and even in healthy organisations, such as Waterfoot School, inspectors do everything in their power to unearth faults whether they are real or imagined.

"This is not because they are uncaring or unsympathetic individuals but because they too are working to a framework which is simply unsustainable in the real world outside Whitehall." Mr Taylor said there had been recent sad instances where such microscopic examination had led to schools and individual teachers being publicly shamed.

"I am passionately in favour of raising standards and quite prepared to take radical steps to root out poor performance," he said.

"But where this is necessary, it should be done privately within an organisation."

Mr Taylor said he was delighted with his own school's report but felt he should sound a word of warning to schools and parents everywhere.

Ofsted inspectors found Waterfoot primary gave good value for money. The school was effective, with very good leadership and management, well governed and self-critical.

It had excellent performance management procedures, two thirds of teaching was at least good, with pupils attaining national standards in English and above in mathematics.

The vast majority of pupils responded well by working hard and achieving well, the report added.

Chairman of governors Stephanie Thornton said the report was a testament to the school's fundamental philosophy set out in its mission statement: "At Waterfoot school, we think for ourselves but feel for others. We're all immensely proud," she added.

The issue of Ofsted naming and shaming was addressed in yesterday's Lancashire Evening Telegraph opinion column, which backed the policy as a way of maintaining standards.

After reading the column, Mr Taylor said: "I am delighted that the debate about Ofsted and its systems has been raised. I would like to make it clear that I and most other head teachers fully support the concept of public accountability and that poor performance should be rigorously addressed in all schools. However, in these schools it ought to be possible for this to be accomplished without resort to public humiliation."