Ruth Perry’s sister has joined forces with education leaders to demand a delay to proposed changes to Ofsted’s inspections.
The 53-year-old headteacher took her own life in January 2023 after her school – Caversham Primary in Reading, Berkshire – was downgraded from outstanding to inadequate by the education watchdog for England.
A coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection in November 2022 “contributed” to her death. And the tragedy led to nationwide calls for reform to the country’s school inspection system.
In an open letter released on the final day of Ofsted’s public consultation, a coalition of senior educators, trade union heads, former inspectors and mental health advocates urged Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to pause what they describe as a “rushed” rollout of new inspection measures.
Ms Perry‘s sister, Professor Julia Waters, is among the signatories, alongside general secretaries of the UK’s major teaching unions, former His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs), and leading academics.
The letter criticises the proposed reforms as failing to reflect the painful lessons from Ms Perry’s death that shone a spotlight on the pressures that school leaders face under the current Ofsted system.
“We believe the proposed new system will continue to have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of education staff,” the letter states, warning of a continued risk of “preventable deaths” if deeper systemic issues are not addressed.
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The current system was previously criticised for reducing school performance into a single-word judgement. It was described by ministers as creating “low information for parents and high stakes for schools”.
The one-word judgement is set to be removed. But critics say the proposed replacement offers little real change.
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‘Cosmetic’ measures
Report cards and a new grading structure have been suggested. But many argue these measures are only cosmetic and they fail to fix and alleviate the intense pressure schools are under.
Among the coalition’s demands is the creation of a robust, independent complaints and appeals process. Currently, any complaints procedure is largely absent, leaving schools with little recourse to challenge potentially damaging inspection outcomes.
“Trust in the system needs to be restored,” the letter reads. “The rushed and closed nature of the consultation has only made that worse.”
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The Department for Education has not yet responded to Sky News’ request for comment.
Read more:
Here’s what the new Ofsted report card could look like
The letter follows growing scrutiny from MPs, following the Education Select Committee’s inquiry into Ofsted, which was launched in the wake of Ms Perry’s death and broader concerns about staff wellbeing in schools.
Many in the education sector have pointed to the need for a more compassionate, collaborative, and effective approach to school accountability.
The message to the government is clear from these concerned parties: pause, listen, and engage with the evidence before imposing reforms that could risk adding pressure to a system that is already at breaking point.
