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Stopping or preventing school inspections would not be in “children’s best interests”, Ofsted has said.

It follows calls from teachers and school leaders to halt inspections following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself in January while awaiting an Ofsted report that downgraded her school, Caversham Primary in Reading, from outstanding to inadequate due to “safeguarding” issues.

A petition calling for an inquiry into the inspection of Caversham Primary School has more than 110,000 signatures.

But Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman said “inspection plays an important part” in maintaining standards in education as it looks at “what children are being taught”, assesses “behaviour” and “checks that teachers know what to do if children are being abused or harmed… it’s important for that work to continue”.

Ms Spielman said Ms Perry’s death “was met with great sadness at Ofsted” and that an “outpouring of grief and anger from many people in education” was understandable – but declined to halt inspections.

Ruth Perry was headteacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading. Pic: Caversham Primary School
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Ruth Perry. Pic: Caversham Primary School

However, Paul Whiteman, of the National Association of Head Teachers’ Associations (NAHT), said the decision not to pause inspections “even for a short period, was a terrible mistake”.

“It only serves to reinforce the view that Ofsted is tin-eared and shows scant regard for the wellbeing of school leaders.”

He added that the union was “not against inspection” but instead would be for a “fairer, more humane approach” which they believe parents would support.

Lisa Telling, executive headteacher at Katesgrove and Southcote Primary School in Reading, who had known Ms Perry for 20 years, also said that inspections should be paused for a while.

She said that her personal experience the last time one of her schools underwent an Ofsted inspection was that it was “incredibly stressful” and that she only got around five hours of sleep during the three days inspectors were there.

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Ms Telling told Sky News she had removed all references to Ofsted from her schools’ website, saying she doesn’t “want to be judged on what Ofsted says about us. We don’t agree with the one-word gradings. One word doesn’t sum up a school.”

She added that none of the teachers working for her at her schools wanted to go on to be headteachers because of the pressures of the role.

Ellen (left) and Liz (surnames not given) outside the gates to John Rankin Schools in Newbury, Berkshire, where headteacher Flora Cooper is planning to refuse entry to Ofsted inspectors following the death of the leader of a nearby school, Ruth Perry. Ms Perry, who was head at Caversham Primary School in Reading, killed herself in January while waiting for an Ofsted report which gave her school the lowest possible rating, her family said. Picture date: Tuesday March 21, 2023.

Discussing her friendship with Ms Perry, she described her as the “most wonderful person”.

“She loved being a headteacher,” Ms Telling said. “She loved the community, she loved her school. She was passionate about education and also supported fellow headteachers.

“Talking to her just made you feel better. She was genuinely one of the warmest most wonderful human beings and it’s really difficult to accept that she’s no longer with us.”

The National Education Union said replacing Ofsted with a new agency “would be good for children”.

Deputy General Secretary Niamh Sweeney said: “What is not in children’s best interests is headteacher burnout and beloved class teachers leaving. What is not in children’s interests is ploughing on with a pretence that this is the only approach to inspecting schools.”

Schools have been removing logos and references to Ofsted ratings from their websites as a mark of solidarity with Ms Perry and headteachers said they plan to stage peaceful protests – including wearing black clothing and armbands and displaying photographs of Ms Perry around buildings – when Ofsted inspections take place.

Ofsted said that changes to the current system would have to meet parental and governmental criteria.

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Prince Harry cleared of bullying claims by report into ‘damaging dispute’ at his charity

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Prince Harry cleared of bullying claims by report into 'damaging dispute' at his charity

The Charity Commission has found no evidence of bullying or harassment at a charity set up by Prince Harry.

But it has found that an internal dispute at Sentebale “severely impacted the charity’s reputation”.

Earlier this year its chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, accused the Duke of Sussex of “harassment and bullying at scale”.

Her comments followed the departure of the prince and several others from the organisation in March.

They had asked her to step down, alleging it was in the “best interest of the charity”.

Dr Chandauka told Sky News that Harry had “authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world” without informing her or Sentebale directors.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex declined to offer any formal response.

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Why was Prince Harry accused of ‘bullying’?

‘Strong perception of ill-treatment’

The Charity Commission said it was reporting after a “damaging internal dispute emerged” and has “criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly”.

That “severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally”, it said.

But it found no evidence of “widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity”.

Nevertheless, it did acknowledge the “strong perception of ill-treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally”.

It also found no evidence of “‘over-reach’ by either the chair or the Duke of Sussex as patron”.

‘Confusion exacerbated tensions’

But it was critical of the charity’s “lack of clarity in delegations to the chair which allowed for misunderstandings to occur”.

And it has “identified a lack of clarity around role descriptions and internal policies as the primary cause for weaknesses in the charity’s management”.

That “confusion exacerbated tensions, which culminated in a dispute and multiple resignations of trustees and both founding patrons”.

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Why was Prince Harry accused of ‘bullying’?

Harry: Report falls troublingly short

A spokesperson for Prince Harry said it was “unsurprising” that the commission had announced “no findings of wrongdoing in relation to Sentebale’s co-founder and former patron, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex”.

They added: “Despite all that, their report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the consequences of the current chair’s actions will not be borne by her, but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support.”

They said the prince will “now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana”.

Dr Chandauka said: “I appreciate the Charity Commission for its conclusions which confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025.”

But she added: “The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviours displayed in private.”

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Police investigating grooming gangs given AI tools to speed up cold case work

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Police investigating grooming gangs given AI tools to speed up cold case work

All police forces investigating grooming gangs in England and Wales will be given access to new AI tools to help speed up their investigations.

The artificial intelligence tools are already thought to have saved officers in 13 forces more than £20m and 16,000 hours of investigation time.

The apps can translate large amounts of text in foreign languages from mobile phones seized by police, and analyse a mass of digital data to find patterns and relationships between suspects.

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Grooming gang inquiry: ‘Our chance for justice’

‘We must punish perpetrators’

The rollout is part of a £426,000 boost for the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme, which supports officers to investigate complex cases involving modern slavery, county lines and child sex abuse.

The increased access to the AI technology follows Baroness Casey’s recommendation for a national operation to review cold grooming gang cases.

That operation will review more than 1,200 closed cases of child sexual exploitation.

“The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes, and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today’s children from harm,” said safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.

“Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools.”

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Key takeaways from the Casey review

Lack of ethnicity data ‘a major failing’

Police forces have also been instructed by the home secretary to collect ethnicity data, as recommended by Baroness Casey.

Her June report found the lack of data showing sex offenders’ ethnicity and nationality in grooming gangs was “a major failing over the last decade or more”.

She found that officials avoided the issue of ethnicity for fear of being called racist, but there were enough convictions of Asian men “to have warranted closer examination”.

The government has launched a national inquiry into the abuse and further details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

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Chancellor warned ‘substantial tax rises’ needed – as she faces ‘impossible trilemma’

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Chancellor warned 'substantial tax rises' needed - as she faces 'impossible trilemma'

Rachel Reeves will need to find more than £40bn of tax rises or spending cuts in the autumn budget to meet her fiscal rules, a leading research institute has warned.

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said the government would miss its rule, which stipulates that day to day spending should be covered by tax receipts, by £41.2bn in the fiscal year 2029-30.

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In its latest UK economic outlook, NIESR said: “This shortfall significantly increases the pressure on the chancellor to introduce substantial tax rises in the upcoming autumn budget if she hopes to remain compliant with her fiscal rules.”

The deteriorating fiscal picture was blamed on poor economic growth, higher than expected borrowing and a reversal in welfare cuts that could have saved the government £6.25bn.

Together they have created an “impossible trilemma”, NIESR said, with the chancellor simultaneously bound to her fiscal rules, spending commitments, and manifesto pledges that oppose tax hikes.

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Could the rich be taxed to fill black hole?

Reeves told to consider replacing council tax

The institute urged the government to build a larger fiscal buffer through moderate but sustained tax rises.

“This will help allay bond market fears about fiscal sustainability, which may in turn reduce borrowing costs,” it said.

“It will also help to reduce policy uncertainty, which can hit both business and consumer confidence.”

It said that money could be raised by reforms to council tax bands or, in a more radical approach, by replacing the whole council tax system with a land value tax.

To reduce spending pressures, NIESR called for a greater focus on reducing economic inactivity, which could bring down welfare spending.

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What’s the deal with wealth taxes?

Growth to remain sluggish

The report was released against the backdrop of poor growth, with the chancellor struggling to ignite the economy after two months of declining GDP.

The institute is forecasting modest economic growth of 1.3% in 2025 and 1.2% in 2026. That means Britain will rank mid-table among the G7 group of advanced economies.

‘Things are not looking good’

However, inflation is likely to remain persistent, with the consumer price index (CPI) likely to hit 3.5% in 2025 and around 3% by mid-2026. NIESR blamed sustained wage growth and higher government spending.

It said the Bank of England would cut interest rates twice this year and again at the beginning of next year, taking the rate from 4.25% to 3.5%.

Persistent inflation is also weighing on living standards: the poorest 10% of UK households saw their living standards fall by 1.3% in 2024-25 compared to the previous year, NIESR said. They are now 10% worse off than they were before the pandemic.

Professor Stephen Millard, deputy director for macroeconomics at NIESR, said the government faced tough choices ahead: “With growth at only 1.3% and inflation above target, things are not looking good for the chancellor, who will need to either raise taxes or reduce spending or both in the October budget.”

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