Ruth Perry: Ofsted inspection likely contributed to death of headteacher, coroner says

An Ofsted inspection likely contributed to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, a coroner has concluded.

Ms Perry’s family say she took her own life in January after Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire, went from “outstanding” – the highest rating – to “inadequate” due to safeguarding concerns.

Staff at the school said the headteacher was left tearful and incoherent following the inspection on 15 and 16 November last year.

Jonathan Perry, Ms Perry’s husband, told the inquest his wife felt “completely devastated” in the weeks following the inspection, and that she worried about the impact of the school’s downgrading on the local community.

He said she was concerned that failing on child safeguarding would be the end of her career.

Ms Perry’s GP, Dr Tom Back, said there was “a link” between the Ofsted inspection and the headteacher’s mental health deterioration and death, adding it contributed “in a more than minimal way”.

An inquest, which has explored the impact of the inspection on Ms Perry, finished in Reading on Thursday, with senior coroner Heidi Connor delivering her findings at Berkshire Coroner’s Court.

She said: “The evidence is clear in this respect, and I find that Ruth’s mental health deterioration and death was likely contributed to by the Ofsted inspection.”

‘Tragedy like this must never happen again’

The education regulator has come under scrutiny since the tragedy, with calls from unions to scrap the single-word judgements.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union, said after the coroner’s ruling “the verdict is a clear and damning indictment of an approach to inspection that has done massive harm to school professionals” – and called for “urgent change”.

He said: “Firstly, our thoughts remain with Ruth’s family. This will have been a gruelling week and no verdict can heal the harm that has been caused by Ruth’s death.”

Mr Whiteman added: “We have heard in detail just how bad the impact of Ofsted inspection can be on school leaders’ mental health – something NAHT has been warning about for many for years. This tragedy never should have happened.”

In the aftermath of Ms Perry’s death, there were calls from headteachers across the country for a review of the way Ofsted operated.

Her sister, Professor Julia Waters, previously said Ms Perry had experienced the “worst day of her life” after inspectors reviewed the school.

Mr Whiteman added Ofsted has no choice but to “seriously reflect and make changes to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again”.

An inspection report, published on Ofsted’s website in March, found Ms Perry’s school to be “good” in every category apart from leadership and management, where it was judged to be “inadequate”.

Inspectors said school leaders did not have the “required knowledge to keep pupils safe from harm”, did not take “prompt and proper actions” and had not ensured safeguarding was “effective”.

‘Inquest shows brutal inhumanity of Ofsted system’

Ms Perry’s family believes stress associated with the inspection was a major factor in her death.

She had been waiting for the Ofsted report to be published when she took her own life.

Ms Perry’s body was found by police at an address in Reading – and her diary with entries ranging from 14 November 2022 to 6 January.

Her family described her as a “highly regarded” headteacher who had taught for 32 years.

They said they did not blame the inspectors themselves for her death, but said the inspection process required “massive reform”.

Ms Waters said the inquest had shown “the brutal inhumanity” of the Ofsted system, adding her sister’s death had left “an unfillable hole in all our lives”.

Caversham Primary School said in a statement: “When Ruth died, we lost a well-respected colleague, friend and leader. It has been an incredibly difficult time.

“We continue to grieve her loss and to struggle to come to terms with her untimely death and the circumstances surrounding it.

“The clock in our school playground, which is our memorial for Ruth, reminds us every day of her presence and the impact she had on all our lives. She will forever be in our hearts.”

The school was reinspected on 21 and 22 June and assessed as “good” in all categories, the second-best rating.

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Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman has said the current one-word system should stay.

However, changes have been announced – such as giving schools more information on when inspections will happen and a consultation on reforms to the complaints system.

Schools where safeguarding concerns prompt an overall ‘inadequate’ rating, but where other measures are rated good or better, will also now be revisited within three months.

For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.