Ofsted’s chief inspector has vowed to make changes to the system in the wake of the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
Mrs Perry took her own life in January last year after Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire, was downgraded from top grade, “outstanding”, to the lowest, “inadequate”.
Senior coroner Heidi Connor issued a series of recommendations in a Prevention of Future Deaths report, which Ofsted formally responded to on Friday.
Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver, appointed head of the education watchdog at the start of the year, said he is “determined to do everything in my power to prevent such tragedies in the future”.
In a statement, he said he accepted the coroner’s findings and pledged to carry out inspections “in a way that is sensitive to the pressures faced by leaders and staff, without losing our focus on our children and learners”.
“We intend to re-evaluate our internal policies and procedures in light of these findings, so we can identify where changes need to be made,” Sir Martyn said.
More on Education
Related Topics:
What did the coroner recommend?
The Prevention of Future Deaths report identified a number of areas of concern, including the impact the current Ofsted system has on the welfare of school leaders.
Advertisement
There is “an almost complete absence” of Ofsted training when a school leader shows signs of distress during an inspection, taking practical steps and recognising when it is appropriate to pause the inspection.
The report also pointed to the “absence of a clear path” to raise concerns during an Ofsted visit, if they cannot be resolved with the inspector.
There was no formal written policy about any confidentiality requirement after inspections – meaning teachers may fear discussing the outcomes with colleagues outside of the school and mental health professionals.
Image: Ofsted has vowed to make changes to ensure ‘no one should feel as Ruth did’
Ms Connor also raised concerns about how fast Ofsted reports are published and the lack of policy for any “learning review” to be conducted.
Finally, she made reference to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan being quoted in an Ofsted publication last June as saying the department is “significantly expanding wellbeing support for headteachers”.
However, a witness during the inquest was unable to clarify what form the additional support had taken place.
What action will Ofsted take?
The education watchdog has already “done much” in the wake of Mrs Perry’s death but “there is a lot still to do”, Sir Martyn said.
Ofsted will provide mandatory mental health awareness training for all inspectors, due to be completed by the end of March this year, to not only spot signs of distress but also reduce anxiety.
New policies include allowing a rapid return for schools graded “inadequate” solely due to ineffective safeguarding – meaning they have a chance to fix problems and improve their grade before any formal intervention.
Inspectors will also be able to request a pause if, for example, a headteacher needs more support.
Image: Sir Martyn Oliver was appointed Ofsted chief inspector on New Year’s Day this year
Headteachers can now share inspection outcomes with their personal support network.
An independent expert will be appointed to lead a learning review of Ofsted’s response to Mrs Perry’s death.
In addition, the watchdog will conduct a “comprehensive learning exercise” called The Big Listen, which gives a voice to parents, children, learners and professionals.
Sir Martyn added: “I would like to express my deepest condolences to Ruth’s family and friends and apologise sincerely for the part our inspection of her school played in her death.
“I will do everything in my power to help ensure that inspections are carried out with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect, and with consideration for staff welfare.
“Such tragedies should never happen again, and no one should feel as Ruth did.”
Image: Professor Julia Waters, sister of Ruth Perry, says she is disappointed that ‘single-word judgments’ have not been dropped
Mrs Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, said she was “disappointed that the government has opted to keep misleading and harmful single-word judgments”.
She said: “Whether these brand a school as ‘outstanding’ or ‘inadequate’, or the grades in between, these blunt verdicts obscure many of the important details. As the coroner noted, Ruth was devastated by the impact of such language.
“Parents, teachers, governors and others should be encouraged to engage with the details of inspection findings, and not just fixate on one or two words. Simplicity may be convenient for government bureaucrats, but it acts against the true interests of children, parents and teachers.”
An inquiry last November found Ofsted was “not fit for purpose” and had “lost the trust of the teaching profession and increasingly of parents”.
Spreaker
This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only.
Former Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman apologised to Mrs Perry’s friends and family, who blamed her death on the “deeply harmful” pressure of the inspection in November 2022.
In a statement, Ms Keegan said: “Ruth Perry’s death was a tragedy and the coroner’s findings made clear that lessons need to be learned.
“We are working to ensure inspections keep children safe while also prioritising the safety and wellbeing of school leaders serving in our schools, through expanded wellbeing support for leaders.”
:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
CCTV and police bodycam footage allegedly showing three police officers being assaulted at Manchester Airport has been played to jurors.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, are said to have struck out after police were called to the airport on 23 July last year, following Amaaz allegedly headbutting a customer at a Starbucks in Terminal 2.
Minutes later, three police officers approached the defendants at the paystation in the terminal’s car park.
A jury at Liverpool Crown Court today watched CCTV footage from opposite angles, which captured what the prosecution says was a “high level of violence” being used by the siblings.
The prosecution says Amaaz resisted as officers tried to move him to arrest him, and Amaad then intervened.
Junior counsel Adam Birkby suggested Amaaz threw 10 punches, including one to the face of PC Lydia Ward, which knocked her to the floor.
His brother Amaad is then said to have aimed six punches at firearms officer PC Zachary Marsden.
Amaaz also allegedly kicked PC Marsden and struck firearms officer PC Ellie Cook twice with his elbow.
He is said to have punched PC Marsden from behind and had a hold of him, before PC Cook discharged her Taser.
Image: Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (left) and Muhammed Amaad (right) arrive at the court with their lawyer. Pic: PA
The bodycam and CCTV footage, submitted as evidence by the prosecution, allegedly shows the officers’ arrival in the Terminal 2 car park and their attempts to arrest the siblings, as well as their exchanges with them.
PC Ward can be heard saying “Oi, you b*****d” in footage from her bodycam, the prosecution evidence appears to show.
She then appears to fall to the floor and screams.
PC Cook, who is pointing her Taser at one of the defendants, then allegedly says: “Stay on the floor, stay on the floor whatever you do.”
“Get back, get back,” PC Ward appears to say.
The bodycam footage, shown to the jury by the prosecution, shows PC Marsden, who is also pointing his Taser, appear to approach the defendant who is lying on the ground and kick out at him.
Mr Birkby said: “Mr Amaaz, while prone, lifts his head towards the officers. PC Marsden kicks Mr Amaaz around the head area.
“PC Marsden stamps his foot towards the crown of Mr Amaaz’s head area but doesn’t appear to connect with Mr Amaaz.”
Amaaz denies three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to the three police officers and one count of assault to Abdulkareem Ismaeil, the customer at Starbucks.
Amaad denies one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to PC Marsden.
A paramedic who secretly gave a pregnant woman an abortion drug during sex has been jailed for more than 10 years.
Stephen Doohan, 33, was married when he met the woman on holiday in Spain in 2021 and began a long-distance relationship.
The High Court in Glasgow heard how the victim travelled to Edinburgh in March 2023 to visit Doohan after learning she was pregnant.
During consensual sex, Doohan twice secretly administered the tablets which led to the woman suffering a miscarriage.
In May, Doohan pleaded guilty to sexual assault and causing the woman to have an abortion. He returned to the dock on Monday where he was jailed for 10 years and six months.
Lord Colbeck said Doohan caused “long-term psychological injury” to his victim.
The judge said: “You put her through considerable pain over a number of days and left her facing a lifetime of pain and loss.”
More on Edinburgh
Related Topics:
The court heard how the woman found tablets hidden under the mattress after she became suspicious over Doohan’s behaviour in bed.
Lord Colbeck said: “The complainer then carried out an internet search for abortion tablets and confronted you over your actions.”
After the woman fell ill, Doohan convinced her to lie to medics at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh amid fears he would be arrested if she told the truth.
The victim later attended another hospital with her sister and was told she was having a miscarriage.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said Doohan sent the woman gifts including perfume, socks, facial cleansing oil, money to get her hair done and bought tickets for them to attend a football match.
The woman complained to the Scottish Ambulance Service in May 2023, sparking an investigation.
The court heard that on 14 March 2023, the day the woman told Doohan she was pregnant, the paramedic used a work intranet to search for abortion drugs.
Lord Colbeck said: “You planned out what you did to your victim using resources available to you as a paramedic.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Doohan was also added to the sex offenders’ register and banned from contacting his victim.
Fiona Kirkby, procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, said: “Stephen Doohan’s calculated and heinous actions caused the loss of the victim’s pregnancy, robbing her of plans she had for the future.
“He has now been held accountable for this fundamental breach of trust.
“While offences like this are thankfully rare, I hope this prosecution sends a clear message to all those who seek to inflict sexual harm towards women.
“Our thoughts remain with the victim, who must be commended for reporting her experience and seeking justice.
“We recognise that reporting sexual offending can be difficult but would urge anyone affected to come forward and seek support when they feel ready to do so.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service branded it an “appalling case”.
A spokesperson added: “We recognise the courage it must have taken for the victim to come forward and speak out.
“As soon as we learned of these very serious allegations and charges, we immediately took action, providing ongoing support to her whilst liaising with Police Scotland throughout the investigation.
“We know nothing will change what has happened to the victim and all we can hope is this sentence provides some comfort to them.”
UK farmers have “nothing more to give” as they fear the government will use agriculture to further reduce US tariffs in a trade deal with the White House.
The UK is trying to reduce steel tariffs to zero, from a current reduced rate of 25%, but Downing Street refused to confirm if it was confident ahead of Donald Trump’s deadline of 9 July.
Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said UK agriculture had already been used to reduce Trump-imposed tariffs on cars but any other concessions would have serious repercussions for farmers, food security and the UK’s high animal welfare standards.
He told Sky News: “It just feels like we, as the agricultural sector, had to shoulder the responsibility to reduce the tariffs on cars from 25%.
“We can’t do it anymore, we have nothing more to give.
“It’s clear the steel quotas and tariffs aren’t sorted yet, so we just want to be very clear with the government: if they’re sitting around the negotiating table – which we understand they are – they can’t expect agriculture to give any more.”
More on Donald Trump
Related Topics:
Image: Tom Bradshaw, the head of the NFU, said farmers cannot give any more
‘Massively undermine our standards’
Since 30 June, the US has been able to import 13,000 tonnes of hormone-free British beef without tariffs under a deal made earlier this year, which farmers feel was to reduce the car import levy Mr Trump imposed.
The UK was also given tariff-free access to 1.4bn litres of US ethanol, which farmers say will put the UK’s bioethanol and associated sectors under pressure.
Allowing lower US food standards would “massively undermine our standards” and would mean fewer sales to the European Union where food standards are also high, Mr Bradshaw said.
It would leave British farmers competing on a playing field that is “anything but fair”, he said, because US food can be produced – and sold – much cheaper due to low welfare which could see a big reduction in investment in UK farms, food security and the environment.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
5:08
Can the UK avoid steel tariffs?
‘The US will push hard for more access’
He said the US narrative has always suggested they want access to British agriculture products “as a start and they’ll negotiate for more”.
“The narrative from the White House on 8 May, when a US-UK trade deal was announced, was all about further access to our agriculture products – it was very different to what our government was saying,” he added.
“So far, the UK has stood firm and upheld our higher welfare standards, but the US will push very hard to have further access.
“No country in the world has proved they can reduce the 10% tariffs further.”
Image: US poultry welfare is lower than the UK, with much more intensive farming that means the meat has to be washed with antimicrobials. Pic: AP
US ‘will target poultry and pork’
The Essex farmer said he expects the US to push “very hard” to get the UK to lower its standards on poultry and pork, specifically.
US poultry is often washed with antimicrobials, including chlorine, in an attempt to wash off high levels of bacteria caused by poor hygiene, antibiotic use and low animal welfare conditions not allowed in UK farming.
US pig rearing methods are also quite different, with intensive farming and the use of feed additive ractopamine legal, with both banned in the UK.
A government spokesperson told Sky News: “We regularly speak to businesses across the UK to understand the impact of tariffs and will only ever act in the national interest.
“Our Plan for Change has delivered a deal which will open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market for the first time ever and all agricultural imports coming to the UK will have to meet our high SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) standards.”