27 November 2023 , 14:12
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A fundraiser for a headteacher who took her own life after an Ofsted inspection has smashed its £50,000 target in just two days.
Ruth Perry, who was head at Caversham Primary School in Reading, died by suicide in January while waiting for an Ofsted report which gave her school the lowest possible rating, according to her family. The inspection report found the school to be "good" in every category - apart from leadership and management, where it was rated "inadequate".
A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than £67,200 in just days after their application for legal aid was allegedly rejected before the inquest into Ruth's death begins tomorrow, according to her sister. Professor Julia Walters wrote on the crowdfunding page: "The other ‘interested parties’ in the Ruth Perry inquest are OFSTED, Reading Borough Council and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust – all of which, as public bodies, will de facto have their legal costs paid from the public purse.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at Parliament Green, Westminster, during a protest after Ruth Perry's death (PA)"While the bereaved family will receive no financial support, OFSTED have been instructed by the Coroner to bring no more than five members of their legal team to the inquest. We believe this legal and financial inequity to be unjust. We are launching this crowdfunding campaign to fund the family’s legal advice for, and representation at, the inquest into Ruth’s death, to be held at Berkshire Coroners’ Court between 28 November and 7 December 2023."
Julia went on to say, Ruth's family hopes the inquest "will reveal the truth about the circumstances" leading to the teacher's death and the "opportunities that were missed to prevent it". "They hope that lessons can be learnt to prevent future such deaths from occurring," she added. Any excess funds will be donated to Inquest, the only UK charity which supports people bereaved by state-related deaths to access truth, justice and accountability, and to contribute to systemic change.
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Ruth's inquest begins tomorrow (PA)In March, Julia said in a statement on behalf of the family that some of the Ofsted inspectors’ conclusions were "sensationalist" and "drawn from scant evidence", such as gaps in record-keeping and typical child behaviour. "In our opinion, the findings of Ofsted were disproportionate, unfair and, as has tragically been proven, deeply harmful in their (implied) focus on one individual," she added.
Ms Waters went on to say that the family was in "no doubt that Ruth’s death was a direct result of the pressure put on her by the process and outcome of an Ofsted inspection at her school". She also said her sister took her own life "under intolerable pressure from external scrutiny”.
But she also stated that she did not believe Ofsted inspectors meant to cause any harm and blamed the "fatally flawed system" instead. "Our only hope is that Ruth’s sudden, appalling death will be the last to occur as a result of the intolerable pressures caused by the Ofsted system," she added.
Ms Waters described Ruth as a kind and "highly regarded" headteacher who taught for 32 years. "Whatever happens now, those who knew and loved Ruth will be poorer for her absence for the rest of our lives," she said.
To donate to the GoFundMe appeal, click here.
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