Schools can halt Ofsted inspections if staff upset in wake of Ruth Perry suicide

19 January 2024 , 00:01

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A photograph of Ruth Perry attached to the fence outside John Rankin Schools (Image: PA)

School leaders can now halt an Ofsted inspection if staff are distressed under new guidance following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

Ofsted is set to publish a new policy on pausing an inspection of a maintained school or academy “where a serious issue has been identified” as part of its response to senior coroner Heidi Connor’s Prevention of Future Deaths report.

Mrs Perry killed herself after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School, in Reading, from its highest rating to its lowest over safeguarding concerns. In December, Ms Connor concluded the Ofsted inspection on November 15-16 2022 “likely contributed” to Mrs Perry’s death.

The watchdog is due to restart inspections on Monday after they were halted earlier in the month for inspectors to receive mental health training. The new guidance is to be published before the start of next week. Ms Connor urged the watchdog to act to prevent further deaths in a report sent to Ofsted and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.

Among her concerns were the impact on headteacher welfare that the current system may have, and “the almost complete absence of Ofsted training” for inspectors looking for signs of distress in school leaders. Ms Connor said in her conclusion that Ofsted’s claim that school inspections can be paused if the distress of a headteacher is a concern was “a mythical creature”.

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An independent learning review of Ofsted’s response to the death of Mrs Perry will be carried out as part of a listening exercise – the Big Listen – which will hear from parents, leaders and professionals about Ofsted’s current approach, the changes being made, and whether more can be done to protect children, raise standards and improve lives.

Caversham Primary School headteacher Ruth Perry' (Brighter Futures for Children)

Ofsted is also considering separating safeguarding from the leadership and management grade as part of a formal review of where safeguarding fits within judgments. It comes after Mrs Perry’s school was found to be “good” in every category apart from leadership and management, where it was judged to be “inadequate” due to safeguarding concerns.

All inspectors will now be trained to recognise and respond to signs of distress in school leaders. There will be a “clear and simple” process for providers who have concerns about an inspection to speak to an unconnected senior Ofsted employee and an expert reference group, including external representation, to look at leader and staff wellbeing. Ofsted has “pledged to always act with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect”, in a response to the prevention of future deaths report, it added.

Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said: “As a fellow headteacher, I was shocked and saddened by the death of Ruth Perry. As the new chief inspector, I am determined to do everything in my power to prevent such tragedies in the future. We accept the coroner’s findings and have responded to the recommendations of her report in full. We must carry out our role in a way that is sensitive to the pressures faced by leaders and staff, without losing our focus on children and learners. Our critical work helps make sure that children and learners have the highest quality of education, training and care. We cannot afford to shy away from difficult decisions and challenging conversations where they are needed in the interests of children. I am determined that we get this delicate balance right."

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said Ofsted’s actions “do not address all the problems with the inspection system”, but they are “positive steps in the right direction”. He said: “This must be the beginning of a process for Ofsted and the Government to improve how schools and colleges are inspected – one that makes the system fairer, less punitive and more supportive."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Some of these proposals have the potential to improve certain aspects of inspection, but Ofsted also urgently need start addressing the underlying issues that are causing the stress and pressure on schools, rather just tackling the symptoms.” Mr Whiteman added that NAHT has compiled a report into the “changes necessary to make our inspection system fair, proportionate and humane”, which includes support from school leaders for the removal of one-word judgments.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Our latest survey of members, conducted last weekend, found that safeguarding of both students and staff was inadequate during Ofsted inspections. We heard cases of staff and students being reduced to tears, of inspectors casually disclosing personal information about pupils in front of their class. Inspectors casting verdicts on areas in which they have no expertise. Inconsistent judgments, and behaviour that provokes in some of those subjected to an inspection panic attacks and complications with pregnancies. Just 3% of respondents to our survey felt that the recent two-week pause for mental health training for inspectors was adequate.”

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Rachel Hagan