The family of a head teacher who committed suicide after her school was rated inadequate by Ofsted has launched an appeal for assistance with their legal costs. An inquest into Ruth Perry’s death is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but her family was informed last week that their application for legal aid had been denied.
Ms Perry died in January, less than two months after the Ofsted report at Caversham Primary School in Reading, which downgraded it from outstanding to inadequate due to safeguarding problems. A later Ofsted inspection gave the school a good grade.
The Perry family contends that funding for legal representation would be in the public interest, while Ofsted and Brighter Futures for Children, the council-owned company that manages Reading’s schools, will both finance their legal teams from the public purse. Without legal aid, Ms Perry’s husband and school-aged daughters will have to depend on her widower’s pension to cover their legal expenses.
The family says that they want the inquest to discover the causes of Ms Perry’s death and to learn lessons that may help prevent future such tragedies. Their crowdfunding effort was already halfway to the £50,000 target less than 48 hours after it started.
Any surplus above and beyond the Perry family’s legal costs will be given to Inquest, a charity that assists those who are challenging the authorities over the death of a loved one
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