The family of a headteacher, who took her own life ahead of an Ofsted report, is hoping that her inquest will shed light on missed opportunities to prevent her death. Ruth Perry, who was the headteacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading for thirteen years, died on January 8th. Her death sparked a debate about how Ofsted inspections in England work. The inquest will fully consider the circumstances leading to the suicide.
Mrs Perry’s sister, Julia Waters, told BBC News that if there were “lessons that can be learned so that no headteacher has to go through what Ruth went through and no family has to go through what we are still going through”, it would be a positive outcome. She urged for teachers and headteachers to be looked after since they take care of our children. Ms Waters feels that it is necessary to reintroduce humanity to the school inspection system.
The school’s safeguarding concerns led to its downgrading from the highest rating, “outstanding”, to the lowest. It has since been regraded “good.” Following Mrs Perry’s death, MPs launched an investigation into school inspections in England. Some changes have already been made, and schools can now contact Ofsted if they are unhappy with an inspection. However, Ofsted says that its one-word rating system, which is not being ended, provides clarity to parents.
On Saturday, Mrs Perry’s family launched an appeal for help with their legal bills for the inquest after being refused legal aid. It exceeded its target after two days. An Ofsted official said they were “deeply saddened by the death of Ruth Perry” and that the organization will support the coroner’s inquest. The proceedings are set to take five days, with the coroner expected to deliver her conclusions on December 7th
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