An independent review, conducted by Dame Christine Gilbert, has found that Ofsted’s response to the suicide of a primary school head teacher, following an inspection, was “defensive and complacent”. The review was commissioned after an inquest found that the critical Ofsted inspection “contributed” to the death of Ruth Perry, head teacher of Caversham Primary School in Berkshire, who took her life in January 2023. Caversham Primary School was set to be deemed “inadequate”. Despite senior Ofsted staff being told of Perry’s death that month, BBC News reports indicated that many school staff and board members learned about it only two months later.
The review concluded that Ofsted could have exhibited empathy by instantly seeking to speak to Perry’s family and the school. It also found that the regulator’s Big Listen consultation indicated that its culture creates feelings of anxiety and stress among school staff and leaders and that schools want more advice from inspectors on how to improve. Additionally, schools want better collaboration from Ofsted and consistency between inspections. Dame Christine’s recommendations include staff training for Ofsted’s senior officials and board members to improve communication with staff and schools during crisis situations. She has also called for a new training initiative for inspectors to spot school staff’s anxiety and distress, specifically designed to reflect the unique power dynamic of inspection.
Ofsted’s initial response to the tragedy had been “defensive and complacent rather than reflective and self-critical,” says the report. Inspectors had implied that the regulator had “done nothing wrong,” while Dame Christine suggests that Ofsted had appeared “completely dysfunctional”. The review comes after the UK government scrapped the issuing of overall grades for schools – Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate. Ofsted chief inspector Martyn Oliver accepted most of the review’s findings, stating that it shed light on “the power dynamic between the inspector and those being inspected”. However, there was mixed support for single-word judgements in Ofsted’s research, which suggested strong parental support for school inspections.
These changes made by Ofsted apply only to schools in England, with inspections in Wales carried out by Estyn, in Scotland by Education Scotland, and in Northern Ireland by the Education and Training Inspectorate. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has called the review “deeply concerning” and vowed to drive change alongside Sir Martyn, while the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), welcomed the Ofsted action. Dame Christine however remains sceptical about whether the Ofsted measures will “lead to fundamental change” and has called for an “improved culture of openness” while offering support and help to those affected by the report’s finding
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