New Ofsted report upgrades headteacher Ruth Perry’s school to ‘good’

Ofsted has replaced its “inadequate” rating that may have contributed to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry after a new inspection praised staff for addressing previous weaknesses at the school in Reading.

Perry died this year after an Ofsted inspection downgraded Caversham primary school in Berkshire from outstanding to inadequate, with Perry’s family saying the grading was a factor in her taking her own life.

Julia Waters, Perry’s sister, said the result of the re-inspection was vindication for those who knew the school and her sibling.

“That Caversham primary school could be judged good in all areas just months after the previous inadequate judgment amply proves what all those who knew Ruth and the school have known all along: Ruth’s leadership was not inadequate and Caversham primary was never a failing school,” Waters said.

“The reversal of the previous judgment in a matter of a few months illustrates why schools should be given the opportunity to correct any technical weaknesses before the final report is published.

“An inspection should be about helping schools with independent scrutiny, not catching them out and publicly shaming them. Ofsted’s use of safeguarding as a ‘limiting judgment’, overriding all other strengths and complexities of a school, puts headteachers in that position of constant jeopardy.

“That Ruth was left feeling suicidal as a result of Ofsted’s previous judgment demonstrates, in the most tragic way possible, the intolerably high stakes created by the current inspection system.”

This week Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, defended the earlier inspection. She said: “I am confident that, in this case, my team were professional and humane in their inspection.”

The new report, carried out last month, makes no mention of Perry or the circumstances around her death.

The previous inspection had rated the school’s safeguarding as inadequate. But the latest report states: “A positive culture of safeguarding now pervades the school. Detailed and relevant training ensures that all staff fully understand their role in keeping children safe.”

Waters praised the acting headteachers who had taken over since her sister’s death: “To have achieved a ‘good’ judgment in all areas is testament to their hard work and dedication, as well as to the actions that Ruth had already taken to address the issues identified.”

Perry’s death will be the subject of an inquest by Berkshire coroners, with a pre-inquest hearing from next week.

Labour has announced plans to scrap single-word school ratings and replace them with a “report card”, and to introduce annual reviews of school safeguarding as part of its proposed Ofsted changes.