Headteachers and education unions called for school inspections to be paused earlier this week after Perry’s family said she had taken her own life in January before the publication of an inspection report rating Caversham primary school in Berkshire ‘inadequate’.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of union the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The death of Ruth Perry is an extreme example of the damage done by the high-stakes nature of the inspection system, but the truth is that it often has a catastrophic effect on individuals.
“A short pause to inspections to consider this matter seems a very moderate request, and would help Ofsted show the profession that it is listening.”
Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said in a statement that she is “deeply sorry” for the family’s loss and added that “it would not be right to say too much” ahead of an inquest.
She said that while she understood the outpouring of grief from the sector, “I don’t believe that stopping or preventing inspections would be in children’s best interests.
“Our aim is to raise standards, so that all children get a great education. It is an aim we share with every teacher in every school.”
The chief inspector, who is due to step down when her term ends at the end of the year, described an argument from the sector for Ofsted to drop its grading system as “legitimate”.
However, she urged the sector not to “lose sight of how grades are currently used”.
“They give parents a simple and accessible summary of a school’s strengths and weaknesses. They are also now used to guide government decisions about when to intervene in struggling schools. “Any changes to the current system would have to meet the needs both of parents and of government,” Spielman added.
She vowed that Ofsted will “keep our focus on how inspections feel for school staff and on how we can further improve the way we work with schools”.
A petition for Ofsted to launch an inquiry into Caversham’s inspection – which Spielman did not directly address – has surpassed 198,000 signatures.
