London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Ofsted boss rejects calls to pause school inspections

Ofsted boss rejects calls to pause school inspections

Stopping school inspections in England would be "against children's best interests", Ofsted's chief has said.

Teachers have called for them to be paused, after head teacher Ruth Perry took her own life while waiting for a report that downgraded her school from "outstanding" to "inadequate".

Amanda Spielman said inspections are important for both schools and parents.

It comes as the BBC can reveal Ms Perry had been "delighted" with feedback from Ofsted in an informal visit in 2019.

Inspectors had visited Caversham Primary School as part of a programme of informal visits to pilot a new inspection framework.

Ofsted has confirmed to the BBC's education editor Branwen Jeffreys that Ms Spielman attended in person to observe the visit.

In a newsletter to parents at the time, Ms Perry said she was "incredibly proud" of how well pupils and staff responded to the experience, adding that the feedback had been "overwhelmingly positive".

But after a formal inspection in November 2022, Ms Perry's school was rated as inadequate as a result of failings in training, record-keeping and checks on staff. The Ofsted report added that Caversham Primary School provided a good education and a welcoming and vibrant community for children.

Following Ms Perry's death, Ms Spielman has said a debate about reforming inspections to remove grades was a "legitimate one", but added that any changes to the system "would have to meet the needs both of parents and of government".

Ofsted inspectors give ratings of either outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Ms Spielman said those ratings "give parents a simple and accessible summary of a school's strengths and weaknesses".

But Paul Gosling, president of the National Association of Head Teachers, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the one-word assessments were too simplistic to sum up the complexity of school life.

Ms Perry's family has said her death was a "direct result of the pressure" caused by the school inspection.

Lisa Telling, a head teacher in Reading who knew Ms Perry well, said she had been under "enormous stress" and "knew the outcome of her report but was unable to tell her staff".

"As a head teacher, when you get your result and your final feedback, currently the system does not allow you to share that. That's a huge piece of information to hold on to," she said.

Ofsted's handbook says school leaders can share the provisional findings of inspections with those responsible for the governance of the school, as long as they are marked as confidential and subject to change.

Mrs Telling told BBC Breakfast that Ms Perry was restricted from sharing the "world-destroying" verdict for 54 days before she died.

Mr Gosling said school leaders should be allowed to speak to "a range of people who might be able to support them" if they were concerned by an Ofsted result.

Ruth Perry was the head at Caversham Primary School in Reading


Since Ms Perry's death, some head teachers have removed references to Ofsted from websites, job adverts and letters.

And on Thursday, the National Education Union handed a petition to the government calling for Ofsted to be replaced.

In Reading, headteachers' groups have written to the government asking for an urgent review of the system.

Ms Spielman said it would be wrong to say too much ahead of the coroner's inquest.

"Our school inspectors are all former or serving school leaders," she added. "They understand the vital work head teachers do and the pressures they are under."

Some head teachers, including Flora Cooper from Berkshire, are wearing black armbands during school inspections, following Ms Perry's suicide


Ms Spielman acknowledged inspections "can be challenging" but said inspectors always aimed to conduct them "with sensitivity as well as professionalism".

But school improvement adviser Julie Price-Grimshaw said that was "definitely not the case".

Speaking to BBC 5 Live Breakfast, she said many head teachers were getting "very ill, stressed and having breakdowns" as a result of inspections.

Ms Price-Grimshaw, who used to be an Ofsted inspector, said it was "impossible for teachers and head teachers to raise standards if they're feeling broken, demoralised, stressed and anxious".

But one vice-principal, at a secondary school in West Yorkshire, said Ofsted inspectors "came across as human and had collaborative conversations with staff", during a recent visit.

He said the inspection process was "intense and extremely stressful", but added that it resulted in an "honest reflection of where our school is at".

Ms Spielman said Ofsted aimed "to make inspections as collaborative and constructive as we can" and would remain focused on improving how it worked with schools, and "how inspections feel for school staff".

She admitted it was a difficult time to be a head teacher, particularly since the pandemic, as absence was high, mental health problems had increased and "external support services are unable to meet increased demand".

A Department for Education official said Ofsted had a crucial role to play in upholding education standards and ensuring children were safe in school: "They provide independent, up-to-date evaluations on the quality of education, safeguarding and leadership, which parents greatly rely on to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child."

A spokesman for the prime minister added: "We're confident the current rating system provides the right level of transparency for parents."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×