London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 05, 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
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
×