School’s Ofsted inspection will go ahead despite head’s plan to block it
West Berkshire Council confirmed the inspection is still happening.
An Ofsted inspection is planned to go ahead at a school in Reading after the death of its headteacher despite calls from unions.
Ruth Perry, head at Caversham Primary School, took her own life in January while awaiting for the publication of a report downgrading the school from outstanding to inadequate.
Her family said she had described the watchdog’s inspection in November as the worst day of her life.
Flora Cooper, fellow headteacher of the John Rankin Schools in nearby Newbury, Berkshire, confirmed yesterday she would block Ofsted’s inspectors from coming inside her school.
In a post on Twitter, she stressed she is ‘doing this for school staff everywhere’.
But a West Berkshire Council spokesperson said that a inspection will go ahead today after ‘discussions between the parties involved’.
‘We understand that the inspection process can be a busy and stressful time for teachers, governors and school staff,’ they added.
‘As a council, we work closely with all of our schools to support them through the inspection process and address any individual concerns.’
Outside the John Rankin Infant School, two former teachers have been standing in protest, holding signs that read ‘RIP Ruth Perry’.
The two women, who gave their names as Ellen and Liz, were joined by staff at the school.
Some were seen wearing armbands in solidarity with their colleague.
Liz, an ex-primary school teacher who was mentored by Ms Perry when the school went into special measures, said: ‘It is just unimaginable.
‘There is not a day where I don’t think about Ruth and the loss not only obviously to her family but the entire teaching community.
‘She didn’t just care and dedicate herself to her school and her pupils, she was also a huge support for schools in the Reading area and beyond.
‘She was absolutely brilliant and the pressure and the stress that she was under was immense.’
The National Education Union, school leaders’ union NAHT and the Association of School and College Leaders had urged for inspections to be halted.
Liz echoed their calls, and said Ofsted should ‘go back to its roots’ of supporting schools and their improvements.
‘I think that’s what it initially set out to do – I was “Ofstedded” more than 25 years ago and it was a really different process,’ she recalled.
‘We felt really looked after, we had an opportunity to prepare the parents, staff, the pupils and the families for what we were doing.
‘When the inspectors came in they were genuinely interested in how we were teaching.’
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