Support promised for head teachers after Perry death

A council said lessons must be learned from the death of headteacher Ruth Perry

Head teachers in the town where Ruth Perry took her own life have been promised more support if they are unhappy with an Ofsted inspection.

Reading Borough Council and its not-for-profit education partner Brighter Futures for Children also said they would run an annual wellbeing survey for head teachers.

Their statement comes after an inquest in December ruled an Ofsted inspection "contributed" to the death of Mrs Perry.

But Mrs Perry's sister Julia Waters said the council response "smacks a bit of marking their own homework".

• I.N.A.D.E.Q.U.A.T.E - Ruth Perry’s despair in handwritten notes

• What is Ofsted and how do inspections work?

• Ofsted inspection 'contributed' to head teacher's death

Ofsted has since apologised and the council said it "fully acknowledged and accepted" the coroner's report.

Mrs Perry, 53, died while waiting on an Ofsted report for Caversham Primary in Reading to be published - one downgrading it from from outstanding to the bottom category of inadequate.

After the inquest, coroner Heidi Connor said there was a risk of further deaths "unless action is taken".

The council said it would offer to undertake challenges on behalf of schools if there was "robust evidence" that an Ofsted inspection was "not fair and balanced".

It also said it would appoint an "independent external reviewer", who Mrs Perry's family would be asked to meet, to "address a council commitment made at the inquest that a learning review would be undertaken".

The review is expected to be completed in April.

Julia Waters has said her sister Ruth Perry was the victim of a "terrible injustice"

The council also promised increased mental health support for head teachers, in addition to the current employee assistance programme, which provides a 24-hour phone service and six counselling sessions per year.

The authority said it and its education partner company had met Mrs Perry's family and "reiterated our full commitment to deliver these changes".

A spokesperson said her death "must lead to learning and positive changes so that head teachers are valued for the vital work they do".

"Both the council and BFfC fully acknowledge the important role we have to play in that process," they said.

But Julia Waters, who has spearheaded a campaign to change how Ofsted works since her sister's death, said: "Those people, Ruth's employers, who had a duty of care to Ruth, who were called before the inquest to account for their actions or lack of actions, are the very same people who are now entrusted with putting things right.

"If I was a local head teacher, I would be quite anxious about that."