Ofsted: New report upgrades Ruth Perry's school to good

Head teacher Ruth Perry took her own life in January

The school run by a head teacher who took her own life after a critical Ofsted report has been rated as good after a new inspection.

Ruth Perry died in January after being told Caversham Primary School in Berkshire was being downgraded from outstanding to inadequate.

The school was re-inspected after Ms Perry's death, which prompted an outpouring of anger about the system.

Ofsted has defended its one-word grades, which are not being scrapped.

The head teacher's sister Prof Julia Waters said it was a "very bittersweet moment", but confirmed "what anyone who knew Ruth and the school knew all along".

She said one-word grades do not give an accurate reflection of the strengths and weaknesses "of a complex organisation like a school".

Her sister's case showed how it is "terribly, potentially fatally dangerous to try to sum up everything in one word", she told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight programme.

Her loss has been "absolutely devastating to so many people" she said, adding: "The ripple effect of her death is immeasurable. The harm done by that one word is absolutely immeasurable".

Ofsted inspected the school again in June in line with government guidelines to monitor schools that need to improve - and not as a result of Ms Perry's death.

In their latest report, seen by the BBC, the watchdog said: "The school's work to address previous weaknesses has been swift, thorough and effective."

The primary school was initially inspected in November 2022 and subsequently rated inadequate after concerns were raised over leadership and management.

Ms Perry's family said the inspection process caused her significant distress.

Analysis

By Branwen Jeffreys, BBC education editor

For Caversham Primary school this is a bittersweet moment for staff and parents.

It's just six months since Ruth Perry's suicide left a gaping hole in the school community.

For her colleagues this is recognition of everything they have done.

For her family it raises again the question of whether the stakes of Ofsted inspection have been far too high for headteachers.

MPs are to hold an inquiry in the autumn looking at how the inspection system is working. It won't consider the circumstances around Ruth Perry's death, which will be examined by a coroner.

The new report said useful advice was sought from beyond the school straight after the last inspection.

"In particular, this helped leaders to understand fully the extent of the weaknesses in safeguarding arrangements and prioritise what needed to be done," the report said.

In a statement, the head teacher's sister Ms Waters said staff at the school who had worked with or been trained by Ms Perry had never been anything other than "excellent, caring and professional".

She added: "The reversal of the previous judgement in a matter of a few months illustrates why schools should be given the opportunity to correct any technical weaknesses before the final report is published.

"An inspection should be about helping schools with independent scrutiny, not catching them out and publicly shaming them."

Prof Julia Waters said her sister Ruth Perry suffered a "terrible injustice"

"That Ruth was left feeling suicidal as a result of Ofsted's previous judgement demonstrates, in the most tragic way possible, the intolerably high stakes created by the current inspection system," she added.

An inquest later this year will fully investigate Ms Perry's death, which also prompted a wider debate about whether one-word grades for schools make sense.

In their latest report Ofsted said the arrangements for safeguarding at Caversham Primary School were effective.

"A positive culture of safeguarding now pervades the school," it added.

Last month, Ofsted announced changes to its inspection system.

These included allowing schools that were given an inadequate rating over safeguarding to be re-inspected within three months, giving them a chance to be re-graded if they have addressed concerns.

Ofsted previously said it always strived to make inspections "as positive an experience for school staff as they can be".

MPs have now launched an inquiry into Ofsted's school inspections, looking at how useful they are to parents, governors and schools in England.

Ofsted's chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, has defended the current school grading system

Amanda Spielman, the watchdog's chief inspector, previously told the BBC the "whole school accountability system" was built around the one-word judgements.

She acknowledged there were issues around accountability at schools but said scrapping one-word judgements "wouldn't really solve the underlying discomfort".

The Department for Education has also defended one-word inspections.

It said they "succinctly summarise independent 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".

It said the government used them to "highlight success, identify schools that need support and to trigger intervention where necessary."

Tested To The Limit

Watch the story of head teacher, Ruth Perry, who took her life after her school's rating was downgraded by Ofsted.