Ruth Perry - OFSTED ‘contributed to death of Headteacher’

[JVJ24601]

The Coroner today recorded that OFSTED contributed to Ruth Perry’s death.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-67612233

An OFSTED inspector - ALAN DERRY - and his lack of professionalism, his lack of fairness, contributed to another human being’s death.

That is not an opinion that is a fact as recorded by the Coroner.

The Coroner also found that “parts of the ALAN DERRY’S inspection were conducted in a manner which lacked fairness”.

Regulators like ALAN DERRY exist to ensure fairness and proper procedures are followed by others. Why did ALAN DERRY allow his inspection to be unfair?

Our children, teachers, support staff and headteachers need immediate protection from an inspection process so appalling that is has contributed to a person’s death.

The Head of OFSTED has announced a day of training next week to fix this issue.

A day of training.

A day of training to help Inspectors not contribute to a person taking their own life. If an organisation needs training so that its employees don’t contribute to the deaths of others - then that organisation is not fit for purpose and its leadership, culture and moral compass are either absent or so woeful and professionally incompetent that they are simply negligent in the duties as a public body.

I believe a crowdfunding page is being established this week to possibly fund and pursue a case of Corporate Manslaughter against OFSTED now that their role in Ruth Perry’s death has been established.

How awful that a system of school inspection has become such a deranged quango. All power and no responsibility is such a toxic mix - and one here that has contributed to the death of another person.

What if another Head or Teacher takes their life in the coming weeks or months because of OFSTED - how awful would that be? How culpable would that make those who do not make seismic changes now.

Unprofessionalism of this level will not be cured by a day’s training and some tweaks.

Only complete and immediate overhaul - led by the SoS for Education and the Government can ensure this tragic event is not repeated in the coming months.

Could be documentation for staff who have worked abroad or S128 check? Or just not recorded

This is very true.

Lots of schools have taken down any reference to Ofsted on banners or websites since Ruth Perry’s death.

Thats just it. I’m a new Head - I want guidance, I want feedback, I want the knowledge, opinion and suggestions of an experienced Inspector. I want someone in every year. But instead I get a thumbs up/thumbs down 2 page “report” every 5 years. I want advice and discussion. But I daren’t ask. I’ll look out of my depth - I’ll look weak. I must instead prepare endlessly a million different scenarios and documents just for OFSTED so that I play the combative game well enough for 2 days to get a Good. As I said at the outset - there is so much wrong with OFSTED I can’t see how they can change themselves - SoS for Ed and the Government need to take control and show leadership - linked to the coroners recommendations and follow through on them to make OFSTED something useful and central to educational improvement. At present all we have is a broken system not trusted by teachers or parents and a system so toxic that it has, on record, played a part in causing someone’s death. Spielman’s non apology is also wholly inaccurate - she apologised for the stress OFSTED caused. She should have apologised for the death OFSTED (in part) caused. This factually inaccurate non-apology would have been reviewed and double checked and approved internally by OFSTED before being sent out - that it contains a deliberately written inaccuracy tells you all you need to know about the culture, lack of intelligence and poor judgement within OFSTED.

Someone said that Labour plan to do away with one word judgements - I am also told by two senior civil servants off the record that the Tories are also planning an announcement in the coming weeks about OFSTED- to avoid being outmanoeuvred on this by Labour. I sincerely hope this isn’t true - knee jerk reactive changes aren’t what’s needed - the current government or Labour, when they are in power next year, need to set in stone a long term role for an educational regulator - one that fights for education - not against it.

Some headteachers have also quit as inspectors.

My mother trained as an Ofsted inspector after a decades long teaching career. I always thought she would have been excellent at it but she decided not to practice because she thought the system was wrong. I understand more about why now.

Wasn't there a headteacher last year who had the call from Ofsted and announced she was going to barricade the doors and refuse to let them in? I remember hearing about it at the time but not what the result was. Does anyone know?

Yes. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/jul/20/sir-martyn-oliver-what-can-schools-expect-ofsted-next-chief

And with a harsh track record.

The system is built to fulfil government policy of academisation. Inadequate schools have to be an Academy. This year, schools with a second ‘requires improvement’ judgement also have an Academy order placed on them.

In one area, the regional director making the Academy order, in favour of particular trusts ( a fast growing trust) was a trustee of.…the same trust!

Ofsted do not care about the damage thus causes to individual leaders, staff governors and the community. The stress is unimaginable unless you have been through it.

Yes-in March of this year. She had to back down and let them in.

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2023/mar/20/headteacher-will-refuse-ofsted-inspection-after-ruth-perry-death

Probably the reason why they want to be inspectors - because they couldn't do the job of a teacher - and they are happy to spout out-of-date theologies. They are not even up to date with their research. Pathetic if it wasn't so tragic. And one day's training isn't going to put things right, it simply shows their mindset for what it is.

Absolutely true, and I think OFSTED is more responsible for the levels of school refusal and anxiety in children than covid/lockdowns. If schools had been free to allow children a very gentle year without fear of them all needing to "catch up" then I'm certain far fewer children would have suffered such poor mental health outcomes.

I remember being shocked as a trainee teacher that the "outstanding" school I was placed in regularly had children in tears, staff were shouted at, senior teachers were falsifying paperwork. Wheres the "satisfactory" school was creative, kind, playful. I remember thinking I wonder what parents would think if they knew how messed up our inspection regime really is. Until child wellbeing as a measure comes higher than progress data, I'll continue to be very skeptical about sending my child to an outstanding school.

@Lougle @Appuskidu

I don’t think anything has been published yet. The inquest concluded yesterday and I think the press have been reporting the coroner’s verbal remarks.

Should this not be the one step which can allow a "re-run" of an OFSTED "inspection".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-67652911

Reading these stories it’s clear that there will be another tragedy unless the government act decisively in the coming weeks.

A harrowing but vital programme for parents and non-teachers to watch. Do you want your children in an educational system where the inspection regime is so overbearing that professionals kill themselves in part due to their approach?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gy5hwn/death-of-a-head#xtor=CS8-1000-%5BEditorialPromo_Box%5D-%5BNewsEditorial_Promo%5D-%5BNewsEditorial_Promo%5D-%5BPS_IPLAYER~N~p0gy5hwn~P_RuthPerryD1%5D

I'm interested to know how many parents think Ofsted reports are reliable. I think they're utterly unfit for purpose- what can they possibly understand after such a short and staged visit and the blunt single word outcome is meaningless.
A school is like a town- different things to different people- how can this be scaled into 4 options?
Heartbreaking to see the damage it does to teachers and pupils lives not to mention a massive waste of public money.
Needs to be supportive and constructive and take results out of the equation - there's stats for that, let Ofsted focus on teaching approach and qualitative findings.

The crucial aspect about stress in teaching is that it isn’t the teaching that makes it stressful.

It isn’t the job that’s stressful - it’s OFSTED that’s stressful.

All professionals have deadlines, tight budgets, targets and take their work home with them (mentally and physically). That’s a part of professional life.

But other professions (I used to be a solicitor in the City) are regulated, reviewed and held accountable in ways which don’t cause, in part, professionals to take their own life. General work stress is part of any professional’s life and is a given - pernicious OFSTED stress isn’t and it can be changed without losing confidence in the profession. What will it take for the SoS to act? Why is there so little from them on this issue?

Please sign the petition below to get a debate in Parliament (over 100k names will do it) so that the SoS for Education is compelled to step forward and show leadership.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/652057?fbclid=IwAR2aO1OTudbv3YOLLQDRKMSXtHzb3lh5RCxYVzL-y3L7n3c2u251ZuqoHL8

Ruth's story has really affected me, my heart absolutely goes out to her. She must have felt such dreadful despair in her last few weeks to feel that suicide was the only option, leaving her children without a mother. I just wish someone had helped her. It's such a pointless death and to be made to feel like that by a decision made by a few inspectors is disgraceful.

@Userxyd to answer your question...I do read the reports but I don't take a lot of notice of the gradings. My youngest child started in reception at a school graded inadequate, and quite a few people sneered at me for making that choice. However, I liked the school and still do, it has so much going for it. They do a lot for the children and offer a lot of extra curricular opportunities and was smaller than the others locally.

My older DC went to an 'outstanding' primary and both had issues there, some of which were not dealt with properly. Youngest DCs school has since been inspected again and scored all good/outstanding with an overall rating of good. I take it all with a pinch of salt tbh

Signed.

Agree with everything you say @JVJ24601

And respect to you for taking on the hugely important and necessary role of head teacher. The profession needs people like you, who are committed to providing safe, stimulating good quality education. It makes me so angry that people like you are judged by an unfit for purpose set of rules, and (most often it seems) by people who get off on bullying and humiliating professionals; or who can't see beyond the robotic tick box mentality and play along unquestioningly within a broken system.

I suspect many Ofsted inspectors were bullies in the classroom when they were teaching. Or they were the type who obsessed over filling in data sheets because frankly that's easier than having the skills to be inspirational in the classroom. I'm glad they got out of the classroom - I wouldn't want the likes of Alan Derry anywhere near my kids. But oh the irony that they escape the 'chalk face' to judge other (probably better) teachers and head teachers than they could ever achieve themselves.

At present, Ruth’s family, the general secretary of the NAHT, the general secretary of the ASCL, the general secretary of the NEU and the NGA have all called for action from the SoS. At present she has said she will “consider further changes”. Will she? Will she do anything meaningful? Or does she think 1 days training is enough?

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/ruth-perry-inquest-verdict-catalyst-change

Thanks Lizzy8230.

It is true - I worked under a head who told
me in a corridor completely clearly that she had never really wanted to be a teacher anyway. She left and became…guess what…an OFSTED inspector. And yes her data sheets were perfect but she was mediocre in class in front of the children. I still teach two days a week to balance the budget and the most important thing it has taught me is that it helps me see how many of my HTeacher “ideas” actually work with real children in practice in the classroom. Action Research they call it in the US. To add another clause to that old joke

Those that can - teach, those that can’t - inspect.

Signed the petition