Ofsted reforms 'don't go far enough' says sister of Reading headteacher Ruth Perry
Ruth Perry took her own life earlier this year while waiting for an inspection report
Last updated 12th Jun 2023
The sister of a Reading headteacher who took her own life after her school was downgraded by Ofsted has said newly announced changes to the inspection system do not go far enough.
Pressure on the inspectorate to reform has been mounting following the death of Ruth Perry in January.
The report found Caversham Primary School - where Ms Perry was head - to be "good" in every category apart from leadership and management, where it was judged to be "inadequate".
Unions and Labour have also criticised the changes, which include more funding for wellbeing support for teachers and school leaders, saying they must go further.
Since Ms Perry's death there have been calls for one-word assessments - defended by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan as clear and easy for parents to understand - to be abolished.
Ofsted's changes, announced on Monday, stop short of banning the single-word ratings.
The watchdog's chief inspector Amanda Spielman insisted Ofsted is listening to the concerns raised in the wake of Ms Perry's death and has been "thinking carefully about how we can revise aspects of our work without losing our clear focus on the needs of children and their parents".
Ms Perry's sister, Professor Julia Waters, said the changes are "positive start", but do not "adequately address the many problems that the system creates".
She has been critical of the one word ratings, believing them to be damaging:
"The single word judgements, summing up the complexities of a school with one word whether that's outstanding or inadequate patronises parents.
"Parents are more intelligent than that they don't need one word to sum up a school, particularly a word as damaging and unfair as inadequate.
"There's no need there's no evidence based proof that the single word judgment actually works as a way of assessing a school's strengths and weaknesses.
"As Ruth told me before she died, and as head teachers have been telling me since, the current Ofsted inspection system is brutal, it's punitive, it's traumatic and it's not fit for purpose.
"It doesn't provide trustworthy assurances to parents that their children's schools are realistically reflected in this single word judgements and they put far far too much unhealthy pressure on teachers and headteachers."
However she called plans to remove a requirement that the inspectorates' findings stay confidential before results are published a "very welcome, much needed change" and also welcomed the additional funding for mental health support.
School leaders union NAHT said the system will "remain fundamentally flawed" while single-word ratings are used, and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) described it as a "trapdoor that is both demoralising and counterproductive".
What changes are being made to Ofsted?
Reforms include the launch of a formal consultation on changes to the complaints system, which the watchdog said would be aimed at resolving complaints more quickly through improved dialogue with providers, "reducing the administrative burden on those making a complaint, and increasing transparency in the process".
Schools will also be given more information around timing of their inspections.
The watchdog will still turn up with only a day's notice, but there will be "more clarity" about the year schools are likely to be inspected.
A change, coming in from September, will see inspection reports refer to the school, rather than individuals, when discussing areas of weakness.
Ofsted added that inspectors will be clear that it is up to a headteacher to decide which colleagues, or others, they share their inspection outcome with - ahead of the report being finalised.
Schools graded inadequate overall only due to ineffective safeguarding - but where all other judgements were good or better - will see inspectors return within three months of an inspection report being published.
This is more quickly than has previously been the case and if the school has been able to resolve the safeguarding concerns it is likely to see its overall grade improve, Ofsted said.
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