Peterborough teachers facing tougher time with stress, union warns
The sister of teacher Ruth Perry is due to address a conference today
Teachers in Cambridgeshire are finding it harder to work in the profession, a union has said.
It comes as the sister of Ruth Perry, Professor Julia Waters, is due to speak at the National Education Union's (NEU) annual conference today.
Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire, from its highest rating to its lowest over safeguarding concerns.
Professor Waters will tell the conference she is worried those who can bring about change with the watchdog could be "paying lip service" and that she will demand faster action from the Government and Ofsted.
"There's still a lot of stress in teaching"
Philippe Harari represents the NEU in Cambridgeshire:
"There's still a lot of stress in teaching; it's a very difficult job and it's not helped by a lack of funding, by large classes, by teachers feeling they're not valued and not rewarded properly," he said.
"I suspect (Professor Waters) will make it clear the impact the Ofsted report and approach had on her sister and I suspect she'll urge Ofsted to reform so this kind of tragedy doesn't happen again."
In December, a coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection in November 2022 "likely contributed" to Mrs Perry's death.
Professor Waters is also expected, in her address, to ask teachers to "do what they do best" by approaching Ofsted reform "with kindness and hope" rather than opposing school inspections altogether.
Earlier this week, a NEU poll of teacher members of state schools in England found only 3% of teachers believe Ofsted acts as a "reliable and trusted arbiter of standards".
More than four in five agreed with a statement that said Ofsted has so many problems, it "would be better to start afresh with a new system of inspection".
Recruitment and retention issue
"There is a recruitment and retention issue within education and that puts pressure on the teachers who are still there, so significant investment is needed in our education system," Mr Harari added.
"Ofsted is directly responsible for causing misery and unhappiness amongst teachers and their approach is wrong; they're causing a lot of damage."
A Department for Education spokesperson said it has "worked closely with Ofsted to ensure inspections are conducted with professionalism and compassion.
"Our plan to ensure every child benefits from a world-class education is working with 90% of schools now judged to be good or outstanding, up from 68% in 2010."