Ruth Perry's sister joins education leaders in call to stop Ofsted reforms
Ruth Perry's sister has joined forces with education leaders to demand a delay to proposed changes to Ofsted's inspections.
The 53-year-old headteacher took her own life in January 2023 after her school - Caversham Primary in Reading, Berkshire - was downgraded from outstanding to inadequate by the education watchdog for England.
A coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection in November 2022 "contributed" to her death. And the tragedy led to nationwide calls for reform to the country's school inspection system.
In an open letter released on the final day of Ofsted's public consultation, a coalition of senior educators, trade union heads, former inspectors and mental health advocates urged Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to pause what they describe as a "rushed" rollout of new inspection measures.
Ms Perry 's sister, Professor Julia Waters, is among the signatories, alongside general secretaries of the UK's major teaching unions, former His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs), and leading academics.
The letter criticises the proposed reforms as failing to reflect the painful lessons from Ms Perry's death that shone a spotlight on the pressures that school leaders face under the current Ofsted system.
"We believe the proposed new system will continue to have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of education staff," the letter states, warning of a continued risk of "preventable deaths" if deeper systemic issues are not addressed.
The current system was previously criticised for reducing school performance into a single-word judgement. It was described by ministers as creating "low information for parents and high stakes for schools".
The one-word judgement is set to be removed. But critics say the proposed replacement offers little real change.
2:40
Report cards and a new grading structure have been suggested. But many argue these measures are only cosmetic and they fail to fix and alleviate the intense pressure schools are under.
Among the coalition's demands is the creation of a robust, independent complaints and appeals process. Currently, any complaints procedure is largely absent, leaving schools with little recourse to challenge potentially damaging inspection outcomes.
"Trust in the system needs to be restored," the letter reads. "The rushed and closed nature of the consultation has only made that worse."
The Department for Education has not yet responded to Sky News' request for comment.
The letter follows growing scrutiny from MPs, following the Education Select Committee's inquiry into Ofsted, which was launched in the wake of Ms Perry's death and broader concerns about staff wellbeing in schools.
Many in the education sector have pointed to the need for a more compassionate, collaborative, and effective approach to school accountability.
The message to the government is clear from these concerned parties: pause, listen, and engage with the evidence before imposing reforms that could risk adding pressure to a system that is already at breaking point.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Ofsted delays setting out final plan for school inspections until September
Ofsted has delayed setting out its final plan for school inspections in England until September – just weeks before new report cards are due to be rolled out. The watchdog had planned to publish its formal response to its consultation on proposed inspection reforms in the summer term, ahead of the changes coming into effect in November. Sir Martyn Oliver, chief inspector of Ofsted, has now said it plans to publish its full response in September due to the scale of the feedback it received. The watchdog has said it will give them more time to analyse responses and carry out further testing of proposals to improve the final approach. However, school leaders' unions have criticised Ofsted's new proposed timetable as they say it will place more pressure on teachers who will only have the first half-term to prepare for the major education inspection reforms. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has suggested the timeline could do 'real damage' to the health and wellbeing of school staff, adding that Ofsted's decision was 'bordering on reckless'. Meanwhile, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has called the revised timetable 'nonsensical' and 'ridiculous'. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has called the delay of the publication of inspection materials – and Ofsted's consultation response – 'disappointing'. Under Ofsted's plans, set out in February, schools in England could be graded across eight to 10 areas of a provision using a colour-coded five-point scale. They would receive ratings, from the red 'causing concern' to orange 'attention needed', through the green shades of 'secure', 'strong' and 'exemplary' for each area of practice. Education unions have criticised the proposals for being even worse than the system they would replace. In a letter to the Education Secretary on Wednesday, Sir Martyn said: 'We fully intend to make improvements to the proposed inspection framework, based on what we have heard, but we need a little more time to complete our analysis of the responses we have received. 'I am also convinced that our final approach will be improved by further testing of these refinements before the summer.' Last year, the Government announced that headline Ofsted grades for overall effectiveness for schools in England would be scrapped. Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four single-phrase inspection judgments: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate. The move came after Ofsted faced criticism after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. Mrs Perry took her own life in January 2023 after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire, from the highest to the lowest overall effectiveness rating over safeguarding concerns. On Ofsted's new timetable for the consultation response, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'If these proposals go ahead, school leaders will now have to spend the first half-term of the new school year preparing for an entirely new inspection framework. 'Rather than having a term, it appears they may have just a matter of weeks to do this. The pressure this will place schools under is immense and there is no way this is in the best interests of pupils. 'We recognise that we may never agree on every aspect of inspection policy, but this decision is bordering on reckless and could do real damage to the health and wellbeing of school staff. 'We urge Government to intervene to ensure that Ofsted is not allowed to proceed on this basis.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The introduction of a nonsensical inspection framework is now compounded by a nonsensical timetable. 'The idea that schools and colleges can prepare for a complete change in the inspection system on this scale in two months is, frankly, ridiculous.' He added: 'This decision will pile yet more pressure on the education workforce and shows little care for their wellbeing. 'How this rushed timetable is supposed to benefit children and parents is anyone's guess.' In a letter responding to Sir Martyn about the delay, the Education Secretary said: 'It is important that Ofsted delivers to the expected timescales, to build confidence in the Inspectorate and avoid additional challenges for headteachers and leaders in planning ahead for changes to the system. 'I note your absolute commitment to introduce the revised framework in November as planned and communicated to the sector.' On Wednesday, Ms Phillipson also announced the appointment of Dame Christine Gilbert, a former Ofsted chief inspector, as the new chairwoman of Ofsted. Dame Christine led the independent learning review in response to the coroner's Prevention of Future Deaths report from Mrs Perry's inquest. The review concluded that Ofsted's initial response to the death of Mrs Perry appeared 'defensive and complacent'. Mrs Perry's sister, Professor Julia Waters, said: 'Dame Christine Gilbert pulled no punches in her criticism of Ofsted in her independent review of Ofsted's response to the death of my sister, Ruth Perry. 'Her report showed that Ofsted's institutional culture and processes need root-and-branch reform, and I am pleased to hear that Dame Christine has now been appointed as chair of the Ofsted board.' She added: 'Ofsted must use the extra time to make significant changes to their plans. 'If not, it will have created the worst possible scenario: a bad inspection system, with even less time for schools and families to adapt to it.'
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Spending Review: How much did schools, transport and the NHS get?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced the government's Spending Review, which outlines the day-to-day budgets for departments over the next three review affects funding for public services such as the NHS, schools, housing, prisons and policing, as well as other areas, including transport and BBC correspondents analyse how key services have fared and what the decisions may mean for you. Money for schools, but lots to pay for There is money for England's schools - especially crumbling ones - as well as for training and upskilling. Those key takeaways are nestled among rehashed pledges like expanding free school meals and introducing free breakfast core schools budget will rise by £2bn in real terms by 2029, the Department for Education says, but much of it will go on those previous commitments. Falling pupil numbers means the department can make some savings, but that money still has to pay for an awful government is staring down the barrel of ever-growing demand for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support. The Spending Review does not seem to address deficits racked up by councils supporting those children, but it does appear to have set aside around £700m to reform the schools on the government's rebuilding programme - many still waiting for builders - will also be wondering if a £2.4bn annual cash injection will suffice. Will funding for NHS be enough? The 3% annual real-terms increase in NHS spending announced by the chancellor will look generous to departments with low or no number covers day-to-day spending by the NHS, for example staff pay and the costs of medicines and patients care. The overall annual increase for the Department of Health is 2.8%, which includes other areas like medicines regulation and pandemic preparedness, as well as the is worth pointing out that the health service needs real-term spending growth every year to cope with an increasing and ageing population alongside rising bills for medicines and new treatments. The long-term trend for annual UK health spending in recent decades has been around 3.5%.Aside from day-to-day funding there is also capital spending, which covers investment in buildings and equipment. The new allocation will be just 1% in real-terms per year. The big question is whether that will be enough to enable staff to deliver more operations and of Labour's pledges is to ensure more than 90% of patients in England start treatment within 18 weeks of referral. Currently it is less than 60%. Hitting that target is a big ask with all the other claims on spending. Transport upgrades won't come quickly "We are happy bunnies" is how someone from the Department for Transport reacted to the Spending investment in transport infrastructure is clearly central to Labour's plan for "national renewal", so a good chunk of the chancellor's speech was devoted to various upgrades. Some we already knew about, some we didn' include a new Liverpool to Manchester rail line, a freeze on the £3 cap on bus fares in England until March 2027 and more than £15.6bn on new trams, trains and buses outside of Conservatives say a lot of this is just rehashing of old announcements with little detail attached. The government says it will lay some meat on the bones of these plans next week in its so-called "infrastructure week".Apart from bus fares, which is a continuation of an existing policy, Reeves' plans are in keeping with the general theme of this Spending Review: ambitious but ultimately not materialising for quite some time - until the 2030s at the earliest. Seven ways the Spending Review affects youWhat has the chancellor has announced? The key pointsWatch: Where the money is being spent 'Game changer' for social housing You could almost hear the sigh of relief from social landlords when £39bn was announced for social and affordable housing. Many had warned that without significant funding and certainty, the government would never reach its target of building 1.5 million homes over this they've called Wednesday's announcement a "game changer". Guaranteeing how much social landlords will receive in rents over the next 10 years means that housing associations can plan how much they have to invest in charity Shelter called the investment a "watershed moment". The charity's head of policy, Charlie Trew, said the amount was 70% more than the previous government invested but it was still not enough to end homelessness for good. The charity called for a "clear target" for exactly how many social rent homes are planned. Police and border questions remain A 2.3% real terms yearly funding increase for policing in England and Wales is slightly better than senior officers had feared, but forces are already warning of "some ruthless prioritisation", arguing that most of the money will be "swallowed up" by police pay chancellor stressed that an increase of "more than £2bn" will mean government pledges on cutting crime and increasing police numbers can be immigration, there is more money for the Border Security Command, rising to £280m extra a year, with promises of new kit including an army of drones to improve surveillance. Reeves also promised that the use of hotels for asylum seekers would end by with overall Home Office spending being cut by 1.7% a year, there are knotted eyebrows at how this is all going to add up and be achieved while managing a sizeable squeeze to the department's budget. Prison money shows severity of crisis Just recently we were told that offenders recalled to prison would be let out earlier due to overcrowding. We know the government is planning on building three more prisons to deal with the capacity chancellor said £7bn would be spent on that building project - that's more than we were told earlier this month, when the figure stood at £ increase in funding indicates the severity and urgency of the problem. But building more prisons will take announced was £700m to reform the probation service - that cash will fund further recruitment on top of the 1,300 officers the government had already said it will employ this probation officers welcomed the investment but raised concerns about their "increasing workload" and when the new hires will be functional.
The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
All the winners and losers in today's spending review – from pensioners to parents… everything you need to know
RACHEL Reeves today splurged £300bn on public services in a make-or-break attempt to appease her party and the country. Ms Reeves reversed winter fuel cuts, restoring the £200-£300 sum to nine million pensioners at a cost of £1.25bn. 2 2 She also committed £39bn to affordable housing and confirmed free school meals will be given to all kids living in households that claim universal credit. But the Chancellor refused to reveal how her spending spree will be paid for, triggering fears of huge tax rises in the Autumn Budget. Here are the major winners and losers from today's Spending Review announcement. WINNERS HOUSING The Chancellor confirmed a £39bn cash injection over the next decade into social and affordable housing. She said the plan would 'match the scale of the housing crisis,' with direct funding focused on homes for social rent. An extra £10bn will also go to Homes England to unlock private investment and deliver hundreds of thousands more homes. SCHOOL MEALS Half a million more kids will be entitled to free school meals under a massive expansion of the scheme. Expanding free school meals will save parents on benefits £500 per child every year, according to the Department for Education. Kids in UC households currently not eligible will be able to start claiming lunches from the start of the 2026 school year. Meanwhile, more than 750 free breakfast clubs will be rolled out across the country. Defence The Chancellor unveiled a major hike in defence spending today, raising it to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027 — up from the previous 2.5 per cent pledge. She confirmed an £11bn boost for the Ministry of Defence and £600m for the UK's intelligence services, calling it essential in an 'age of insecurity.' An additional £6bn will be spent to upgrade nuclear submarine production, which will support thousands of jobs across Barrow, Derby and Sheffield. Ms Reeves said: "The investment will deliver not only security, but also renewal." NHS The NHS will benefit from a whopping £30bn cash boost for day-to-day spending. The technology budget for the health service has been raised by 50%. A mega £10bn will be invested into dragging the NHS into the digital age, including improving the app. Transport The Chancellor confirmed a £15bn package to 'properly connect' Britain's towns and cities The cash includes upgrades to buses in Rochdale, stations in Merseyside and Middlesbrough, and mass transit in West Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, Birmingham and Stockport. She also announced a four-year settlement for Transport for London, a fourfold increase in Local Transport Grants, and a £3.5bn boost for the Transpennine Route Upgrade. A further £2.5bn is going into East-West Rail and new funding was confirmed for the Midlands Rail Hub and £445m for Welsh railways. Pensioners The Chancellor confirmed that over three quarters of pensioners will receive the Winter Fuel Payment this year, as part of efforts to ease the cost of living. She also pledged to cut bills in future winters through an expanded Warm Homes Plan, including £30m for Blackpool, £11m for Rugby, and £7m for Bradford. To help families now, the £3 bus fare cap will be extended until at least March 2027, and school uniform costs will be capped. She said: "I know that for many people the cost of living remains a constant challenge. "Which is why we are capping the cost of school uniforms. "And I can tell the House today that I am extending the £3 bus fare cap until at least March 2027. "Earlier this week, we announced that over three quarters of pensioners will receive the Winter Fuel Payment this year. "And there is more, to get bills down not just this winter but in winters to come, we have expanded the Warm Homes Plan to support thousands more of the UK's poorest households, including providing £7 million to homes in Bradford; £11m to homes in Rugby; And £30m to homes in Blackpool." Nuclear Energy The Chancellor has pledged the "biggest roll-out of nuclear power for half a century" - with a £30bn commitment to clean, homegrown energy. She confirmed £14bn for Sizewell C to power six million homes and create over 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships. An extra £2.5bn will fund Small Modular Reactors with Rolls Royce as the preferred partner, and a further £2.5bn will go into nuclear fusion in Nottinghamshire. LOSERS POLICE Despite a major lobbying effort by police chiefs, spending power for forces will only rise by an average 2.3% per year in real terms. The £2bn funding hike has been slammed as no where near enough to meet pledges from the government to halve knife crime and end violence against women and girls. commitment of putting 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales. FARMING Family farms will continue to be clobbered by a 20% inheritance tax raid. Environment Secretary Steve Reed has had to accept funding for farms will be reduced, money restricted to just a small number. Meanwhile, DEFRA hasn't manage to secure huge funding for flood defences. EDUCATION Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has been forced to accept a major squeeze on school spending in the years ahead. Head teachers will have to raid existing budgets to help fund a 4 per cent pay rise for staff next year. Ministers have pledged £615m to help pay for the rise - but that will only cover around three quarters of the cost.
