Latest news with #CavershamPrimarySchool
The Independent
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ruth Perry's sister urges Government to halt Ofsted changes after headteacher's suicide
The sister of a headteacher who killed herself following a negative Ofsted report has added her voice to growing calls for the Government to postpone planned changes to school inspections. Ruth Perry died in January 2023 after her Caversham Primary School in Reading was downgraded to the lowest rating due to safeguarding concerns. In an open letter addressed to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, Ms Perry's sister, Professor Julia Waters, has joined a chorus of school leaders, national organisations, and former inspectors expressing "real concerns" that the proposed changes could exacerbate pressure on education professionals, potentially leading to further ill-health and stress. The letter, released on Monday, argues that the new system risks perpetuating a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of staff and affecting students' school experiences. 'In particular, we believe the proposed new report cards and the new grading system fail to address the recommendations of the coroner following the tragic, preventable death of Ruth Perry,' the letter read. 'They also fail to address the recommendations of the Education Select Committee's inquiry into the work of Ofsted, which was launched as a result of wider concerns highlighted by Ruth's terrible death.' Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Professor Waters said the proposed new system was 'not safe'. 'It's the same grade-based systems, the same risks that were identified in the system that had such a devastating effect on my sister and has on other headteachers are still there. 'It is still a system that's based on shame, it's still a system that's based on competition rather than support.' A Department for Education spokeswoman said reforms play a 'central' role in work to raise school standards. 'The system this Government inherited was high stakes for teachers but low information for parents, which is why we're removing single-word judgment and introducing school report cards,' she said. 'Both Ofsted's and the department's consultations have provided an important opportunity for everyone to have their say and both organisations will carefully consider all responses before finalising the approach.' A motion passed at the National Education Union conference in Harrogate earlier in April called on the union's executive to renew its campaign to 'expose the harm, damage and cover-up' from the watchdog, and to instead call for an 'effective and fair' school improvement system with no 'ranking and shaming'. It added that members who 'take action to protect themselves to keep safe where they have evidence that Ofsted is placing them in serious and imminent danger of harm or death' should be supported. The Government announced in 2024 that . Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four single-phrase inspection judgments: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate. The move came after Ofsted faced criticism following Ms Perry's death. In February, Ofsted launched a consultation on its plans to introduce a report card system for grading schools in England. Schools could be graded across eight to 10 areas of a provision, including attendance, inclusion and behaviour, using a colour-coded five-point scale. They would receive ratings, from the red-coloured 'causing concern' to orange-coloured 'attention needed', through the green shades of 'secure', 'strong' and 'exemplary' for each area of practice. A survey of more than 12,000 NEU teacher members in English state schools, released at the union's annual conference, suggests the majority (57 per cent) feel inspection negatively affects their mental health.
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Giving ex-Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman seat in Lords is an insult, says dead teacher's sister
The sister of a headteacher who took her own life after a school inspection has branded reports that Ofsted's then-chief inspector could receive a seat in the House of Lords 'an insult'. Amanda Spielman oversaw Ofsted when Ruth Perry died in 2023 after a report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire, from its highest rating to its lowest over safeguarding concerns. An inquest into the headteacher's death found the inspection had contributed to her death. An independent review into how Ofsted handled Mrs Perry's death found in 2024 it was 'defensive and complacent'. Ms Spielman, who served as the chief inspector of the schools watchdog between 2017 and 2023, is reported to have been nominated for a peerage by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. Professor Julia Waters, Mrs Perry's sister, said Ms Spielman's 'legacy is indelibly associated with my sister's terrible, preventable death and with defending the inhumane system that led to her death'. Prof Waters added: 'Through her response to Ruth's death and the subsequent inquest and inquiries while head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman showed herself to be lacking in many of the qualities that you would hope would be needed in Parliament. 'She showed poor leadership and judgement, a lack of empathy and understanding of the issues, and a tendency to deflect any criticism onto others. 'A record like that should not be rewarded with a place in the House of Lords. Spielman's nomination for a peerage is a disgrace and an insult to my sister's memory.' Earlier this month, Ms Spielman publicly criticised Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, and the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The former Ofsted chief said the Bill was likely to make education in England worse, and accused Ms Phillipson of being 'influenced' by the schools unions. Ms Spielman was rebuked by a Government source, who claimed she should 'spend less time criticising the reforms this Government is bringing, and more time reflecting on her failure at Ofsted'. A Conservative party spokesman would not comment on reports of Ms Spielman's nomination for a peerage. They said: 'It would be unfair to comment on whether specific individuals have or have not been nominated or vetted for any honour or dignity. 'We do not comment on speculation or purported leaks.' – For mental health support, contact the Samaritans
BBC News
29-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Amanda Spielman: Ofsted boss at time of Ruth Perry's death to get peerage
Amanda Spielman, who was Ofsted chief inspector when head teacher Ruth Perry took her own life after an inspection, is set to become a peer in the House of is understood to have been nominated for the honour, yet to be announced, by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch - who has not commented.A Conservative source described her as a "brilliant thinker with a wealth of knowledge" who would be a "huge asset to parliament".Ms Spielman served as head of the schools watchdog from 2017 to 2023, with an independent review launched during her last year finding Ofsted's response to Mrs Perry's death had been "defensive and complacent". Mrs Perry took her own life in January 2023 after learning her school, Caversham Primary School in Berkshire, was set to be downgraded from "outstanding" to "inadequate". Her inquest in December of the same year ruled the school's inspection had contributed towards her Spielman received criticism after suggesting in November 2023 that Mrs Perry's "very sad case" had been "used as a pivot" to "discredit" the schools watchdog. Her sister, Julia Walters, called Ms Spielman's comments at the time "grossly insensitive". Earlier this month, Ms Spielman criticised the government's Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill , claiming "effective reforms are being reversed" - in reference to potential changes to rules around how academies pay their staff and the material they can teach. Speaking about Ms Spielman's peerage nomination, a Conservative source said: "Kemi [Badenoch] wants serious people who know how things work so they can make a real contribution to the House of Lords."You don't get to the very top of your field without attracting critics, but Amanda is a brilliant thinker with a wealth of knowledge and will be a huge asset to Parliament."A spokesman for Kemi Badenoch declined to comment.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Report cards could make it harder for parents to choose schools, MPs warned
Report cards for schools could make it harder for parents to decide where to send their children, MPs have been warned. Sam Freedman, who worked as a policy adviser to Michael Gove when he was education secretary, said he had 'a lot of worries' about the proposals. He told MPs the previous system of single word Ofsted grades for overall effectiveness for schools had been 'helpful' for parents. The Government announced last year 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. Now schools in England would receive gradings – from the red-coloured 'causing concern' to orange-coloured 'attention needed', through the green shades of 'secure', 'strong' and 'exemplary' – for at least eight areas of a school's provision under the new proposals. On Monday, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, said she 'fundamentally' rejected the idea that giving more information on where schools need to improve is 'not something that parents want', after education unions and the sister of a headteacher who took her own life following an inspection criticised the plans. Schools in England could be graded across a variety of different areas – including attendance and inclusion – using a colour-coded five-point scale. Mr Freedman told the education select committee that Ofsted's problem has been 'reliability of assessments' and the proposed system of lots of graded sub judgments makes this 'harder'. He told MPs: 'I'm worried that this makes it harder for Ofsted to tackle its real issue which is reliability and consistency of inspection and doesn't actually deal with any of the concerns that schools have, and possibly makes it harder for parents to use them as well. So I have quite a lot of worries about this new model.' 'I don't think the problem with the previous model was that we had single word judgments and a single overarching judgment. I think that was actually quite helpful for parents.' The reforms follow criticism of the inspection system following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry who took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from the highest to the lowest overall effectiveness rating. During the committee on Tuesday, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: 'We now have eight areas of measurement, (a) five-scale grade, that's 40 potential areas of judgment. 'Ofsted were tasked with bringing about a system of inspection that reduced pressure on the school system in quite tragic circumstances. It's our view that this will make things worse, not better. 'We've all got a shared challenge in regards to the crisis in recruitment and retention – Ofsted included. It's our fear that this will drive more teachers and school leaders out of the profession.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
