‘She was an absolute shadow of her former self’
A headteacher took her own life while waiting for an Ofsted report which gave her school the lowest possible rating, her family has revealed.
Ruth Perry was the headteacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading, where she had worked for 13 years, and killed herself on 8 January after being told the school was being downgraded from an Outstanding rating to Inadequate.
The 53-year-old’s family said the inspection was the “worst day” of Ruth’s life, the BBC reported.
Ofsted inspectors visited the school on 15 and 16 November in what was the first inspection Ruth had faced as head teacher.
Ruth’s sister, Julia Waters, told the BBC the school’s staff was told about the new rating on the first day of the visit.
Feedback to the senior leadership team noted that a boy doing a dance move akin to flossing, from the video game Fortnite, was evidence of the sexualisation of children at the school. There were also said to be claims of child-on-child abuse, which turned out to be a playground fight.
Waters told the BBC: “One of the most hurtful things was initially the sense of complete injustice, that this was a complete exaggeration, seeing something and jumping to a completely different conclusion.”
She said her sister would countdown to the publication of the report, which weighed heavily on her: “She was an absolute shadow of her former self.”
“This one-word judgement was just destroying 32 years of her vocation. Education was her vocation, 32 years summed up in one word ‘inadequate’.
The report, which was published this week, found the school to be Good in every category, apart from leadership and management, where it was judged to be Inadequate.
Inspectors said school leaders did not have the “required knowledge to keep pupils safe from harm”, did not take “prompt and proper actions” and had not ensured safeguarding was “effective”.
In response to the report, Caversham Primary School has said: “The school, led by Ruth, responded immediately after the inspection visit, to take action to resolve the issues raised.
“Following the heart-breaking loss of Ruth, we have continued her work to ensure that the school is an effective, safe and happy place for children to learn and achieve.”
Ofsted has said it is “deeply saddened by Ruth Perry’s tragic death”.
Matt Rodda, a Labour MP for Reading East, said he has had a meeting with the schools minister and raised the matter with the regional director of Ofsted.
“I think it’s fair to say that there are local concerns about the way that the inspection was carried out.
“Also about the way that the Ofsted framework and other regulations affecting Ofsted effectively work, and the wider pressure on headteachers.”
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