A hundred headteachers in Salford have called for Ofsted inpections to be halted after a teacher took her own life. In a letter they say of their profession that "an ethic of proud and humble public service is being eroded by a regime of fear and humiliation" conducted by the watchdog.
Ruth Perry took her own life in January, and her sister has said her death was a “direct result” of the "process and outcome" of an Ofsted inspection that saw the school’s rating downgraded from “outstanding” to “inadequate”. Her family said an inspection at her school - Caversham Primary School in Reading - had turned her into 'an absolute shadow of herself'.
The tragedy has sparked an outcry across the profession, with the National Education Union; school leaders' union NAHT; and the Association of School and College Leaders calling for inspections to be halted.
