Former A&E doctor Alex George, who after appearing ITV2 reality show Love Island became the government's mental health ambassador, has spoken out and called for change in the education system after the devastating news of the death of Ruth Perry, a head teacher at Caversham Primary School, who took her own life "while awaiting an Ofsted report".
As stated in reports since her death, the headteacher had been waiting for the results of an inspection visit in which leadership and management was the only aspect judged as inadequate. It would mean the school she lead would be downgraded from Outstanding to Inadequate (read more on that here).
Posting a picture of Ruth, the mental health author, podcaster and ambassador took to Instagram to write a powerful message in which he urged the "school approach" to include care for teachers and for less pressure to be put on them.
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He wrote: "Ruth Perry, head teacher at Caversham Primary School, has died by suicide while awaiting an Ofsted report. Teachers are under immense pressure and have been through so much in recent years. Something is going seriously wrong when something like this is happening. Why are we piling pressure on people who are already buckling under the weight of expectation?
"Nearly 80% of teachers experience mental health struggles due to their work, according to the Teachers Wellbeing Index. Let that sink in for a moment. 80%. The whole school approach that’s desperately needed must include the teachers too. Care for your carers. Care for your teachers.
"I have said it before and I will say it again, put less pressure on teachers to hit academic targets and instead focus more on creating an environment for well-rounded development and broader learning. This includes mental, physical and emotional development. I don’t have children, but if I did, I would want them to grow up to be well-rounded, resilient and kind people. I would also want their teachers to be happy and healthy too, not under ridiculous pressure to hit academic grades and tick boxes."
He added: "My thoughts and love go out to Mrs Perry’s friends, family and of course the school which must be devastated. I also hope the school inspector is getting the support they need too, it is an awful situation for everyone involved."
Following this heartbreaking news, one headteacher at a school in Newbury, England has refused entry to Ofsted in solidarity. Read more on that here.
In the comments, Alex George added the Samaritans number to contact if you have been affected by this story, and said: "I know this story will hit a lot of people hard, and me talking about it might be triggering, if you need to talk to someone - @samaritanscharity are 24/7 on 116 123" before many of his followers flooded his post with their own experiences of teaching and thanks. For more information on this charity and how it can help, visit the website.
One wrote: "Thank you for your very kind, insightful and empathetic words. Being a teacher and being a Head teacher is often a very thankless role," before adding: "We are not just educators; we are also unqualified counsellors and social workers as well as a many other things! I love my job and it’s different every single day, but to have an organisation come in for 2-3 days and make a judgement based on that snapshot is simply not fair."
Another commented: "I absolutely adored teaching. I’m not teaching. Enough said."
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