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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Richard Adams Education editor

Ofsted inspection contributed to headteacher’s suicide, coroner rules

Ruth Perry
Ruth Perry had been the headteacher of Caversham primary school for 13 years when the Ofsted inspection took place. Photograph: Brighter Futures for Children

The family of Ruth Perry have spoken out against the “brutal inhumanity” of Ofsted inspections after a coroner ruled that it was a contributory factor in the headteacher’s death by suicide.

Heidi Connor, the senior coroner for Berkshire, said Perry’s suicide was “contributed to by an Ofsted inspection carried out in November 2022” at the school that she led.

Describing the inspection as at times “rude and intimidating”, Connor concluded that “during and after this inspection, Ruth’s mental health deteriorated significantly” before she took her own life on 8 January 2023.

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