Ofsted inspectors have now rated as 'good' the school run by a headteacher who took her own life after it was given an 'inadequate' rating. Ruth Perry was headteacher of Caversham Primary School before she died in January this year following a report which downgraded her school from the highest rating - 'outstanding' - to the lowest over safeguarding concerns.
The school, in Reading, Berkshire, was re-inspected on June 21 and 22 and the fresh report, which does mention Ms Perry, rates it 'good' in all categories. Her sister Professor Julia Waters said the upgraded rating was a testament to the work of Ms Perry and the staff she led since the initial inspection in November last year.
She said: "The reversal of the previous judgement in a matter of a few months illustrates why schools should be given the opportunity to correct any technical weaknesses before the final report is published. An inspection should be about helping schools with independent scrutiny, not catching them out and publicly shaming them. Ofsted's use of safeguarding as a 'limiting judgement', overriding all other strengths and complexities of a school, puts headteachers in that position of constant jeopardy."
