Ruth Perry’s sister has criticized the government’s decision not to abolish Ofted’s one-word decisions after the headteacher took her own life after her school was downgraded from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’.
Campaigners who called on ministers to scrap the system after the death of Caversham Primary School’s headteacher were bitterly disappointed that no changes were made.
The Department for Education (DfE) said it would “continue to listen to views and examine alternative systems” but believes there are “significant benefits” to grades awarded in England by the school monitoring body.
Yet Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Walters, who led the campaign to change the grading system, called the response “woefully inadequate”, saying the changes do not go “far enough” in light of the death of his sister.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, she said: “I am deeply distressed that after all this time, all this engagement, all this discussion and all this apparent listening, they are not taking action.
Ruth Perry took her own life after her school was downgraded from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’
Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Walters, who led the campaign to change the grading system, called the response “woefully inadequate”.
Campaigners who called on ministers to scrap the system after the death of Caversham Primary School’s headteacher were bitterly disappointed that no changes were made.
“They won’t do what they know my family and so many others need and want to change.”
“It is depressing to see the Government continue to defend aspects of the inspection system, such as one-word judgments, which are so harmful, divisive and counterproductive,” she added.
In its response to an inquiry into Ofsted by the Commons Education Select Committee, the DfE said the overall judgment provides a “succinct” summary for parents and helps identify schools that need support.
She said her priority was to look at ways to improve the inspection system rather than “developing an alternative to it”.
There was growing pressure on the education inspectorate to change its system following Ms Perry’s death.
The headteacher killed herself after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham primary school in Reading from its highest rating of ‘outstanding’ to its lowest rating of ‘inadequate’ over safety concerns .
In December, a coroner concluded that the Ofsted inspection on November 15 and 16, 2022 “contributed” to Ms Perry’s death.
An Education Select Committee report in January called on the DfE and Ofsted to develop an alternative to single-word “first priority” judgments to better capture the “complex nature of a school’s performance”.
He said that as a first step, Ofsted and DfE websites should show a school’s rating in different areas, not just the overall judgment.
The DfE listed the benefits of one-word judgments in its response to MPs.
Professor Walters told the BBC this morning: “I am deeply upset that after all this time, all this engagement, all this discussion and all this apparent listening, they are not taking action.”
Campaigners said the move means they “cannot rule out something terrible happening again in the future”.
He said: “So while the Government will continue to listen to views and examine alternative systems, including different approaches taken internationally, the Government believes there are significant benefits to be had an overall effectiveness rating from Ofsted.
“In our view, the priority is to look for ways to improve the current system rather than developing an alternative.
“This includes reviewing with Ofsted the presentation of its findings and ratings, as well as opportunities to highlight certain details below the summary rating.”
The DfE added that it agreed with the cross-party group that part of this was about “increasing the visibility” of sub-graded judgments made by Ofsted – such as the “quality of education” and “behavior and attitudes”.
Campaigners said the move means they “cannot rule out something terrible happening again in the future”.
“The government’s response to the Education Committee’s report on Ofsted is woefully inadequate,” Professor Walters added.
“It is very difficult for me and my family to see the government refer to my sister by name, then so clearly fail to address the many important lessons from her death, which the coroner and education committee have raised.”
“The small changes to the current dangerous system that have been proposed so far do not go far enough. We need radical and urgent reform of this fatally flawed inspection system.
James Denny, George Binette and Amanda Benthan deliver a petition signed by 45,000 people to the Department for Education in Westminster, central London, March 2023.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of headteachers’ union the NAHT, said: “One-word judgments do not bring significant benefits – they are deeply damaging and must be abandoned entirely.
“The tragic events of last year have shown this, and we cannot rule out that something terrible will happen again in the future if the inspection does not change.
“If such a horrible situation were to arise, it would be ministers who would have to answer for the decisions that were taken.”
He said the DfE’s response “smacks of government being out of touch with parents and professionals”.
Mr Whiteman added: “The Government’s defense of discredited, simplistic and reductive judgments of a single word or phrase simply perpetuates an inhumane and unreliable inspection system that is leading to a mental health and welfare crisis. well-being in England’s schools.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “The government’s response to the call for an alternative to one-sentence judgments is deeply disappointing .
“His solution is to ‘consider’ the presentation of Ofsted’s reports rather than the system itself.
“This is despite all the evidence that these one-sentence judgments are the source of extremely high stress and anxiety, harming the wellbeing of leaders and teachers, undermining morale and causing many to quit the profession.
Ruth Perry pictured outside the school where she worked
“They stigmatize schools and colleges, making improvements harder to achieve, and thus do a disservice to children, parents and communities.
“The problem is not presentation; it’s that the system is fundamentally flawed and needs to change.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said the response misses an opportunity to “take meaningful steps towards meaningful change”.
“The DfE’s refusal to accept that single-word judgments should be removed will cause consternation across the teaching profession,” he said.
Last month, Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, launched the watchdog’s Big Listen public consultation, which will gather views on the inspection.
Conservative MP Robin Walker, chair of the Education Select Committee, said: “In recent months we have seen encouraging signs that the inspectorate has listened and is ready to change.
“It is particularly welcome to hear the DfE say it is open to ideas on how the one-word judgments system could be improved – a set of policies that only the government has the power to change.
“My committee agrees that there are benefits to having a system of judgments or assessments, such as the clarity they provide to parents.
“But we also maintain that a more nuanced version of this system is both feasible and in everyone’s best interest.”
An Ofsted spokesperson said: “Ofsted always aims to be a force for good in this country, ensuring that schools, children’s homes, nurseries and colleges deliver the highest standards education and care of children.
“But we know we can improve. That’s why we launched Big Listen, which seeks feedback from parents, professionals and children on everything we do.
A DfE spokesperson said: “We have no intention of removing one-word judgments. They give parents the confidence to choose the right school for their child and provide a clear basis for taking action to improve underperforming schools.
“The Secretary of State has made it clear that we will continue to consider ways to improve the current system, including considering international approaches, and we look forward to hearing the views of teachers, parents and children at through the Great Listening.”
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