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| School leaders' union could take Ofsted to court after Ruth Perry's death | School leaders' union could take Ofsted to court after Ruth Perry's death |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Ruth Perry was the head at Caversham Primary School in Reading | Ruth Perry was the head at Caversham Primary School in Reading |
| Ofsted could face a legal challenge over its decision not to pause its school inspections after the death of head teacher Ruth Perry. | Ofsted could face a legal challenge over its decision not to pause its school inspections after the death of head teacher Ruth Perry. |
| Ms Perry took her own life while waiting for a report that downgraded her school to "inadequate". | Ms Perry took her own life while waiting for a report that downgraded her school to "inadequate". |
| The NAHT school leaders' union wants England's schools watchdog to pause inspections so a review to cut the risk of harm to school staff can take place. | The NAHT school leaders' union wants England's schools watchdog to pause inspections so a review to cut the risk of harm to school staff can take place. |
| Ofsted has said pausing inspections would not be good for children. | Ofsted has said pausing inspections would not be good for children. |
| The school leaders' union has written to Ofsted's chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, saying "the human rights of school staff are not being protected". | The school leaders' union has written to Ofsted's chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, saying "the human rights of school staff are not being protected". |
| The letter says steps need to be taken now to address the risk to the mental health of school staff and enable suicide risk prevention to be put in place. | The letter says steps need to be taken now to address the risk to the mental health of school staff and enable suicide risk prevention to be put in place. |
| Ms Perry's family has said her death was a "direct result of the pressure" caused by the school inspection. | Ms Perry's family has said her death was a "direct result of the pressure" caused by the school inspection. |
| Why are outstanding schools being downgraded? | Why are outstanding schools being downgraded? |
| Ofsted boss rejects calls to pause inspections | Ofsted boss rejects calls to pause inspections |
| Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said her death "has shone a light on the intolerable pressure placed on school leaders and their staff during Ofsted inspections". | Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said her death "has shone a light on the intolerable pressure placed on school leaders and their staff during Ofsted inspections". |
| He added: "School leaders are determined that this should be a watershed moment, and that such a tragedy can never be allowed to happen again." | He added: "School leaders are determined that this should be a watershed moment, and that such a tragedy can never be allowed to happen again." |
| Mr Whiteman has asked Ms Spielman to identify and agree "immediate actions that can be taken" that are "discussed and agreed with NAHT - it needs to be done with us, not to us". | Mr Whiteman has asked Ms Spielman to identify and agree "immediate actions that can be taken" that are "discussed and agreed with NAHT - it needs to be done with us, not to us". |
| "Up until now those requests have been ignored. As such, we have no alternative but to go down this route," he added. | "Up until now those requests have been ignored. As such, we have no alternative but to go down this route," he added. |
| The Ofsted report for Ms Perry's school, Caversham Primary School, described a "welcoming and vibrant school", where staff-pupil relationships were "warm and supportive", and bullying was rare. | The Ofsted report for Ms Perry's school, Caversham Primary School, described a "welcoming and vibrant school", where staff-pupil relationships were "warm and supportive", and bullying was rare. |
| But it also highlighted a lack of "appropriate supervision during break times", which meant pupils were "potentially at risk of harm". | But it also highlighted a lack of "appropriate supervision during break times", which meant pupils were "potentially at risk of harm". |
| An Ofsted spokesperson said: "We are surprised by claims that Ofsted has ignored requests to engage in discussions with the NAHT. | |
| "Amanda Spielman has met senior NAHT representatives twice in the last week, and she has clearly indicated Ofsted's willingness to continue having constructive discussions about these issues." | |
| Following calls for inspections to be paused, Ms Spielman previously said it was "unquestionably a difficult time to be a head teacher". | |
| She acknowledged that the debate about removing grades, where a school is given an overall mark of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate, is a "legitimate one". | She acknowledged that the debate about removing grades, where a school is given an overall mark of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate, is a "legitimate one". |
| But she added that the grades do give parents "a simple and accessible summary of a school's strengths and weaknesses" and are used by the government to identify struggling schools. | But she added that the grades do give parents "a simple and accessible summary of a school's strengths and weaknesses" and are used by the government to identify struggling schools. |
| "I don't believe that stopping or preventing inspections would be in children's best interests. Our aim is to raise standards, so that all children get a great education" she added. | "I don't believe that stopping or preventing inspections would be in children's best interests. Our aim is to raise standards, so that all children get a great education" she added. |
| If you have been affected by issues raised in this article you can visit the BBC Action Line pages, or contact Samaritans. | If you have been affected by issues raised in this article you can visit the BBC Action Line pages, or contact Samaritans. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Schools | Schools |
| Ofsted | Ofsted |
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