School leaders' union could take Ofsted to court after Ruth Perry's death

Ofsted could look a ineligible situation implicit its determination not to intermission its schoolhouse inspections aft the decease of caput teacher Ruth Perry.

Ms Perry took her ain beingness portion waiting for a study that downgraded her schoolhouse to "inadequate".

The NAHT schoolhouse leaders' national wants England's schools watchdog to intermission inspections truthful a reappraisal to chopped the hazard of harm to schoolhouse unit tin instrumentality place.

The schoolhouse leaders' national has written to Ofsted's main inspector, Amanda Spielman, saying "the quality rights of schoolhouse unit are not being protected".

The missive says steps request to beryllium taken present to code the hazard to the intelligence wellness of schoolhouse unit and alteration termination hazard prevention to beryllium enactment successful place.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT wide secretary, said her decease "has shone a airy connected the intolerable unit placed connected schoolhouse leaders and their unit during Ofsted inspections".

He added: "School leaders are determined that this should beryllium a watershed moment, and that specified a calamity tin ne'er beryllium allowed to hap again."

Mr Whiteman has asked Ms Spielman to place and hold "immediate actions that tin beryllium taken" that are "discussed and agreed with NAHT - it needs to beryllium done with us, not to us".

"Up until present those requests person been ignored. As such, we person nary alternate but to spell down this route," helium added.

The Ofsted study for Ms Perry's school, Caversham Primary School, described a "welcoming and vibrant school", wherever staff-pupil relationships were "warm and supportive", and bullying was rare.

But it besides highlighted a deficiency of "appropriate supervision during interruption times", which meant pupils were "potentially astatine hazard of harm".

She acknowledged that the statement astir removing grades, wherever a schoolhouse is fixed an wide people of outstanding, good, requires betterment oregon inadequate, is simply a "legitimate one".

But she added that the grades bash springiness parents "a elemental and accessible summary of a school's strengths and weaknesses" and are utilized by the authorities to place struggling schools.

"I don't judge that stopping oregon preventing inspections would beryllium successful children's champion interests. Our purpose is to rise standards, truthful that each children get a large education" she added.

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