Ofsted inspection contributed to the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry

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.

- Richard Adams

Heidi Connor, the senior coroner for Berkshire, said Perry's suicide was "contributed to by an Ofsted inspection carried out in November 2022" of the school 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.

Perry had been headteacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading for 13 years when it was rated "inadequate" by inspectors. Colleagues and family members told the inquest that meetings with Ofsted inspectors left her so distressed that at times she was unable to speak.

Amanda Spielman, Ofsted's chief inspector, said in response that the organisation would halt school visits in England at the start of next week to carry out urgent training for its lead inspectors on dealing with anxiety and when to pause inspections.

Spielman also apologised to Perry's family and the community "for the distress that Mrs Perry undoubtedly experienced" from Ofsted's inspection of her school.