Gove calls for Ofsted review after head’s death

Minister backs watchdog but adds that ‘failure in one area should not mean total failure’ for a school

A CABINET minister has called for a review of an Ofsted rule that meant a largely well-performing school whose headteacher took her own life was awarded the lowest possible grade.

Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary,

said there is a need to look again at the way ineffective safeguarding measures or an “inadequate” judgment in any one of four key areas is guaranteed to affect a school’s overall rating.

It was this rule – the so-called “limiting judgment” – that meant Ruth Perry’s school was downgraded from “outstanding” to “inadequate”, despite achieving a “good” result in most categories. The 53-year-old, who was head of Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berk, for 13 years, took her life after learning about Ofsted’s plans to lower its rating.

Asked about Ms Perry’s case, Mr

Gove said it was “important” not to be “too political” when reflecting on her death. But he said that the “limiting judgment” was “one issue” that should be reviewed.

Speaking on Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News, he said: “There is one issue, which I do think we need to reflect on and look at, which is that if a school is found to have failed its safeguarding criteria, then that is what is called a limiting judgment.

“And if a school is found ‘inadequate’ in that area, that means it’s ‘inadequate’ overall, even if it has strong teaching and learning and its other areas are good as well. I do think we need to look at the way in which a limiting judgment, as it’s called – a technical term, means that a failure in one area means failure everywhere else. But that is not a criticism of Ofsted.”

According to Ofsted’s inspection handbook, a school will receive the lowest possible grade overall if “any one of the key judgments is inadequate and/or safeguarding is ineffective”.

Ofsted found Ms Perry’s school to be “good” in every category except for leadership and management, where it was accused of poor record-keeping and failings in employment checks that could have put pupils at risk. This meant the overall rating was dropped to “inadequate”.

The watchdog declined to comment on Mr Gove’s remarks; however, it is understood that any changes to its inspection framework would require consultation with parents and teachers as well as government agreement.

Professor Julia Waters, Ms Perry’s sister, claimed her death was “a direct result of the pressure put on her by the process and outcome of an Ofsted inspection at her school”.

Her family told the BBC that the “caring” head was left a “shadow of her former self ”, following the inspection last November, which she had described as the “worst day of her life”.

Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said on Friday: “Ruth Perry’s death was a tragedy. [We] know that inspections can be challenging and we always aim to carry them out with sensitivity as well as professionalism.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “Ofsted has a crucial role to play in upholding education standards and making sure children are safe in school. They provide independent, up to date evaluations on the quality of education.”