A PUSH for changes to Ofsted to be made after the death of Reading headteacher have been voiced at a public enquiry in Parliament.
MPs have been discussing how the education inspection organisation works with schools ahead of the appointment of a new chief inspector.
They are being held in the context of the death of Ruth Perry, the headteacher of Caversham Primary, who died by suicide on January 8 after finding the school would be rated ‘Inadequate’.
That has prompted calls for Ofsted to scrap one-word judgments, which trade union leaders have called “career-ending” and leaves teachers “on a cliff edge”.
An enquiry is being held by The Education Committee, which heard from teaching trade union representatives during a session on Tuesday, October 17.
The hearing was reported on by Joe Campbell of BBC South Today.
During the session, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union said: “You’ve got less job security than a football manager. It’s incredibly high stakes that the one-word judgment has created.
“It’s career-ending for a school leader and career-shaming for a schoolteacher.”
Edmund Barnett-Ward, whose children went to Caversham Primary, said: “The conversation would not have been so focused and so poignant if it hadn’t been for those events.
“The fact of the matter is that Ruth is in that room whether the specific cases being discussed about or not.”
Ian Hartwright, senior policy advisor for the National Association of Head Teachers said at the hearing: “Every time they have an inspection, they have that cliff edge about ‘is this the day that I lose my job?’
“And it’s just the same for their staff because that drives the same stress and ill health and worry amongst all people who work in the school.”
Sympathising, Flick Drummond, the Conservative MP for Meon Valley in Hampshire, said: “I’ve just visited a lot of schools and you’re absolutely right, they all sit there waiting, they can’t go on courses, they can’t do anything basically, particularly if they know they are about to have an inspection, and this stress has just got ridiculous.”
Labour announced that it will scrap one-word judgments if it wins the next general election and forms a government.
Lisa Telling, the executive head of Southcote and Katesgrove Schools said: “The Parliamentary Enquiry are the only people who can influence the new chief inspector for Ofsted, they have the power to actually ask for change.
“And it’s really important to have this now, our new chief inspector starts in January.”
Amanda Spielman, the current Ofsted chief inspector, will depart from Ofsted in December.
An inquest into Ms Perry’s death is due to take place at the end of November or early December this year.
Reading Today has pledged not to report on Ofsted inspections until the system has been reformed.
