Ruth Perry and Ofsted

[hypochondriac]

Has anyone been following this saga? As someone who has worked in schools as a teacher and in Early Years, I can't deny that I shed a tear as I read this report and how Ofsted has contributed to Ruth Perry's death. I know many many people who have similar stories to tell. I have seen so many excellent colleagues absolutely burn out due to stress of inspections even if they've got an outstanding grading. 

 

I do understand the need to protect children and to keep standards high, but surely now there needs to be some sort of systemic change before we see more of this. Ofsted badly needs some humanity, empathy and a change to the adversarial nature of inspections. Some people have suggested filming inspections which I would support or generally a more supportive approach that assumes positive intent from the majority of schools. 

I.N.A.D.E.Q.U.A.T.E - Ruth Perry’s despair in handwritten notes - BBC News

[Tamesaint]

Virtually every  profession has auditors and inspectors who check and report on standards. Nobody likes to be checked and the inspections are inevitably a time of stress for the auditee. They are also inevitable and "come with the job". 

In this instance it would appear from the remarks of the coroner that Ofsted performed this check in a shocking manner. As Hypo says, Ofsted need to demonstrate humanity and empathy and avoid an adverserial approach. Clearly this time they did not   - with tragic consequences. 

To paraphrase the old Roman expression "who checks the Ofsted checkers?" Somebody clearly needs to. 

[Fan The Flames]

I find it difficult to accept that Ofsted, no matter how poorly they undertook the inspection, should be the sole focus of this poor womans death. Where was the support from the school governors or the local education authority, she clearly let things get completly out of proportion in her mind. I just don't think Ofsted should get all the blame.

[whelk]

Ofsted has become ridiculous in terms of focus. Terrify staff, the vast majority of which are there for noble vocational reasons. Whilst they might not be perfect, they never have been. Of course you need standards and means of identifying failing schools but don’t think kids are better educated for it. Parents also obsessed with sending their little darlings to outstanding schools

Edited 7 December, 2023 by whelk

[whelk]

32 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

I just don't think Ofsted should get all the blame.

I do. Carried away with their power and no concern for the people they are fucking

[hypochondriac]

39 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

I find it difficult to accept that Ofsted, no matter how poorly they undertook the inspection, should be the sole focus of this poor womans death. Where was the support from the school governors or the local education authority, she clearly let things get completly out of proportion in her mind. I just don't think Ofsted should get all the blame.

I don't think they have ever been seen as solely to blame and the coroners report mentions the local authority. The disputed issue is that Amanda Spielman claimed that Ofsted could not take any of the blame and that the way they inspected was not a contributing factor in her death. This has now been contradicted by the coroner. 

The big problem is the format of the inspection and the attitude of many of the inspectors along with their training. Ruth perry is very much not an isolated incident and if you listen to teachers everyone knows a story of ruined lives due to Ofsted. 

[hypochondriac]

12 minutes ago, whelk said:

Ofsted has become ridiculous in terms of focus. Terrify staff, the vast majority of which are there for noble vocational reasons. Whilst they might not be perfect, they never have been. Of course you need standards and means of identifying failing schools but don’t think kids are better educated for it. Parents also obsessed with sending their little darlings to outstanding schools

100% agree. I sent my children to a local school that never got outstanding but I'd spoken to teachers and LSAs so I knew it was the best school to send them to. I worked in an outstanding school and it was horrendous for children. 

[hypochondriac]

10 minutes ago, whelk said:

I do. Carried away with their power and no concern for the people they are fucking

I think in this particular instance it would be difficult to argue that ofsted wrre if not solely responsible then need to take the vast majority of the blame. The report is utterly damming. 

[hypochondriac]

54 minutes ago, Tamesaint said:

Virtually every  profession has auditors and inspectors who check and report on standards. Nobody likes to be checked and the inspections are inevitably a time of stress for the auditee. They are also inevitable and "come with the job". 

In this instance it would appear from the remarks of the coroner that Ofsted performed this check in a shocking manner. As Hypo says, Ofsted need to demonstrate humanity and empathy and avoid an adverserial approach. Clearly this time they did not   - with tragic consequences. 

To paraphrase the old Roman expression "who checks the Ofsted checkers?" Somebody clearly needs to. 

In times past, inspections were done but as a partnership with the local authority who knows the school and it's history and the school itself. I agree that standards need to be checked but personally I think this approach is superior to what we have now where ofsted judgements really aren't worth the paper they are written on. Schools jump through a load of hoops simply to do things to satisfy ofsted (I know there have been changes in recent years to combat this but it still happens.) and in my experience, the least well adjusted children often come from so called outstanding schools where they have been pushed so hard and end up like robots reciting mantras with little time for creativity or time for childhood. 

Best school I ever worked at had never had an outstanding grade but undeniably put the children first, prioritised staff wellbeing and gave the impression that they liked young people. Sadly Ofsted guidance changes over the last decade mean that these are rarer occurances than ever before. 

[Fan The Flames]

19 minutes ago, whelk said:

I do. Carried away with their power and no concern for the people they are fucking

There are plenty of head teachers at average or poor schools that are able to take the inspection findings in a context that doesn't leave them damaged.

And there are people in other industries ruined by audits or inspections. It's the narrative we tell ourselves that affect how we deal with things.

Ruth Perry's mind was not in a good place and I can only assume that she wasn't helped by her support network.

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

There are plenty of head teachers at average or poor schools that are able to take the inspection findings in a context that doesn't leave them damaged.

And there are people in other industries ruined by audits or inspections. It's the narrative we tell ourselves that affect how we deal with things.

Ruth Perry's mind was not in a good place and I can only assume that she wasn't helped by her support network.

The coroner explained clearly that she had no prior mental health issues before this inspection and that the inspection was a significant reason for her suicide. Looking wider than this particular case though, some of the conduct of Ofsted - particularly the inconsistency of their inspections and their appeals process - is absolutely appaling and not insignificant numbers of heads and teachers have spoken about the toll they have taken on their mental health. I think I've been involved with at least 20 inspections so I have a fair bit of experience of them. Many have been absolutely fine but a couple have been an absolute disgrace and I can quite see why they could potentially lead to very serious consequences. Both the ones I'm talking about eventually resulted in a good rating by the way but the ultimate grade didn't make the experience any less unpleasant. 

[whelk]

40 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

There are plenty of head teachers at average or poor schools that are able to take the inspection findings in a context that doesn't leave them damaged.

And there are people in other industries ruined by audits or inspections. It's the narrative we tell ourselves that affect how we deal with things.

Ruth Perry's mind was not in a good place and I can only assume that she wasn't helped by her support network.

It isn’t about a majority of people not behaving in the same way.  Anyone who takes their own life won’t be thinking rationally so basically you are saying others don’t do it so nothing to answer for Ofsted’s conduct? She seemed a lovely person who had people who cared for her. Often people take their own life and it won’t be simply because they don’t have people in their support network.

[AlexLaw76]

Someone pretty close to me had the pleasure of an OFSTED inspection. From what they told me, very harsh on how the conducted the inspection/how it was reported, and incredibly left wing.

[hypochondriac]

14 minutes ago, whelk said:

It isn’t about a majority of people not behaving in the same way.  Anyone who takes their own life won’t be thinking rationally so basically you are saying others don’t do it so nothing to answer for Ofsted’s conduct? She seemed a lovely person who had people who cared for her. Often people take their own life and it won’t be simply because they don’t have people in their support network.

Also worth pointing out in my article above that she did seek help, was supported by her loved ones, went to mental health support and saw her GP so it's not correct to say she didn't have support. The brutality of the one word judgement, the feeling that house prices would be affected so she'd be hated by the local community, the fallacy about not being able to discuss the impending inadequate judgement to the degree that she didn't feel she could discuss it even with her doctors were significant contributory factors to her suicide. 

[hypochondriac]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

Someone pretty close to me had the pleasure of an OFSTED inspection. From what they told me, very harsh on how the conducted the inspection/how it was reported, and incredibly left wing.

I can't say I've ever considered them left wing, just inconsistent and often led by an inspector with a particular agenda with the days going how they decide rather than how it's been laid out by ofsted. 

[AlexLaw76]

2 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I can't say I've ever considered them left wing, just inconsistent and often led by an inspector with a particular agenda with the days going how they decide rather than how it's been laid out by ofsted. 

They knew OFSTED were coming within 48 hours of the inspection. A brief agenda was presented during the meet/greet, for it to be rudely dismissed with very condescending tones

Edited 7 December, 2023 by AlexLaw76

[Winnersaint]

1994. - School does not offer good value for money. NoR 900+

1997 - Does not address literacy across the secondary curriculum. NoR +/- 750

 1998 re inspection - School still does not address literacy across the secondary curriculum although it is beginning to be visible NoR +/- 650

2000 - 2nd re inspection - School is addressing literacy successfully across the curriculum. NoR around 600.

2002 - Placed in special measures. Head booted not resigned DfE appointed executive head. NoR 570

2003-2005 - Termly HMI inspections (3 person team looking for school improvement). Behaviour management my remit. NoR 500 - 420

2005 - Taken out of special measures. New headteacher apppointed. Main aim is to make school No1 choice within its local community.

2010 - Satisfactory - Given notice to improve leadership. NoR 600

2013 - Satisfactory with elements of good. NoR as above.

2014 re inspection - RI. Requires improvement officially. Head forced to resign. Executive head parachuted in from  successful school in locality. NoR 720 ish.

2015 - Deputy head from above successful school appointed head teacher.

2017 - School becomes academy, part of Greenshaw Learning Trust. Puts off further inspection for 3 years as deemed a new school.

2021 - Full OFSTED inspection school rated good with elements of excellent. NoR 1000+ school oversubscribed, as it remains to this day.

This is my OFSTED history working in a less than resilient school in the south. From 1992 to 2021. It certainly shows the negative impact on numbers of poor OFSTED judgements. It could be argued that it demonstrates the value of accountablity through inspection. If I’m honest the most productive years were when we were in special measures where we were supported by HMI when the school became so small it couldn’t support a viable curriculum and was earmarked for closure.

 

 

 

 

Edited 9 December, 2023 by Winnersaint

[Fan The Flames]

4 hours ago, whelk said:

I do. Carried away with their power and no concern for the people they are fucking

Do you really think if her board of governors stood by her and said don't worry we will appeal, or don't worry we know you've done a brilliant job we will turn this around, etc etc this wouldn't have happened. She took her life 40 days after the inspection, enough time for peope to support her and turn it around. Pinning it all on Ofsted is missing a whole other side to this story.

[Weston Super Saint]

8 hours ago, Fan The Flames said:

Do you really think if her board of governors stood by her and said don't worry we will appeal, or don't worry we know you've done a brilliant job we will turn this around, etc etc this wouldn't have happened. She took her life 40 days after the inspection, enough time for peope to support her and turn it around. Pinning it all on Ofsted is missing a whole other side to this story.

I could be wrong, but I'm sure I read somewhere that she wasn't allowed to share the results until they had been officially announced, so would the board of governors even know what rating was going to be given when she died?

[hypochondriac]

3 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

I could be wrong, but I'm sure I read somewhere that she wasn't allowed to share the results until they had been officially announced, so would the board of governors even know what rating was going to be given when she died?

They would have been aware but the rules have always been a bit grey about who you can tell and when which is part of the problem. Like I said though, I don't think Ofsted is solely to blame but the way that Ofsted operates and the whole manner of the inspection framework have negatively impacted the mental health of a large number of teachers and senior teams who work with children. On top of that there is a retention and recruitment crisis which again Ofsted and the culture they foster have a significant role in. The Ruth Perry suicide is thankfully a rare occurrence but the circumstances and treatment she received is not rare at all. Of course some can get a bad Ofsted result and survive or improve but that doesn't make the current situation right. 

[badgerx16]

21 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

....... but the way that Ofsted operates and the whole manner of the inspection framework have negatively impacted the mental health of a large number of teachers and senior teams who work with children.

Very much this.

[Winnersaint]

5 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

I could be wrong, but I'm sure I read somewhere that she wasn't allowed to share the results until they had been officially announced, so would the board of governors even know what rating was going to be given when she died?

In the feedback after the inspection it is certainly the case that the leadership team will know the outcome. It is, in my experience, then passed onto the staff in very general terms either that day or the next morning. Staff will certainly know the direction of travel a potential outcome if not the definitive rating itself. We always had a late start for students the day after to accommodate this via a staff meeting. This was confidential information which could not be shared outside of the school until the publication of the full report. To give you some idea of time frame the last one I took part in was on 29th Jan 2019 and the report was published on 11th March. In answer to your question, the governing body would know what rating was coming down the line as would the head. Staff are relatively savvy and would be able to join their own dots.

[badgerx16]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-67652911

[hypochondriac]

On 09/12/2023 at 11:58, badgerx16 said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-67652911

Stories like this everywhere. Seems the only people who don't think there's a problem are people who have never worked in schools. 

[LGTL]

The problem is ginormous, far greater than the general public realise even after the sad case of Ruth Perry.

The framework is a joke for Primary schools without specialist teachers, especially small primaries where one teacher might be responsible for 3 or 4 subjects. I’ve no problem with a massive focus on curriculum in Secondary, but it doesn’t work at Primary. 

OFSTED needs massive reform and needs to become a collaborative partner with schools, rather than the current us and them approach. It’ll never happen though as they are too politicised. And for goodness sake, remove the one word judgements as the majority are a nonsense. 

Edited 14 December, 2023 by LGTL

[hypochondriac]

6 minutes ago, LGTL said:

The problem is ginormous, far greater than the general public realise even after the sad case of Ruth Perry.

The framework is a joke for Primary schools without specialist teachers, especially small primaries where one teacher might be responsible for 3 or 4 subjects. I’ve no problem with a massive focus on curriculum in Secondary, but it doesn’t work at Primary. 

OFSTED needs massive reform and needs to become a collaborative partner with schools, rather than the current us and them approach. It’ll never happen though as they are too politicised. And for goodness sake, remove the one word judgements as the majority are a nonsense. 

100%. Also worth pointing out that the vast majority of primary inspections are carried out by inspectors with little to no experience of early years. It's a distinct category incredibly different from older year groups.