Education Secretary to meet family of headteacher who killed herself

The Education Secretary is to meet the family of headteacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself while awaiting an Ofsted report.

It comes after Matt Rodda, Ms Perry’s MP, asked Gillian Keegan in the Commons on Monday to meet Ms Perry’s family and local headteachers to discuss her death.

Ms Perry, headteacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading, killed herself in January while awaiting an Ofsted report which downgraded her school from the highest rating to the lowest.

Her sister, Professor Julia Waters, has previously said the grading was “sensationalist” and “deeply harmful” to Ms Perry.

Responding to Mr Rodda, Ms Keegan said: “Of course I would be happy to meet. This is a tragic case and I send my heartfelt sympathies to Ruth Perry’s family and friends, and all of the school community in the honourable gentleman’s constituency.”

Touring broadcast studios earlier, Ms Keegan had insisted that “undermining Ofsted” is “not the right approach”, describing the role it plays in upholding standards and safeguarding as “crucial”.

But Ms Waters, alongside several teaching unions, has called for the ratings system to be reformed.

She said she had “no doubt” that her sister’s death was the “direct result” of pressure put on her by the process and outcome of the Ofsted inspection.