A HEADTEACHER in Newbury has denied entry to school premises for Ofsted following the death of Ruth Perry.
Flora Cooper, executive head at John Rankin School, posted to social media on Monday, March 20, to say that she had received a call from Ofsted to inform her of an inspection.
Though inspectors informed her they would be visiting the school on Tuesday, March 21, she has reported that she will not allow inspectors on site.
It is currently thought to be the first time a school will deny access to premises for inspectors.
On Saturday, Ms Cooper shared a post from Ruth Perry’s sister, Julia Walters, which called from “meaningful action” to be taken to “ensure what happened to Ruth can never happen again.”
The post called on headtachers and teaching unions to support the boycotting of Ofsted until “a thorough, independent review” had been conducted and acted upon.
Ms Walters also called on school staff to wear black armbands during inspections, display photographs of Ruth, and to check inspectors risk assessments.
Her post finished by asking media organisations, estate agents, and parents to discontinue using Ofsted reports.
After Ms Cooper shared the post to Twitter, she also tweeted that she would be taking part in the boycott.
She received the call from Ofsted just one day later, and is now inviting staff and educators to attend John Rankin School on Tuesday morning.
A tweet posted just before 10.20am on Monday read: “I just had the call. I’ve refused entry.
“This is an interesting phone call. Doing this for everyone for our school staff everywhere.”
It comes as Ofsted practises have been called into question, including by Matt Rodda MP who released a statement following a meeting with the schools minister, Nick Gibb,
Ms Perry was the head teacher at Caversham Primary School, Reading, for 13 years, but was found dead in January.
Her family said that she had taken her own life just weeks after an Ofsted inspection, and just days before the school was expected to drop from an “outstanding” rating down to an “inadequate” rating.
Ms Waters said that staff had been told their rating would be dropping during the visit in November last year.
Following the news of her death in January, Ms Perry was described in a joint statement by the council and Brighter Futures for Children as a “hugely respected, experienced and a well-established figure at Caversham Primary.”
She became headteacher in 2010, having previously acted as Deputy Head in 2006, and had even studied at the school herself from 1973 and 1980.
In a statement following his meeting with the schools minister, Mr Rodda said: “The death of Ruth Perry was a devastating event for her family and our community.
“I offer my deepest sympathies and condolences to her family as they continue to grieve for a much-loved daughter, mum, wife, and sister– I will continue to support the family as best I can.
“Ofsted must now ask themselves some tough questions about their role and how we prevent further tragedies in the future.”
