Dame Christine Gilbert will lead an independent review into Ofsted’s response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, the schools’ watchdog has shared today.
Ofsted announced the independent review in January as part of its response to the inquest into Ms Perry’s death, in which a coroner ruled there to be a risk of future deaths without changes to the inspection system.
Dame Christine, a former Ofsted chief inspector and current chair of charity the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), will start her review this month and produce a written report of her findings later this year.
The review will consider the actions Ofsted took in response to the death of Ms Perry, including Ofsted’s communications, its engagement with stakeholders and information sharing within Ofsted regarding the incident.
Ms Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her school, Caversham Primary School in Reading, from the watchdog’s highest grade to its lowest over safeguarding concerns.
At the inquest, the coroner said that the Ofsted inspection had likely contributed to Ms Perry’s death.
The review will also look into the support Ofsted offered internally to staff, including inspectors, and how its approach was informed by policies.
Dame Christine, who led Ofsted from 2006 to 2011, spent 18 years in schools as a teacher and secondary headteacher. As well as chair of the EEF, she’s also independent chair of Camden Learning and an honorary fellow of UCL.
Her report will include any recommendations for changes to Ofsted’s internal policies and processes for responding to tragic incidents.
Ofsted will respond to these recommendations as part of the wider response to the Big Listen, which it launched last month to consult with teachers and parents on the inspection system.
Dame Christine to meet Ruth Perry’s family
Dame Christine said: “The death of Ruth Perry was a deeply sad and shocking event. Ofsted has accepted that it is vitally important for it to learn from this tragedy and has asked me to help them do that”.
As well as scrutinising Ofsted’s approach following Ms Perry’s death, Dame Christine will also meet Ms Perry’s family “to gain a better understanding of the impact of Ofsted’s work”.
Last week, Ms Perry’s sister Professor Julia Waters warned at the NEU teaching union’s annual conference that delays to significant reforms at Ofsted will “put more lives at risk”.
Commenting on Dame Christine’s appointment, Professor Waters said: “It could feel a bit like Ofsted has set its own homework and has got an old friend to mark it.
“We will need to be convinced that she has the necessary independence of perspective that is required for the task.
“The review needs to be rigorous and explore Ofsted’s systems, practices and culture in depth if it is to learn the lessons required to lead to significant change.”
It is ‘vital that lessons are learned’
Ofsted’s current chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver, who appointed Dame Christine, said: “I am very grateful to Dame Christine for agreeing to lend her valuable experience and expertise to leading this important review.
“She has a wealth of experience in schools, in inspection, and in undertaking a range of reviews. I have no doubt that her insights will help us to reflect on, and learn from, our response to Ruth Perry’s death.”
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “NAHT knows Christine Gilbert well and she is a widely respected and knowledgeable figure in education. We believe that she will have the insight and determination to carry out a comprehensive review of Ofsted’s response to the tragic death of Ruth Perry.
“However, it is important to confront head-on the concern that some might express about a former chief inspector reviewing the work of Ofsted.”
Tom Middlehurst, inspection specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the appointment of Dame Christine and said it was “vital that lessons are learned to ensure this tragedy is never repeated”.
He added: “Our concern remains that neither the review nor the Big Listen tackle the key issue of single-phrase judgements - the very feature of the system which makes inspections so high stakes and drives stress and anxiety.”
For the latest education news and analysis delivered directly to your inbox every weekday morning, sign up to the Tes Daily newsletter
