Ofsted will ask schools to “suspend” checks it believes are damaging the mental health of staff as part of its formal response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
England's schools regulator has also pledged to hold a public consultation with families and teachers, subject to “nothing going wrong”, and will consider an overhaul of safety inspections and marking methods.
However, Ms Perry's family and school leaders were disappointed that neither the Department for Education nor Ofsted's responses addressed the use of one-word judgments such as “inappropriate” for primary schools. He said it was an impediment to real reform.
Chief Inspector Martin Oliver's plans will shape Ofsted's response to the coroner's findings into Perry's death, after an Ofsted inspection last year determined that the Reading principal was involved in the suicide. .
Mr Oliver, who took over as head of Ofsted in the new year, said: “As the new chief inspector, I am determined to do everything I can to prevent tragedies like this in the future.''
He added: “We must play our part in a way that is sensitive to the pressures leaders and staff face, without losing focus on children and learners.”
Perry's sister, Professor Julia Waters, said: “Ofsted's new direction is encouraging. If these reforms had been implemented just over a year ago, perhaps my beautiful sister Ruth might still be with us now.”
Perry's school, Caversham Primary School, was downgraded from good to unsatisfactory during an Ofsted inspection due to safety issues that caused a critical deterioration of Perry's mental health.
At the inquest, the coroner criticized Ofsted for not setting out a policy on when and how to stop inspections if school staff are in obvious distress.
Ofsted said: “Every inspector and every school leader must be clear about when and how to suspend inspections. We also want to reassure leaders that requests to suspend are We want to give you confidence that it will not adversely affect your decisions.”
The inspectorate will work with school governors, local authorities and organizations to clarify how the welfare of school leaders can be safeguarded and how schools can raise concerns about the actions of inspectors. We plan to explain this in detail.
Other proposals include an extensive 'listening' consultation process with those involved in Ofsted inspections, including children and parents.
The National Association of Headteachers and the Association of School and College Leaders both said Ofsted's proposals were a positive step but did not fully address their concerns.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of ASCL, said: “This must be the start of a process for Ofsted and the government to improve the way schools and colleges are inspected, making the system fairer, less punitive and more collaborative. “It's something we can do.”
But Burton warned that “it will take time and energy to win the trust of an industry that feels battered and damaged by an overly stringent testing regime.”
The DfE also sent a response to the coroner, with education secretary Gillian Keegan saying: “Ruth Perry's death was a tragedy and the coroner's findings make clear that lessons need to be learned. That is why I have worked closely with Ruth Perry's sister, former colleagues and friends over the past year. Working together, we have listened to Ofsted and made important changes to our inspections to ensure Ruth’s legacy.”
But Mr Waters said he was “disappointed that the government has chosen to continue with its misleading and harmful one-word judgment”. Whether these judge schools as “outstanding” or “inadequate,” or grades somewhere in between, these blunt verdicts obscure many important details.
“As the coroner pointed out, Ruth was devastated by the impact of those words.
“Parents, teachers, governors and others should be encouraged to grapple with the details of test results rather than getting hung up on a word or two. Simplicity may be convenient for bureaucrats, but children, parents and teachers It goes against the true interests of
