Death of Ruth Perry
Ruth Perry was a British head teacher who led Caversham Primary School in Reading, England for 13 years. She died by suicide on 8 January 2023 while waiting for an Ofsted report that downgraded her school from outstanding to inadequate.
Ofsted is the government body that inspects state-funded schools in England. Caversham Primary School was inspected on 15 and 16 November 2022. This was the first Ofsted visit in 13 years because a 2021 policy had meant outstanding schools were not routinely inspected; the policy changed, and CPS was due for a check.
A private memorial service was held at Reading Town Hall. An inquest, led by Senior Coroner Heidi Connor, concluded on 12 December 2023 that Perry’s death was a result of suicide contributed to by the Ofsted inspection.
Teaching and leadership unions called for a pause to inspections and for reform of the system. An independent review by Dame Christine Gilbert said Ofsted was defensive and complacent in its response. Calls for reform intensified before the 2024 general election.
On 2 September 2024, the Labour government announced changes: single- or two-word overall judgments would end, and a new scorecard system would be introduced by 2025.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 01:41 (CET).