Ofsted restarts school inspections after two-week pause to give lead inspectors mental health awareness training in wake of head teacher Ruth Perry's suicide

Ofsted school inspections restart today after a two-week pause was given to lead inspectors for mental health awareness training. The training was ordered in the wake of head teacher Ruth Perry's suicide, after a coroner ruled last month that an inspection had 'contributed' to her death. Mrs Perry took her own life in January 2023 after an Ofsted report downgraded the school she led for more than a decade, Caversham Primary in Reading, from the highest grade to the lowest. The training was ordered in the wake of head teacher Ruth Perry's suicide, after a coroner ruled last month that an inspection had contributed to her death Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted's new chief inspector, said 'such tragedies should never happen again Ms Perry took her own life last January after an Ofsted report downgraded the school she led for more than a decade, Caversham Primary in Reading, from the highest grade to the lowest Heidi Connor, the senior coroner at Ms Perry's inquest, issued 'prevention of future deaths notice' to Ofsted which listed a series of issues for it to address, leading unions to call for all school inspections to be halted. An inquest had ruled that Ms Perry took her own life after the watchdog downgraded her primary school from 'outstanding' to 'inadequate' Julia Waters, sister of Ruth Perry, with other family members speaking in Reading Town Hall at the end of the inquest for the headteacher Teachers at Oasis Academy, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, went on strike in November over intolerable pupil behaviour including threats of sexual violence against female staff Asked about Ofsted's response, Sir Martyn added: 'I don't think it went far enough, and I'm quite clear on that.