Caversham Primary School in Berkshire, which experienced the tragic loss of its head teacher, Ruth Perry, earlier this year, has been rated as “good” in a new inspection conducted by Ofsted. The positive assessment comes after the school received a critical report that downgraded its previous “outstanding” rating to “inadequate,” a development that deeply affected Ms Perry. Following her untimely death, the incident sparked widespread outrage and raised concerns about the inspection system.
Ofsted, the education watchdog responsible for school inspections in England, has defended its one-word grading system, emphasising that it will not be abolished. In their latest report, the inspectors acknowledged that Caversham Primary School had swiftly and effectively addressed previous weaknesses identified in the initial inspection.
During the November 2022 inspection, concerns were raised about leadership and management, resulting in the school being rated as inadequate. Ms Perry’s family expressed that the inspection process had caused her significant distress.
However, following the tragic event, the school underwent a re-inspection in June. In the report published on Friday, Ofsted stated that the school sought valuable advice from external sources immediately after the previous inspection. This external input aided the school’s leadership in fully understanding the extent of weaknesses in safeguarding arrangements and prioritising the necessary actions.
Ofsted’s latest report recognised the school’s commitment to addressing previous concerns swiftly and thoroughly, leading to significant improvements. While acknowledging the tragic circumstances surrounding the inspection process, the report focused on the positive outcomes achieved by the school in a relatively short period.
