Councils hamstrung by funding and policy constraints, Ruth Perry report finds

The report also highlighted a ‘macho culture of high stakes accountability’ which is the ‘root cause’ of so much distress for school leaders.

Ruth Perry took her own life (University of Reading/PA) (PA Media)

A report into the death of headteacher Ruth Perry has found that councils are “effectively hamstrung” in their ability to provide support for school leaders by both “funding and policy constraints”.

The report, commissioned by Reading Borough Council, also highlighted a “macho culture of high stakes accountability” which is the “root cause” of so much distress for school leaders.

Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating, “outstanding”, to its lowest rating, “inadequate”, over safeguarding concerns.

In December, a coroner concluded that the Ofsted inspection on November 15 and 16 in 2022 “contributed” to Mrs Perry’s death.

Following the conclusion, Reading Council commissioned a learning review to help identify areas for further improvement.

However, the report’s authors concluded they would have responded “in the same way, and with the same intention” as the council’s officer did.

“It would have been tempting to require Ruth to refrain from work but she expressed a clear desire for that not to happen,” they said.

The report added that local authorities are “overstretched and underfunded”, and there was “little” that could have been done by Reading Council during the inspection to avoid the judgment.

It added that “policy ambiguity” has meant that local authorities and schools have “exercised latitude” in deciding the degree to which they play an active part in supporting the effectiveness of schools within their area.

“Reading Borough Council has sought to be proactively involved in the support, development and effectiveness of schools in its area,” the report said.

“As such, Reading Borough Council’s system works in accordance with the Government’s policy direction in that schools choose the amount of support and challenge that they wish to buy in from the local authority – but whether that is enough (in policy terms) is a moot point.

“As school budgets have also been pegged in real terms, schools’ collective appetite to pay for the local authority to challenge them may be under pressure, a case of funding ‘what you want rather than what you need’.

“Such a funding dilemma has the potential to further wither the effectiveness of the system overall both nationally and locally.”

The report called for one-word judgments and the forced academisation process as a result of an unfavourable Ofsted outcome to be abolished.

In response, Ruth Perry’s sister Julia Waters hit out at the report, calling it “disappointing” and claiming it “fails consistently” to address the concerns raised by the inquest into her sister’s death.

“The report fails to ask key questions about what Reading Borough Council could have done as her employer to support Ruth better,” she said.

“As a result, it fails to identify the actions that could have been taken by the council which might have helped to prevent her death.”

Ms Waters added that the report’s overall conclusion is “frightening”.

“It effectively highlights how Local Authorities lack the resources, power, authority and processes to look after their employees effectively, when faced with the trauma of a punishing Ofsted inspection,” she said.

“The assertion that Reading Borough Council’s lack of appropriate policies, processes or expertise, far from being an anomaly, is the norm amongst local authorities, has profoundly worrying implications for the wellbeing of headteachers and staff of maintained schools across England.”