Following the publication by Heidi Connor, the Berkshire Coroner, of her Regulation 28 Prevention of Future Deaths report, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"In her report, the Coroner makes it clear that to avoid the risk of further deaths, Ofsted must change its practice. She is right to say that teacher welfare is not given the priority it deserves and shockingly accurate in her comment that there is an almost complete absence of Ofsted training in this area. She is right, too, that, in the absence of a systematic learning review, Ofsted is not well placed to understand the lessons of this tragedy. Even after the Coroner’s verdict that Ofsted’s conduct had contributed to the death of Ruth Perry, we continue to hear reports of aggressive and intimidatory behaviour by inspectors.
"The NEU believes that until the changes identified as essential by the Coroner are made, Ofsted must pause its inspections of schools. The pause should be seen as the beginning of a process of reflection, consultation and transformative change. Cosmetic modifications to a system that is deeply flawed will not be enough."