Ofsted inspections won’t resume for “a couple of weeks” to allow the inspectorate to respond to the findings of the inquest into the death of primary headteacher Ruth Perry, the new chief inspector has said.
In numerous interviews to mark his first day in the post today (Tues, Jan 2), Martyn Oliver said routine inspections would be suspended to allow Ofsted to respond to a coroner’s ruling that an inspection contributed to her taking her own life, he said.
The coroner’s report added that there was a “risk of future deaths if there is only lip service paid to learning from tragedies like this”.
Before Christmas, former Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman came under fire for a perceived failure to respond to the ruling, although lead inspectors were given emergency training in how to deal with school leaders’ anxiety during inspections.
Mr Oliver, the former CEO of the 41-school Outwood Grange Academies Trust, will oversee more training for inspectors on dealing with anxious headteachers.
Schools Week reported he has promised the sector a “fresh start”, with more “empathetic” inspections and a “less defensive” inspectorate that is more “of the system”.
He also wants to make it easier for serving heads to work as inspectors.
He said: “From January, it’s about having a fresh start and really focusing and doubling down on having professional, courteous, respectful, empathetic inspections.”
Oliver will run a “big listen” to get the sector’s views on change. “Part of the thing that the system fears with a new chief inspector is that it’s just going to be their ideas imposed on the system, which I’m not going to do,” he said.