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A principal of a school which was due to have been downgraded from outstanding to inadequate by Ofsted took her own life while waiting for the final report. Ruth Perry, who was the head teacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading since 2010 died in January, her family say. Her sister has since spoken out about the “unfair” system, branding the conclusions as “sensationalist”.

Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, claimed Ofsted’s conclusions were “drawn from scant evidence”, such as gaps in record-keeping and typical child behaviour.

Writing in a statement, she said: “In our opinion, the findings of Ofsted were disproportionate, unfair and, as has tragically been proven, deeply harmful in their (implied) focus on one individual.”

Professor Waters added that the family was in “no doubt that Ruth’s death was a direct result of the pressure put on her by the process and outcome of an Ofsted inspection at her school”.

She also said her sister took her own life “under intolerable pressure from external scrutiny”.

However, the professor added that she did not believe that Ofsted inspectors intended to cause harm, and instead blamed the “fatally flawed system”.

“Our only hope is that Ruth’s sudden, appalling death will be the last to occur as a result of the intolerable pressures caused by the Ofsted system,” she added.

She described her sister as a kind and “highly regarded” headteacher who taught for over three decades.

“Whatever happens now, those who knew and loved Ruth will be poorer for her absence for the rest of our lives,” she said.

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A petition calling for an inquiry into the inspection of Caversham Primary School has more than 66,000 signatures.

It is claimed that the inspectors had decided to downgrade it after the first day of the two-day inspection, as well as making unfounded claims about the alleged sexualisation of children at the school.

Ms Perry took her own life on January 8 this year, just over two months before the report was released, sparking an outpouring of grief from family, friends, colleagues, and the school’s community.

The inspection was the primary’s first in 13 years. This came after rules exempting outstanding schools from being looked at in-depth by Ofsted were scrapped.

The Department for Education said in a statement to the Daily Mail: “Inspections are hugely important as they hold schools to account for their educational standards and parents greatly rely on the ratings to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child.

‘We offer our deep condolences to the family and friends of Ruth Perry following her tragic death and are continuing to provide support to Caversham Primary School at this difficult time.”

Matthew Purves, Ofsted’s chief for the southeast, added: “We were deeply saddened by Ruth Perry’s tragic death. Our thoughts remain with Mrs Perry’s family, friends and everyone in the Caversham Primary School community.”

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