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‘A snarling rottweiler of toxic government policy’
Teachers demand end to Ofsted inspections after tragic suicide
A photograph of Ruth Perry attached to the fence outside John Rankin Schools in Newbury, Berkshire. Ruth killed herself in January while waiting for an Ofsted report which gave her school the lowest possible rating. Picture date: Tuesday March 21, 2023.
THE country’s biggest teaching union pledged to bring down Ofsted today after members slammed England’s under-pressure schools’ inspectorate for being the “snarling rottweiler of toxic government policy.”
After the suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry in January, which her family said was the “direct result of inspection pressure,” the National Education Union (NEU) stepped up its calls for Ofsted to be abolished.
Delegates at the union’s annual conference in Harrogate unanimously backed an urgent motion from the NEU’s executive which demanded a more “supportive, effective and fair” approach to the vital work of maintaining school standards.
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The NEU’s annual conference promises heated debate, with motions on international politics, curriculum reform and union amalgamation likely to provoke strong reactions and challenge the status quo, writes Education for Tomorrow editor ROBERT POOLE
