Education unions have called for Ofsted inspections to be paused following the death of a head teacher who was waiting for a report on her school.
Ruth Perry, who was head of Caversham Primary School in Reading, took her own life while waiting for the publication of a report that downgraded her school from outstanding to inadequate.
The National Education Union, school leaders' union NAHT and the Association of School and College Leaders have called for inspections to be halted.
Ms Perry's family said the 53-year-old had described the inspection in November as the worst day of her life and her sister called on schools to boycott the inspectorate.
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: ‘Ofsted should pause all its inspections and reflect upon the unmanageable and counterproductive stress they cause for school leaders, and the impact on leaders.’
Ms Perry's sister Julia Waters said in a Facebook post: ‘In Ruth's memory and to protect others, I call on headteachers (with the support of teaching unions) to boycott Ofsted until a thorough, independent review has been conducted and changes implemented, refuse Ofsted inspectors entry to their school (or, at least, refuse to comply with inspectors' requests).’
