Committee publication · Correspondence · 23 June 2026
Letter from Julia Waters on Education Committee Ofsted accountability session dated 17.06.26
From: Education Committee
Inquiry: The work of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted)
Summary
Julia Waters, on behalf of Helen Hayes, submits suggested questions for Ofsted's Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver ahead of an Education Committee accountability hearing on 23 June 2026. The letter raises serious concerns about headteacher mental health and suicide risk following Ofsted inspections, the conduct of inspectors at Caversham Primary School (linked to headteacher Ruth Perry's death in January 2023), and whether Ofsted has genuinely implemented recommendations from the Coroner's Report to Prevent Future Deaths.
Key findings
- At least 10 headteachers have experienced acute distress or suicidal ideation as a result of Ofsted inspections under the new framework introduced in November 2025, contradicting Martyn Oliver's stated objective that 'no one should feel as Ruth did'.
- Schools inspected in November 2025 waited at least as long or longer for report publication than schools under the previous framework—none received final reports before January 2026—meaning the Coroner's concern about timescales has not been addressed; the commitment changed from publication within 30 days of inspection to 30 days after factual accuracy check.
- Ofsted commissioned a wellbeing impact assessment by Sinéad McBrearty after the new framework was already devised, consulted on and announced, which explicitly recommended halting the roll-out and beginning again in collaboration with the sector.
- The Coroner found the lead inspector's conduct at Caversham Primary School to be 'rude and intimidating', 'mocking and unpleasant', and 'lacking fairness, respect and sensitivity', but Martyn Oliver previously stated there was 'no suggestion that they did a bad job or did anything wrong whatsoever'.
- Ofsted has not conducted a learning review into the inspection and framework aspects that contributed to Ruth Perry's death; instead it commissioned a review of Ofsted's response to her death, which the Coroner questioned in June 2024.
Tone
AdversarialTopics
Key actors
Julia Waters, Helen Hayes, Sir Martyn Oliver, Ruth Perry, Sinéad McBrearty, Ofsted, Education Support, NAHT
Notable line
“We know of at lea st 10 headteachers experiencing acute distress or suicidal ideation as a result of Ofsted inspections conducted under the new framework.”
Key Quotes
“Such tragedies should never happen again, and no one should feel as Ruth did.”
“… rude and intimidating', 'mocking and unpleasant', 'lacking fairness, respect and sensitivity”
“… there is no suggestion that they [the inspectors] did a bad job or did anything wrong whatsoever.”
“'we will be meeting the commitment we made in the PFD response (publishing reports no later than 30 days after the factual accuracy check .)' Under the previous …”
“'there was a loud and clear call for Ofs ted to halt the roll-out of the current framework and to begin again in collaboration with the sector.'”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗