Education Sec agrees to meet with MP following death of Ruth Perry

By JAKE CLOTHIER jclothier@rdg.today

READING East MP Matt Rodda has invited the education secretary to talks as Ofsted continues to come under fire following the death of Ruth Perry.

Ms Perry took her own life shortly after an Ofsted inspection at Caversham Primary School, of which she was head teacher.

Staff at the school were informed that the school’s rating would drop from “Outstanding” to “Inadequate” earlier this year.

Mr Rodda addressed parliament on Monday, April 17, to pay tribute to Ms Perry and to request that the education secretary, Gillian Keegan MP, enter talks with him, Ruth’s family, and teachers.

In a statement, Mr Rodda said: “I pay tribute to my constituent Ruth Perry, the former headteacher of Caversham Primary School –she was a much-loved member of our local community.

“Will the Secretary of State

CALL FOR ACTION: Matt Rodda, MP for Reading East, spoke in parliament to invite education secretary Gillian Keegan MP to talks following Ruth Perry’s death. Picture: The Houses of Parliament family to discuss this important issue?”

Ms Keegan said: “I thank the honourable gentleman for his question, and of course I would be happy to meet.

“This is a tragic case, and I send my heartfelt sympathies of Ofsted, including from Mr Rodda, who said last month that Ofsted had “serious questions to answer.”

Despite growing concerns about the educational standards organisation, Ms Keegan has defended their practises and issue, but said that the singleword assessments were “simple to understand” and ultimately made them clearer for parents. It also comes just weeks after residents in Reading showed solidarity with educators and paid their respects to Ruth Perry

Historic offices could be flats

THE owner of an office space in London Street has applied to convert the upper floor into six self-contained flats.

to Christchurch Meadows, where a number of contributors gave spoken tributes to Ruth.

Organiser James Denny said at the event: “While I didn’t know Ruth personally, I’m familiar with her legacy, and I know how much this means.

“This is about all of you and your chance to say thank you to Ruth, and to stand in solidarity.”

Attendees took part in a minute’s silence, and then two young pupils at the school were invited to speak.

An Ofsted spokesman said that inspectors are: “all former or current school leaders” who “fully understand the pressures of the role.”

They explained: “We always want inspections to be constructive and collaborative, and in the vast majority of cases school leaders agree that they are.”

Ms Perry’s family said that she had taken her own life just weeks after an Ofsted inspection, and just days before the school was expected to drop from an “outstanding” rating down to an “inadequate” rating.

Ms Perry’s sister, Julia Waters,

The ground floor, currently occupied by victim support charity The Mustard Foundation will be retained as offices.

The owner’s planning agents have submitted a heritage statement with the applications as 90 London Street is Grade II listed. The building, which previously served as a house, dates back to the mid-1700s. For more details, log on to Reading Borough Council’s planning portal and search for applications 230310 and 230311.

Martin’s RBH sing

READING Railway Pub will host a charity event on Saturday, April 29, featuring Martin and guest singer Janey M. The event, Martin Sings Through the Decades, will raise funds for Royal Berks Charity, which supports the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Tickets are £5 and the event will start at 8pm and end at 11pm.

The venue is located at

SIGNING: The store on Broad Street will welcome AF Steadman, the author behind the acclaimed fantasy novel Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, for a book signing.

Picture: Google, via Google Maps.