SCHOOL leaders’ union NAHT has urged Ofsted to temporarily carry out ungraded inspections.

Today’s recommendation followed the inquest into the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself after Ofsted downgraded her Caversham Primary School to its lowest rating.

In December, a coroner ruled that the inspection “likely contributed” to Perry’s death.

According to a NAHT survey of 1,890 school leaders, only 3 per cent support Ofsted’s continued use of single-word or phrase overarching judgements.

With inspections resuming on Monday next week, the NAHT has called on Ofsted to use a model of interim ungraded inspections where a school’s strengths and weaknesses are instead set out in a short letter.

The union also called for the creation of a mechanism which allows school leaders to halt an inspection where inspectors fail to meet required standards.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “The tragic case of Ruth Perry last year shone a bright light on the desperate need for Ofsted reform.

“It has been immensely frustrating that the concerns of the education profession and the warnings raised by NAHT for so many years have fallen on deaf ears.

He added: “The appointment of a new [Ofsted] chief inspector is timely, not just so that the immediate changes needed to keep school staff safe can be made, but as a moment of significant opportunity: the chance to be bold and to stop and think about how we want school inspection to operate in this country.

“It is time to create a fair, proportionate and humane system of inspection that works for schools, pupils and parents alike.”

Sir Martyn Oliver, the newly appointed chief inspector of Ofsted, announced that the body will address the coroner's report on preventing future deaths by Friday.

Speaking on school inspections by Education Scotland, EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said members described them as “a disempowering experience, which places little trust in teacher professional judgement and frequently fails to get to the heart of a school’s endeavour to serve the needs of its community.

“It is costly in terms of time and resource, yet is of very limited value in supporting accurate meaningful self-evaluation and informing professional practice.

“The use of ungraded models would be a positive step towards creating a more valuable and supportive inspection process for schools and begin to signal the change in culture that is so urgently needed.”