Two prominent academics have called for every work-related suicide to be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive, four months after a headteacher took her own life following an Ofsted inspection.
Ruth Perry died by suicide in January after claiming the inspection by the schools body had placed her under huge mental pressue. She had been waiting for the publication of the inspection, which had downgraded her school from Outstanding to Inadequate.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, Professor Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Professor Sarah Waters from the University of Leeds said there was too little known about similar deaths, adding that there is no certainty as to “how many teachers have killed themselves in circumstances linked to Ofsted inspections”.
They point out that in France, suicides are investigated where there is a possible connection to work. “If there is even a suggestion of a link between suicide and working conditions, the burden of proof falls on the employer to show otherwise,” they say.
Work-related suicide
One in 10 workers think about suicide or self-harm
Former France Telecom managers jailed following staff suicides
Podcast: Creating a culture of mental health wellbeing at work
As well as arguing that Ofsted should “publicly accept it has a duty of care to teachers” and inspectors, they recommend that the HSE investigate any suicide that could be related to work, “in whichever sector they occur”.
The HSE, they say, should “ensure that work-related suicides are subject to the same requirements for reporting and prevention as other occupational deaths”.
In response to the article, Ofsted said: “Our inspectors are all former or current school leaders themselves, so they understand how it feels to be inspected.
“We inspect first and foremost in the interests of children, but we aim for all our inspections to be carried out professionally and sensitively, with careful regard to their impact on school staff.”
Finally, the professors call for an immediate inquiry into work-related stress in the education sector.
Data from the Office for National Statistics on suicide by occupation (based on deaths registered between 2011 and 2015 in England) found that primary and nursery school teachers were at 42% greater risk of suicide than the national average.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: “We welcome this powerful intervention and the calls for the HSE to investigate all suicides linked to work, including in schools, and to launch an inquiry into work-related stress in education.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“The outpouring of grief and anger across the profession following the tragic death of Ruth Perry, has been accompanied by upsetting evidence of other school leaders who have been left in very dark places due to Ofsted inspections. At our recent annual conference, speaker after speaker offered shocking and heart-rending testimony demonstrating that change is absolutely urgent.”
Education sector HR roles on Personnel Today
Browse more HR jobs in education
