A review into teaching and learning in Reading has been published after it was commissioned following the death of a headteacher of a school in the town.

Ruth Perry, the headteacher of Caversham Primary School, took her own life in January last year after an Ofsted inspection rated the school was 'Inadequate'.

Following her death, an inquest which concluded the 'Inadequate' judgement contributed to her taking her life. As a result Reading Borough Council commissioned a review into learning in the town.

The review has now been published recommending that one-word judgements be abolished.

It states that the 'Inadequate' judgment led to a decline in Ruth's wellbeing, as such judgements result in schools being turned into academies which can lead to personnel changes.

The review states: "[The current Ofsted regime] is a system of high stakes accountability for schools and school leaders, with Ofsted reports being published highlighting areas of failure and no guarantees that headteachers will remain employed by the academy trust taking over the management of the school."

READ MORE: Mum gets £17k payout after her child misses out on a year of education support

It also calls for one-word judgements to be abolished, declaring it 'spurious' that such judgements can adequately describe the quality of a school to parents and communities.

Furthermore, the authors of the review argue that they should not be replaced by formulaic phrases, arguing that 'each school is unique' and that Ofsted Inspectors 'should be freer to use broader descriptions'.

The review was conducted by Steve Crocker and Brian Pope, both senior officers at Hampshire County Council, with its findings being discussed at a meeting of the council's adult social care, children's services and education committee on Monday, July 22.

READ MORE: The amount of adult social services complaints Reading Borough Council received in a year

Children's services in Reading are run by the independent company Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) after the council's children's services were rated Inadequate in 2018.

The council has acknowledged that Ruth’s loss continues to be felt deeply by the Reading school community.

The council and BFfC have already taken steps to better understand and respond to the pressures on headteachers and the impact on their wellbeing.

That includes having a 'critical incident policy' to support teaching staff during difficult incidents such as Inadequate ratings.

The discussion into the review comes as BFfC sent its response to Ofsted's Big Listen on May 31, which also argued that one-word judgements to be abolished.

The publication of the review on Friday, July 12 comes on the same day that Ofsted published an inspection report into BFfC's children's services.

That report states BFfC requires improvement in its overall effectiveness, impact of leaders on social work practice, and the experiences of BFfC was judged as 'good' for the experiences and progress of children in care and those leaving care when reaching adulthood.