Sister of Ruth Perry urges teachers thinking of suicide to seek help

Prof Julia Waters gives emotional speech at NEU conference and shares video of her late sister addressing pupils

The sister of Ruth Perry, the headteacher who killed herself after an Ofsted inspection, has appealed to any teachers or school leaders considering suicide to think again, describing it as “a terrible, wrong-headed option”.

In an emotional address to delegates attending the annual conference of the National Education Union in Bournemouth on Friday, Prof Julia Waters appealed directly to teachers and headteachers who may be struggling, urging them to seek help.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.