Former Ofsted Chief Sir Chris Woodhead Dies

The former chief inspector of schools, Sir Chris Woodhead, has died at the age of 68, friends have said.

Sir Chris, one of the most controversial figures of the British education establishment, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2006.

He was head of the schools inspectorate Ofsted for six years, until 2000, and his tenure was characterised by his no-nonsense approach and disdain for "progressive education methods".

They earned him a number of fierce clashes with teaching unions - he once claimed there were "15,000 incompetent teachers" in the education system.

He resigned in 2000 after a number of confrontations with the then Education Secretary David Blunkett.

Sir Chris went on to become a professor of education at Buckingham University and chairman of the independent school chain Cognita in 2004. He also wrote books, and columns for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times, on education.

However, he continued to stir controversy. In 2009 he said Ofsted was a "waste of public money" and had become part of the problem with the education system.

More recently Sir Chris, who had been a keen runner and rock climber, has spoken out in favour of changing right-to-die legislation.

In a moving interview with Sky News last year he appealed to be allowed to die with dignity and told how he might be forced to starve himself to death if the law was not changed.

He told Dermot Murnaghan: "I think it would be far better if I could have my death assisted in a peaceful and dignified way so that my suffering wasn't prolonged, and the suffering of those nearest and dearest to me wasn't prolonged as they had to witness the slowness of my extinction."

Sir Chris, who was knighted in 2011, had previously ruled out travelling to an assisted suicide clinic such as Dignitas in Switzerland, saying: "The truth is, I would be more likely to drive myself in a wheelchair off a cliff in Cornwall than go to Dignitas and speak to a bearded social worker."

Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to Sir Chris on Twitter. He said: "Chris Woodhead started a crucial debate on school standards and reform. Meetings with him were never dull. My thoughts are with his family."

Mr Blunkett said: "Despite the fact that Chris Woodhead and I had our disagreements, I believe his contribution to the debate on a dramatic improvement in the standard and consistency of education provision across the country, was profound."

Sarah Wootton, the chief executive of the campaign group Dignity in Dying, said Sir Chris, who had also been diagnosed with liver cancer, had been preparing to fight for a change in the law.

She said: "In our last conversation two weeks ago Sir Chris was looking forward to the upcoming debate in the Commons and was ready to fight for a change in the law if in his own words he 'survived' a further operation, showing his willingness to confront the stark reality of his situation. Unfortunately this was not to be the case and our condolences go out to his wife Christine, family and friends."

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "I am saddened to hear about the tragic death of Chris Woodhead, who was an immense figure in the world of education.

"His determination to ensure that every child had the best education possible raised aspirations and changed lives. He was someone unafraid to speak his mind or challenge established orthodoxies and our education system is the better for it."

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the school union NAHT said: "Without doubt, Sir Chris was a significant force in education for many years."