Complaining to Ofsted
The kinds of complaints Ofsted can respond to include:
- the school is not providing a good enough education
- the pupils are not achieving as much as they should, or their needs are not being met
- the school is not well led and managed, or is not using its resources efficiently
- the pupils' personal development and well-being are being neglected
Ofsted is keen to hear from parents about their children's education and will clearly explain what can be done in response to complaints. Usually Ofsted suggests that parents use the school's and (if appropriate) local authority's complaints procedure first, and may refer parents to other points of contact or relevant advisory services. Staff at Ofsted's helpdesk are available to advise parents whether their complaints should be put in writing.
When considering a complaint from a parent about a school, Ofsted can require the school or local authority to provide information or require the school to arrange for a meeting of parents to seek their views. Ofsted can also record parents' concerns for consideration during the school's next inspection. Where a complaint is very serious an immediate inspection of the school can be arranged by Ofsted.
Ofsted will exercise discretion in using these powers. While seeking to improve the service provided for parents, Ofsted do not wish to undermine confidence in the work of schools and will not, for example, respond to complaints which are malicious. Nor will Ofsted mediate between a parent and a school. Ofsted's new powers do not include investigating complaints about:
- admissions policy
- exclusions of individual pupils
- provision for individual pupils with special educational needs
- religious education or the religious character of a school
- an independent school or post-16 provider
- temporary alterations to the curriculum
You can find out more about when and how to complain to Ofsted, the type of complaints that can be considered and the action parents can expect Ofsted to take in response to a complaint by:
Reading Ofsted's 
'Guidance
for Parents'
- download (.doc)
394.00KB
(help)
leaflet
or
Visiting
www.ofsted.gov.uk
[External Site]
- you can fiond the 'How to complain' link at the bottom of the
homepage
or
emailing: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
or
Contacting the Ofsted helpdesk on 08456 40 40 45
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