Updating Ofsted Parent View – looking more closely

Over the last few months, we’ve tested new questions with parents, schools and inspectors. We based the new set of questions on what parents want to know and can answer, what inspectors want to know and what schools find useful. Getting this balance right is important.

New questions to support a new focus

The new framework has a new focus. Inspections will look at what pupils learn in a ‘quality of education’ judgement. The curriculum – what pupils learn – must be broad and rich, to offer children real learning rather than practice in passing tests.

We have also added a statement for parents of children with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to agree or disagree with. This reflects the new framework and also responds to calls from parents for a question in this area.

New statements include the following:

• There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school
• My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school
• The school supports my child’s wider personal development
• My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

Whether their children are safe and happy is the main concern of every parent. Questions on these topics remain, as does, ‘Would you recommend this school to another parent?’

On other questions and statements, we’ve made improvements so that they are more readable and simpler to answer.

For example, the current statement on bullying is ‘This school deals effectively with bullying’. Many parents answered ‘don’t know’ either because they felt they couldn’t answer outside their own experience, or because their child had not been bullied. The statement on bullying now reads: ‘My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively’ – with a new answer option: ‘My child has not been bullied’.

What’s happening and when

You can find all the new questions and more information in our updated toolkit for schools. The new questions will be available for parents to answer from September. They will not change during the academic year 2019/20.

Though some questions remain the same, results pre-September 2019 will not be directly comparable with results in the academic year 2019/20.

School results from previous years will still be available on the site, the processes for seeking parent views during inspection remain the same, and schools don’t need to take any action.

More parents fill in the survey during an inspection than outside inspection. For inspections happening in the academic year 2019/20, inspectors will consider previous Ofsted Parent View results as well as post-September 2019.

Looking forward

 Ofsted Parent View is an old site. It’s served our inspection needs reasonably well, but we’re now in the early stages of a project to replace it with a new service that will better meet the needs of parents, inspectors and schools.

We’re exploring ways to make it easier and quicker for parents to give their views during inspections. We’re continuing to look at the questions we ask and how we ask them. We’re also talking to schools about how we could align with their own processes to seek feedback from parents.

We’ll be working closely with schools and parents over the coming year to explore and test our ideas for a new service and will provide updates on this blog and on our social media channels.

In another development, from September 2019, the Learner View and Employer View surveys used on further education and skills inspections will be moving to a new platform called SmartSurvey. We have reviewed the questions in both surveys to make them more relevant to learners, employers and inspectors as well to ensure that they align with the EIF.

Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Ofsted