Trust and transparency: rebuilding Ofsted's relationship with parents and carers

Following Ofsted’s response to the Big Listen and the Department for Education’s decision to scrap single-word judgements, it is clear that learning lessons and restoring public trust is a key priority for Ofsted. Whilst much of the conversation has centred around the views of professionals working in the settings that Ofsted inspects, it is also important to address the concerns of parents and carers. 

The Big Listen was a listening exercise commissioned by Ofsted to hear the views and experiences of key groups, including providers and professionals, and the public. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) led the strand of research with parents and carers who had children attending either early years, schools or further education and skills providers, to understand their unique experiences and perceptions of Ofsted. Trust in the organisation was a key topic we explored in surveys and focus groups. This blog post discusses some of the key findings in relation to trust.

Defining trust

Trust in Ofsted was mixed; though almost half of parents agreed that Ofsted could be trusted, a considerable proportion (26%) disagreed, a view which was more prevalent for those who said they knew ‘a lot’ about Ofsted. These findings come from our survey of parents and carers with children attending the different types of providers that Ofsted inspects. 

To understand what trust means to parents, we looked at how views about trust related to other perceptions of Ofsted. Those who agreed that Ofsted acts in the best interests of children, or that Ofsted helps improve standards of education, were more likely to trust Ofsted. Findings from the Office for National Statistics’ 2023 Trust in Government Survey similarly showed that the government carrying out tasks competently was a key factor in their trust in government. This suggests that trust in public institutions is tied to perceptions of competency to achieve intended outcomes. 

What leads to (dis)trust?

Other research has indicated declining trust in public institutions over time. Findings from the recently published 41st British Social Attitudes report show trust in government is as low as it has ever been — 45% said they almost never trust the government to put the nation’s interests first. Changing perceptions of government may extend to non-ministerial departments like Ofsted, particularly as focus group discussions with parents showed they sometimes conflated the separate roles of Ofsted and the Department for Education. 

While wider perceptions may play a part, our research suggests that for parents and carers, trust is influenced by more direct views about, and experiences of, the way that Ofsted carries out inspections and reports on the findings. Indeed, personal experience was the most common reason given by those who said they distrusted Ofsted. Although parents reported using single-word judgements and reports to inform decisions about which education providers to choose, they told us that these did not always match their own impression of the providers their children attended. Parents also felt their feedback was not considered enough by Ofsted, with the survey showing that almost a third thought parents’ views were not considered at all. Parents saw their feedback as an important part of the inspection process but those we spoke to felt their views did not feature prominently enough in inspection reports. These concerns impacted perceptions of the accuracy of reports, which ultimately impacted their trust in Ofsted to provide the reliable information they need to make the best decisions for their children.

What does this mean for Ofsted?

 Despite mixed data on parents’ trust in Ofsted, our research shows that there are tangible changes Ofsted could make that could help strengthen public trust. Greater transparency about how inspection report findings are determined and continuing efforts to listen to parents’ views will be essential for reestablishing Ofsted as an organisation that is seen to be trustworthy. The decision to move away from a single overall effectiveness grade shows a positive commitment to listen to the concerns of professionals, parents and the public and will go some way to begin a new phase of Ofsted’s relationship with the people it serves. 

Note on methodology: 

The parent/carer survey achieved a sample of 4,349 responses. Parents and carers who completed the survey were recruited via providers attended by their child/children. Due to the sampling approach, the results cannot be generalised to the total population of parents and carers in England. We conducted seven focus groups with a total of 42 parents and carers: early years (x2 groups); schools (x2); further education and skills; SEND in mainstream schools or colleges, and SEND in specialist schools or colleges. Focus group participants were selected from survey respondents who gave consent to be recontacted. We also carried out a survey of the general public. For the full methodology and findings, download the report here.