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Press release: Majority of parents are satisfied with the schools their children attend

‘Loyalty’ factor means satisfaction with primaries exceeds satisfaction with secondaries

Most parents are very satisfied with the schools their children attend and schools have improved their links with parents in recent years, according to a new report published today by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

Today’s report, Parents’ satisfaction with schools, found that parent satisfaction was excellent, very good or good in 88% of primary schools, 77% of secondary schools and 92% of special schools inspected between September 2003 and the first week of July 2005.

The report found that there has been an improvement in parents’ links with schools in recent years, particularly in primary schools. The proportion of primary schools where this feature is good or better has risen from 61% in 1996/7 to 84% in 2004/05. In secondary schools, it has risen from 60% to 69% over the same period.

Ofsted’s Director of Education, Miriam Rosen, said:

"It is important to celebrate the very good work going on in schools across England and I am delighted that today’s report shows that the efforts of headteachers, teachers and governors are being recognised by parents who, overall, are very satisfied with their children’s schools.

"Parents recognise effective schools and appreciate the links that schools have established with them in recent years. Schools that are good at consulting parents, telling them about the progress of their children and listening to their concerns, have highly satisfied parents."

Unsurprisingly, the satisfaction of parents with their child’s school depends on how effective the school is and how well pupils achieve. The ethos of a school, the quality of leadership and management, the behaviour of pupils, the welfare of pupils and the handling of issues such as bullying and harassment also strongly influence parent satisfaction.

However, the report finds that there is a greater sense of parental loyalty to primary schools compared with secondary schools which means that parents of children in primary schools can be satisfied even when school effectiveness and pupil achievement are less than good. In addition, parents of children in primary schools are more forgiving of weak leadership and management and more tolerant of weak teaching than parents of children in secondary schools.

The dissatisfaction of parents is therefore judged to be most pronounced in secondary schools where achievement is unsatisfactory or poor. The report suggests that this could reflect a more intense focus by parents on educational outcomes at the secondary stage, or beliefs that broader aspects of education, such as social development, are more important at the primary stage.

Notes For Editors

1. Parents’ satisfaction with schools is available on the website.

2. The report draws predominantly on evidence from 6,958 inspections conducted between September 2003 and the first week of July 2005. Parents complete an Ofsted questionnaire prior to their child’s school being inspected. Inspectors also talk to parents as part of the inspection process.

3. Today’s report complements Pupils’ satisfaction with their school, which was published by Ofsted in July 2005.

4. Ofsted is a non-ministerial government department established under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 to take responsibility for the inspection of all schools in England. Its role also includes the inspection of further education, local authority children’s services, teacher training institutions and some independent schools. During 2001, Ofsted became responsible for inspecting all 16-19 education and for the regulation of early years childcare, including childminders.

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