Recommendation 32

We have received substantial evidence suggesting that Ofsted’s complaints process is not seen to be working and amounts to Ofsted “marking their own homework”. The changes announced in Ofsted’s consultation on the process are welcome, and we particularly welcome the introduction of a telephone number which schools can call to raise concerns during an inspection, but these do not go far enough to address these concerns. In particular, there is tangible frustration that the role of the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted (ICASO) is limited to looking at how Ofsted has handled the complaint, rather than managing the complaint itself, which has not been addressed in the consultation. (Paragraph 108) Ofsted’s work with schools 53