However, they will be limited to answering a closed number of 12 questions, marking their responses from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’ and be unable to leave any general comments.
Ofsted said that the questions were carefully chosen with input from a panel of parents to cover the questions that parents said were the most important to them.
Anyone will be able to view the questions, which will cover all state-funded primary and secondary schools in England, including academies and free schools.
In response to concerns from schools and the parents’ panels about the security of the website, parents will need to register with a password but all responses will be anonymous.
Although technically there is nothing to stop someone who does not have a child at a particular school from giving their views, parents will have to confirm that their child attends the school that they are giving their views on.
Ofsted said that the system also included security measures to flag up any deliberate misuse of the site, such as the monitoring of IP addresses.
If a parent fills in the questionnaire more than once for any school using the same email address, the previous entry will be over-written. Parent View is designed so that there will only ever be one questionnaire from each email address for a specific school in that academic year.
Head teachers will also be able to report concerns to Ofsted if they feel that Parent View has been misused.
The questionnaire itself cannot trigger an inspection, but Ofsted said that the responses would help them to decide, for example, whether an outstanding school’s performance had declined and whether to inspect it. It will also give head teachers a direct way to gather the views of children’s parents.
The results for each school will be published in real time and then saved at the end of each school year, so that the school has a continuous picture of parents’ views.
Launching Parent View, Baroness Sally Morgan, Ofsted chair, said, ‘Parents know how valuable the insight of other mums and dads can be when making choices about schools. Parent View will provide a comprehensive national platform for gathering this information. Parent View will also give parents and carers in England the opportunity to make their voice heard when it comes to the performance of their child’s school. What parents tell us through these questionnaires will be considered when making decisions about when a school should be inspected.
‘While parents’ views alone cannot trigger an inspection, they will provide a vital piece of the jigsaw. I hope everyone with an interest in education will welcome this innovation and that parents around the country will use Parent View to make their views count.’
She added, ‘We have had to strike a balance in making sure that the site is accessible and easy for parents to use, and ensuring that any abuse is limited and can be spotted. We have listened to parents in coming up with what I think is a sensible starting point which will enable us to keep this issue under review as parents start using the site.’
The Parent View Questionnaire
- Parents will be asked whether they ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘disagree’, ‘strongly disagree’, or ‘don’t know’ with the following 12 statements:
- My child is happy at this school
- My child feels safe at this school
- My child makes good progress at this school
- My child is well looked after at this school
- My child is taught well at this school
- My child receives appropriate homework for their age
- This school ensures the pupils are well behaved
- This school deals effectively with bullying
- This school is well led and managed
- This school responds well to any concern I raise
- I receive valuable information from the school about my child’s progress
- I would recommend this school to another parent
