School Communication Evidence
for Ofsted

How Ofsted considers parent communication

Under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF), Ofsted does not inspect parent communication as a standalone judgement — but communication quality influences several areas that inspectors do assess directly. Inspectors form a picture of parent engagement through three main sources:

• Parent View: The online survey parents can complete before and during inspections. Questions include whether parents feel the school communicates well and whether parents would recommend the school
• Free-text Parent View comments: Parents leave written observations that inspectors read as part of their evidence gathering
• Stakeholder conversations: Inspectors speak with parents at the gate and may conduct focus groups — parents who have recently interacted with the school's communication are more likely to engage positively

Schools with poor communication practices tend to see it reflected in Parent View scores and in stakeholder conversations. Strong communication — timely, relevant, multi-channel, and evidenced — contributes positively across the inspection framework.

What "good" parent communication looks like to inspectors

Inspectors do not prescribe specific communication methods, but the evidence base they look for points to certain characteristics:

1. Timeliness: Is information reaching parents when they need it? Are absence alerts, appointment reminders, and urgent communications sent promptly?
2. Reach: Is the school making reasonable efforts to reach all parents, including those without email access or those who are disengaged?
3. Relevance: Is communication targeted appropriately — SEND updates to relevant parents, year group information to the relevant year group, whole-school announcements to everyone?
4. Safeguarding evidence: Can the school demonstrate a record of communication for safeguarding-relevant contacts — that parents were notified, when, and through what channel?
5. Transparency: Do parents feel informed about the school's vision, curriculum intent, and expectations?

Evidence MySchoolUpdate generates for inspection readiness

Parent View — how communication affects your scores

Parent View asks parents directly whether the school communicates well ("The school keeps me informed about my child's progress") and whether they would recommend the school. These questions are directly influenced by the quality and consistency of communication parents receive.

Schools using MySchoolUpdate typically see improvements in Parent View communication-related questions after 6–12 months of active use, as parents become accustomed to receiving timely, relevant push notifications alongside email and SMS. Consistent proactive communication — not just reactive messages — is associated with higher Parent View scores across both communication and overall recommendation questions.

Safeguarding communication — why audit trails matter

Safeguarding is one area where communication audit trails carry the most weight. If a safeguarding concern involved a parent who was (or was not) contacted, inspectors may ask to see evidence of that communication. A message sent but not logged provides no protection. MySchoolUpdate's delivery logs provide timestamped records of every message sent and the channel it was delivered through — email read, push notification delivered, SMS sent. This is part of the accountability framework inspectors expect schools to maintain.