State-funded schools inspected in the 2026 to 2027 academic year will be able to request an independent review of how Ofsted handled their complaint, under a new pilot confirmed by Andy Burnham's Labour government. The change, announced on Friday, October 16, marks the first time schools will learn whether an inspection complaint outcome was fair and reasonable.
New pilot for complaint reviews
The pilot allows schools that have complained about an inspection to ask for a review of Ofsted's handling of their complaint. For the first time, the review will determine whether the outcome was fair and reasonable, not just whether the complaint process was followed correctly.
The aim of the shake-up, under the Makerfield MP's administration, is to build trust and confidence between schools, school leaders, and Ofsted inspectors. Currently, schools unhappy with how Ofsted has handled a complaint can appeal to the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted (ICASO).
Expanding the scope of oversight
ICASO can determine whether Ofsted handled a complaint properly, but it cannot consider whether the outcome of the complaint was fair and reasonable. Going forward, the new Independent Complaint Reviewer (ICR) will be able to consider the original, unredacted inspection evidence to reach a view on whether Ofsted's complaint response was fair and reasonable.
Speaking out over the change, Sir Martyn Oliver said: "I am confident that our current quality assurance and complaints processes are robust enough to put things right in the vast majority of cases when schools have concerns about an inspection."
Commitment to transparency
Sir Martyn went on: "However, I am fully aware that this confidence is not shared by everyone in the education sector. I hope that by adding a new level of independent oversight to our complaints process we will further increase trust in the system."
Sir Martyn said: "I am committed to openness and transparency in everything Ofsted does, so if the new ICR service finds cases where we have not acted reasonably and fairly, I will be open to the challenge and will take appropriate action." The pilot will run during the 2026 to 2027 academic year, with the ICR able to access unredacted evidence to assess fairness.
