London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 08, 2026

Parents report schools to Ofsted for being superb after being told to complain

Parents report schools to Ofsted for being superb after being told to complain

Ofsted has been inundated with emails since schools were forced to close due to lockdown – but most have been from parents praising the work of teachers.

On Wednesday Education Secretary Gavin Williamson urged parents with concerns about the quality of the remote learning on offer could raise them directly with the watchdog.

But instead it appears people have taken upon themselves to spread some positivity and have only contacted Ofsted with positive comments about schools.

According to Schools Week, more than 5,000 emails were sent in the tail end of last week with most praising the work of teachers in difficult circumstances.

Dad Rob McCann from Lincoln was one of those who felt compelled to write in. Sharing his email on Twitter, he said: ‘I felt I had no choice but to report my children’s school to Ofsted. Feel free to do the same…’

His letter said had had been ‘thoroughly impressed’ with the education that his two sons had been receiving. ‘The teachers are working tirelessly to set home learning and teach key worker children. The communication has been superb and on work submitted, our boys continue to receive superb feedback.’

Another parent who turned the tables on Gavin Williamson’s instructions wrote: ‘I’m writing to let you know that, despite just 12 hours notice and no help with devices, [my son’s] primary school are delivering really good online learning.’

Writing in support of his child’s school, Sim Crowther from Oxfordshire said: ‘It is without doubt that the ridiculously late (yet correct) decision on Monday night to close the schools has put a huge pressure on all of the staff and teachers at the school. However, yet again, this has not phased them in the slightest and they have excelled in providing resources and support for both my child and myself.’


Education Secretary Gavin Williamson ahead of giving his statement in the House of Commons


Milly, 8, takes part in an online school lesson from home as the country started the third lockdown


It’s after the Education Secretary’s comments about referring schools to Ofsted were dismissed as ‘tone deaf’ on Wednesday.

Mr Williamson told parents to raise any concerns they had with teachers and head teachers first but then go to Ofsted directly.

The schools inspectorate was apparently blind-sided by the announcement. The Telegraph reported senior leaders had not been told about their new role before it was announced in the House of Commons.

Teachers criticised the announcement which was made just two days after lockdown had forced all schools to close for the majority of pupils again for the second time in a year.

The Government only unveiled its expectations for online learning on Thursday afternoon. Schools are expected to provide between three and five hours a day and have been told to help ensure all pupils have the right technology in order to get online.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
UK Tax Authority Proposes Broad Changes to Rules Governing Company Distributions
UK Government Moves to Protect Standing Areas Outside Pubs From Local Restrictions
Extreme Right-Wing Referrals Under UK Prevent Programme Rise 42 Percent
EU Citizens in UK Warned That Some Residency Rights May Have Been Granted in Error
Every Monitored Body of Water in England Fails Chemical Purity Standards, Government Data Shows
UK Scientists Create First Artificial Intelligence-Designed Viruses
England Orders Primary Schools to Identify Children at Risk of Becoming Disengaged From Education or Work
Government Moves to Close Prison Release Loophole Amid Concern Over Grooming Gang Offenders
UK Economy Shows Modest Growth Despite Energy Volatility and Global Supply Pressures
Police and Prosecutors Failed to Stop Sex Offender Who Later Murdered Two Women, Review Finds
Millions in England Face Longer Mental Health Waiting Times as NHS Providers Cut Spending
Met Office Warns of Heatwave as Temperatures Across England and Wales Could Reach 36 Degrees Celsius
HMRC’s 2029 Tax Shift Could Overlap Old and New Self-Assessment Bills
Thetford Disorder Prompts Expanded Police Powers Amid Asylum-Housing Protests
Cambridge Faces Calls for Independent Review of Jason Arday Appointment
Scotland’s ‘Cock of the North’ Woodland Is Being Felled After Wind Damage
Reform UK and Greens Unite Against Vast Solar Plans for Kent Marshland
New Zealand Draws Wealthy Americans With Revamped Investor Visa
Senate Panel Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt After Fifth Amendment Testimony
Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Resigns as University Opens Inquiry Into His Credentials
Manchester Power Failure Disrupts Trains Across North West Into Friday
UK Fashion and Tourism Sectors Prepare for Strong Summer and Autumn Activity
London Residents Seek Appeal Against Approval for Chinese Super-Embassy Development
UK Environment Officials Issue Biosecurity Alert Over Rising Bluetongue Cases in Livestock
UK Charity Regulator Opens Investigations Into Donations Linked to Israeli Settlements
Gatwick Expansion and Chinese Embassy Plans Highlight Growing UK Infrastructure Disputes
UK Agriculture Authorities Warn of Rising Bluetongue Virus Cases Among Sheep Farms
×