LONDON — An overwhelming majority of parents (87 percent) in the United Kingdom think that their child's school has handled the pandemic well, according to findings of a survey. The annual Parents Survey for 2021 was conducted by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted, which is a non-ministerial department of the UK government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted is responsible for inspecting a range of educational institutions, including state schools and some independent schools. This year's survey, which was conducted developed in conjunction with YouGov conducted online between March 9-26, 2021, asked a set of questions about the impact of COVID-19. The total number of respondents was 1,018, including 916 parents with a school-aged child and 102 with a pre-school-aged child attending childcare. The survey also found that 7 in 10 parents had received guidance or training from their child's school to help support remote education at home. However, around two-thirds of parents reported that they were worried about their child's learning loss and their mental health, while nearly half were concerned over their children's physical health. Over 1,000 parents with children at preschool, school and colleges in England participated in this year's online survey. This is the sixth year the research has been conducted and it continues to provide important evidence to inform the development of Ofsted's priorities. Commenting on the findings of the survey, Ofsted's chief inspector Amanda Spielman said: "This survey highlights just how much parents appreciate the huge effort and creativity schools have shown to help them educate their children at home." "Of course, there was only so much children were able to learn while schools were closed for lockdown, so it's not surprising that so many parents are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their child's education, as well as their mental and physical wellbeing. Our visits and inspections have also reflected these concerns," she added. Among other findings, of those parents who had read an Ofsted inspection report, over 8 in 10 said they found the report useful, while the same number said they felt the report portrayed an accurate picture of the school or childcare provider. The survey also reports that 7 out of 10 parents agree that Ofsted is a valuable source of information about education. Likewise, two-thirds of parents agree that Ofsted's work helps to improve standards of education. These results have remained relatively unchanged over the last 5 years.
