Complaints to Ofsted about schools have risen by five per cent in a year, new data reveals, with parents being urged not to bypass their school鈥檚 internal processes. The inspectorate received 16,700 complaints about schools in the 2024-25 financial year, a rise from 15,900 the previous year and equating to more than 45 complaints each day. But, despite the increase in volume, the proportion of complaints considered to qualify for investigation fell from 12 per cent (1,860) in 2023-24 to 9 per cent (1,710). Last year, 91 per cent of cases were classed as 鈥渘on-qualifying鈥�, up from 88 per cent the previous year. Ofsted stressed that to qualify for investigation, a parent should first have followed 鈥渁ll local complaint routes鈥�, though the watchdog has power to waive this in serious cases. The complaint must 鈥渞aise a serious issue that affects the whole school鈥�. It must relate to one of six areas: quality of education, quality of leadership, how far education meets the range of pupils, educational standards, the schools鈥� contribution to pupil wellbeing, and the 鈥渟piritual, moral, social and cultural development鈥� of pupils. Ofsted refers safeguarding matters elsewhere In published on Wednesday alongside the new data, national director for education Lee Owston stressed that Ofsted does 鈥渘ot have powers to investigate individual safeguarding matters鈥� and refers these cases to councils or police. Lee Owston Seventy per cent of all complaints considered last year contained safeguarding concerns. He added that it 鈥渟imply isn鈥檛 the case鈥� that the increase in complaints is leading to more urgent inspections. Twenty-five immediate inspections were triggered by complaints last year, compared to 35 the previous year. In 31 other cases, complaints led to scheduled inspections being brought forward. This was down from 67 cases in 2023-24. In 93 per cent of qualifying cases, information was retained to be considered at the next scheduled inspection. Some parents complaining straight to Ofsted Owston said that parents with concerns 鈥渟hould first go through their school鈥檚 internal processes鈥�. Ofsted regularly sees examples of parents not doing this, he added, 鈥渙r bypassing the school entirely鈥�. Owston added: 鈥淚t is important that parents can come to us if they have come to the end of a school鈥檚 own processes. But we want to be clear that we never rush to inspect without carefully considering whether this is the right and proportionate thing to do, in the interests of pupils.鈥�