Guidance

Talking to an Ofsted inspector: children

Updated 13 December 2024

Applies to England

This is an example of what we send to children and young people when we inspect the local authority.

Talking to an Ofsted Inspector

Ofsted is inspecting children’s services in [LA NAME].

Inspectors would like to know what you think of your local authority.

Why inspectors want to talk to you

What you think about the help you get from your worker is very important.

Inspectors want to know about your experiences. It will help them tell the local authority what it is good at and what it needs to change.

They will take you seriously.

There are laws that let Ofsted inspectors look at how well local authority workers are protecting children and helping children in care.

The inspector is not checking up on you or your family.

How it works

Someone from the local authority will ask if you are happy to speak to one of the inspectors.

An inspector may:

• come to one of your meetings with your worker

• make an appointment to talk to you (either face to face or by phone)

• visit you with your worker.

Inspectors will write down what you tell them. They will talk to other children too. What you and other children tell inspectors will become part of the inspection evidence.

You should know that:

• you do not have to talk to the inspector if you do not want to
• you do not have to tell them things you do not want to
• you can stop at any time you want
• you can ask them any questions about the inspection before you talk to them

What inspectors will do with the things you tell them

What you tell inspectors will help them decide if the local authority is looking after your needs well.

Inspectors will use what you tell them to write a report that tells the local authority what they found. We put this report on our website. In the report, the inspectors will not write anything that identifies you.

Inspectors will also talk to people at the local authority about what you have told them.

If you tell us anything about a child being hurt or at risk of being hurt, we have to tell a worker at the local authority to make sure that the child is safe and OK.

If the inspector writes something on paper or a computer, they will keep it safe. Only people at Ofsted will be able to read it. We do not keep the things inspectors write for longer than we need to. We usually delete it after three years.

Next steps

Inspectors will speak with as many children as they can. But, the local authority works with a lot of families, so the inspectors cannot talk to everyone.

If you are happy to talk to an inspector, please tell us how you would like them to contact you. You can tell your worker when you speak to them. If you prefer, you can email the inspector [INSERT EMAIL]or your worker [INSERT EMAIL].

We will let you know as soon as we can if an inspector can talk to you.

If you would like the inspector to call or text you, give us the phone number you want them to use:

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If you would like the inspector to email you, give us the email address you would like them to use:

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Please tell us if there is somebody you would like to be with you when you speak to the inspector:

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