Ofsted factual accuracy check: how to respond to your draft report card

Reviewed by Ben Parnell, former headteacher and trust chief executive. Last reviewed 12 September 2026.

An Ofsted factual accuracy check is the five working day window after you receive your draft report card, in which you can flag factual errors or ask for clarity before the final version is published. It is not the same as a formal complaint, and choosing the wrong route can close off the other one. Here is what current Ofsted guidance says, and how to use the five days well.

This guide reflects Ofsted's published guidance for state funded schools for use from September 2026. It is not legal advice: if your concerns are serious, or you are weighing up a formal complaint, get advice from your legal team, your trust, or a specialist education solicitor before you submit anything.

When does the draft report card arrive, and how long do we have?

Ofsted's guidance says it sends report cards to schools "after moderation, quality assurance and consistency checking", and that in most circumstances this happens within 18 working days of the end of the inspection. Once you have the draft, you have five working days to comment on it.

Ofsted then normally shares the final report card within 30 working days of the end of the inspection, and publishes it on its reports website five working days after sending it to the school. Build your response around that five day window: there is no extension for half term, staff absence or a busy week.

What can we actually raise at this stage?

At the draft stage you can raise "minor points relating to clarity and/or factual accuracy". That means things like:

a wrong date, number, name or job title
a policy or process described inaccurately
a quote or example attributed to the wrong year group, department or context
data quoted incorrectly against your own records

It does not mean re-arguing a judgement you disagree with. If inspectors saw strong subject knowledge in three lessons and graded a judgement lower than you expected, that is a matter of professional judgement, not a factual error, and it belongs in a different process.

How does this connect to a formal complaint?

This is the part leaders most often get wrong, so read it twice. Ofsted's guidance is explicit: if a school raises only minor points of clarity or factual accuracy at the draft stage, "it will not normally be able to submit a formal complaint or challenge about these once the report card has been finalised". In effect, you get one route through the draft stage, not two attempts in sequence.

A formal complaint is a different, more serious step: a request for Ofsted to review the inspection process itself, including the grades given or concerns about how inspectors conducted themselves. If you believe the inspection was unfair, that evidence was ignored, or that inspectors' conduct fell short, that is complaint territory, and it should be raised alongside or instead of your factual accuracy comments, within the same tight window.

A formal complaint has its own deadline. Ofsted's complaints procedure asks for it within 5 working days of the draft report being issued, counting weekdays other than public holidays, and the school inspection operating guide sets no different deadline. If you complain within that window, Ofsted withholds publication of the report while it considers the complaint.

If you are unsure which route fits, do not submit "minor points" as a placeholder while you decide. Get advice first. Submitting comments closes the door on a later complaint about the same issues.

Does raising a complaint pause publication?

If a formal complaint is submitted within the deadline, Ofsted will normally withhold publication of the report while it considers the complaint. Commenting on factual accuracy does not pause anything: Ofsted responds to your points when it shares the final report card, on its normal 30 working day timetable, and publication follows five working days after that.

Who can we share the draft report card with?

Leaders can share the inspection findings with all governors and trustees, and with anyone else they consider it right to involve, which Ofsted's guidance says may include colleagues, family members or a wider support network. What you cannot do is make the draft public or share it with parents before the school receives the final report card. Treat it as confidential to your leadership team and governing body until publication.

Day by day: what to do with your five working days

Day 1: read it properly, then convene. Read the whole draft against your own evidence, not just the headline grades. Share it with your chair of governors or trust CEO the same day, since you will need a second opinion before day five. Do not react to the first paragraph that stings; keep reading.

Day 2: separate fact from judgement. Go through the draft line by line and sort every concern into two piles: things that are objectively wrong (dates, numbers, names, quoted policies, described processes), and things you disagree with (a grade, an inspector's interpretation of what they saw). Only the first pile goes into your factual accuracy response.

Day 3: build the evidence for each point. For every factual point, find the document, data source or record that proves it. A comment without evidence is just an assertion and Ofsted has no reason to act on it. This is also the day to decide, with your chair or trust exec, whether anything crosses the line into a formal complaint instead.

Day 4: get a second read. Ask someone who was not swept up in inspection week, another head, your chair, a trust colleague, to read your draft response cold. They will catch the emotional line you do not notice and check that every point is factual rather than a reframed disagreement.

Day 5: submit early, keep a record. Send your response through the channel Ofsted's letter specifies, well before the deadline rather than at 4.55pm. Keep a copy of what you sent and a note of when you sent it.

What makes a strong factual accuracy response

The strongest responses are short, specific and evidenced. Each point should name the exact page or paragraph of the draft, state the factual error, and cite the source that corrects it. Avoid tone, avoid re-litigating the grade, and avoid bundling five weak points with one strong one.

Illustrative example (not a real school): a draft report card for "Riverside Primary" states that attendance "has declined for the past three years". The school's own attendance officer checks this against data submitted to the Department for Education and finds that attendance fell in year one and year two of that period but rose by 1.8 percentage points in the most recent full year, a fact the inspection team appears not to have seen in the data pack provided. The school's comment names the paragraph, states the factual point plainly, and attaches the DfE attendance return as evidence. That is a factual accuracy point done well: specific, sourced, and free of argument about what the attendance trend means for the judgement.

Compare that with a comment that says the attendance judgement "doesn't reflect the huge amount of work we've done this year". That may be true, and it may be worth saying somewhere, but it is not a factual accuracy point, and putting it in this response uses up your one opportunity to comment without addressing an actual error.

Where InspectReady fits in

Part of what we built InspectReady for was this exact moment: the days right after a draft report lands, when leaders are tired and need to think clearly and quickly. Its post-inspection support includes a factual accuracy response letter feature that helps you separate factual errors from judgements you disagree with, and drafts suggested wording for you to edit against your own evidence, rather than starting from a blank page under a five day clock.

If you want to talk through a draft report before you respond, email hello@inspectready.education.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a factual accuracy comment and a formal complaint? A factual accuracy comment corrects specific errors, wrong dates, figures, names or descriptions, in the draft report card. A formal complaint challenges the inspection process itself, including grades or inspector conduct. Ofsted's guidance treats these as separate routes, and choosing one at draft stage generally closes off the other for the same issues later.

Will commenting on factual accuracy delay publication of our report? No. Ofsted considers minor factual accuracy points and responds to them when it shares the final report card, normally within 30 working days of the end of the inspection, then publishes five working days after that. A formal complaint submitted on time is different: Ofsted will normally withhold publication while it considers it.

Can we still complain after the report card is published if we did not raise it at draft stage? Ofsted's guidance says that once you have used the draft stage to raise only minor points, you will not normally be able to bring a formal complaint about those same issues after the report card is finalised. If something serious only comes to light later, get advice promptly rather than assuming the door is closed.

Who should write the response, the headteacher or the governing body? In practice both. The headteacher usually drafts it, working from evidence gathered by senior and subject leaders, but it should go to the chair of governors or trust CEO for a second read before submission, given how little room there is to revisit it afterwards.

Can we share the draft report card with staff or parents? You can share it with governors, trustees and anyone else you judge it right to involve. You should not make it public or share it with parents until the school has received the final report card.

Is there a set template we have to use for our response? Ofsted does not require a specific template. What matters is that each point is factual, evidenced and tied to a specific part of the draft. A short, well-referenced response is more useful to Ofsted, and to you, than a long one.

Sources

Inspection information for state-funded schools: for use from September 2026, GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information/inspection-information-for-state-funded-schools-for-use-from-september-2026
Complain about Ofsted (for events that took place after 4 April 2024), GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complain-about-ofsted/complain-about-ofsted-for-events-that-took-place-after-4-april-2024
Understanding Ofsted report cards and grades, GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-ofsted-report-cards-and-grades
Revisions to Ofsted's complaints procedure: what you need to know, Browne Jacobson, https://www.brownejacobson.com/insights/challenging-ofsted-inspections-a-practical-guide
What you need to know about the September 2026 updates to education inspections, Ofsted: education (educationinspection.blog.gov.uk), https://educationinspection.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-september-2026-updates-to-education-inspections/
InspectReady, https://inspectready.education/

Questions school leaders ask

What is the difference between a factual accuracy comment and a formal complaint?: A factual accuracy comment corrects specific errors, wrong dates, figures, names or descriptions, in the draft report card. A formal complaint challenges the inspection process itself, including grades or inspector conduct. Ofsted's guidance treats these as separate routes, and choosing one at draft stage generally closes off the other for the same issues later.
Will commenting on factual accuracy delay publication of our report?: No. Ofsted considers minor factual accuracy points and responds to them when it shares the final report card, normally within 30 working days of the end of the inspection, then publishes five working days after that. A formal complaint submitted on time is different: Ofsted will normally withhold publication while it considers it.
Can we still complain after the report card is published if we did not raise it at draft stage?: Ofsted's guidance says that once you have used the draft stage to raise only minor points, you will not normally be able to bring a formal complaint about those same issues after the report card is finalised. If something serious only comes to light later, get advice promptly rather than assuming the door is closed.
Who should write the response, the headteacher or the governing body?: In practice both. The headteacher usually drafts it, working from evidence gathered by senior and subject leaders, but it should go to the chair of governors or trust CEO for a second read before submission, given how little room there is to revisit it afterwards.
Can we share the draft report card with staff or parents?: You can share it with governors, trustees and anyone else you judge it right to involve. You should not make it public or share it with parents until the school has received the final report card.
Is there a set template we have to use for our response?: Ofsted does not require a specific template. What matters is that each point is factual, evidenced and tied to a specific part of the draft. A short, well-referenced response is more useful to Ofsted, and to you, than a long one.