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www.ofsted.gov.uk / Direct T – 0117 945 6379
Direct F – 0117 945 6554

24 April 2009

M Doherty

Dear M Doherty

Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) – The Douay Martyrs Catholic School

Thank you for your email received 26 March 2009. You have requested the following information:

a)  The average return rate for parental questionnaires during secondary school Ofsted inspections

b)  The percentage and number of parental questionnaires returned during the most recent Ofsted inspection of The Douay Martyrs Catholic School

Your request has been considered in accordance with the provisions of the FOI Act, and we are responding within the 20 working days required.

I can confirm that Ofsted holds the information you have requested in relation to a), as a result of a benchmarking exercise based on data gathered during the spring term 2008. Ofsted also holds the number of questionnaires returned during the most recent inspection of The Douay Martyrs Catholic School. However, Ofsted does not hold the definitive percentage of questionnaires returned, as I will explain below.

In relation to a), a response rate is calculated by dividing the total number of responding parents with the school’s number on roll. The average response rate for parental questionnaires in secondary schools is 14%. In addition, half of the response rates for secondary schools lie in the range 7%-24%.

In relation to b), the number of parental questionnaires returned during the most recent inspection of The Douay Martyrs Catholic School was 462. Ofsted does not hold information regarding the number of parental questionnaires sent for this, or any other, inspection. Ofsted sends the parental questionnaire and the accompanying letter to the school. It is then the responsibility of the school to distribute this to the parents. I am therefore unable to provide you with a percentage of questionnaires returned in relation to the number sent. However, compared to the school’s number on roll of 1341, the response rate was 34%.

If you are unhappy with the handling of your request, you may request an internal review by writing to:

Deputy Director of Corporate Services

Ofsted

Alexandra House

33 Kingsway

London

WC2B 6SE

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether or not we have complied with our obligations under the Act with respect to your request. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

If you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Jeremy Honeywill

Information Manager

South region

Education, Learning and Skills