Parents are turning to TikTok and AI instead of Ofsted reports when picking schools, research suggests
Parents are swapping Ofsted reports for TikTok school tours, AI reviews and parenting forums but could be missing vital information
Choosing the right school can be one of the biggest decisions parents can make for their children. But while parents may have turned to official Ofsted reports to research schools in their areas in the past, today growing numbers of parents are using social media platforms and AI to inform their choices.
A new study by The Good Schools Guide, a guide that helps parents make the right educational choices for their children, has found that almost a quarter of parents (23%) now use social media or AI when weighing up schools. And this number is higher — 37% — among Gen Z parents.
This data comes just as Ofsted prepares to launch its long-awaited new ‘report card’ format. But with parents already favouring bite-sized TikToks and parent-to-parent forums over reading long inspection documents, an expert at The Good Schools Guide warns the changes could be arriving too late.
Parents are not reading Ofsted reports
According to the survey, which polled 2000 parents with children aged 4–17 in August 2025, fewer than a third (31%) had used an Ofsted report to help choose their children’s schools.
More than a quarter (26%) of the parents admitted they’d never looked at an Ofsted report when making their decision.
Parents who did consult Ofsted reports often only skimmed them. While 41% said they read the full report for the school they chose, 12% admitted they only glanced at the headline grade.
When it comes to official sources like local authority websites, parents’ interactions were even lower — just 13% of parents turned to local authority sites for exam data.
Instead of reading Ofsted reports, a third (33%) of the Gen Z parents surveyed looked to parenting forums for guidance, showing how word-of-mouth and peer recommendations are shaping the process of choosing schools.
Thanks to TikTok tours of schools, edu-influencers on social media, and AI generated summaries of school reviews, parents have access to lots of other, less official information when it comes to finding out about schools.
Parents who turn to social media could be missing out on vital information
Meanwhile, almost half (46%) of the parents said they wanted more guidance when choosing a school, and 43% called for clearer, more reliable information.
Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, said the shift in where parents are looking for information should raise concerns.
“Parents aren’t reading Ofsted reports anymore, they're watching TikToks,” she says. “That should set alarm bells ringing. Education choices are too important to be left to the mercy of algorithms and bite-sized snapshots from superficial edu-influencers.”
“We know time-pressured parents are crying out for more help to choose the right school but it’s hardly surprising they are turned off by dry and regulatory-based Ofsted reports. They want to know what it is actually like to go to the schools on their shortlist and Ofsted’s new framework still won’t address that.”
“We’d urge parents to gather as many trusted sources of information as they can and piece them together like a jigsaw,” Sanderson advised.
Visiting schools in person, talking to other parents, and checking multiple sources – from Ofsted to independent guides – can give a fuller picture.
Choosing a school can feel overwhelming, but the key takeaway is clear: the more perspectives you gather, the better chance you have of finding the right fit for your child.
The Good Schools Guide, which has historically focused on private education, now reviews every school in the UK, combining data with impartial in-depth reviews.