Most parents are satisfied with their children's schools, according to a report from Ofsted published today.
Primary schools and special schools had the highest ratings - inspectors said levels of parental satisfaction were good, very good or excellent in nine out of ten cases.
But inspectors said parent satisfaction ratings at nearly one in four English secondary schools was satisfactory or poor, the study found.
Ofsted's Director of Education, Miriam Rosen, said: "Today's report shows that the efforts of headteachers, teachers and governors are being recognised by parents who, overall, are very satisfied with their children's schools.
"Parents recognise effective schools and appreciate the links schools have established with them in recent years.
"Schools that are good at consulting parents, telling them about the progress of their children and listening to their concerns, have highly satisfied parents."
Ofsted surveys parents' views before inspectors visit a school.
Inspectors then produce a judgment on how satisfied parents are with the school. These judgments, from nearly 7,000 inspections, formed the basis for today's report.
Ofsted said parent satisfaction levels were excellent, very good or good in 88 per cent of primary schools, 77 per cent of secondary schools and 92 per cent of special schools. About 23 per cent of secondary schools had satisfaction ratings of "poor" or "satisfactory".
