The British education inspection service Ofsted has announced the launch of a pilot Independent Complaint Review (ICR) service. The new mechanism will be tested on schools undergoing inspection during the 2026/27 academic year. The initiative aims to ensure more objective and independent consideration of complaints from schools and other stakeholders dissatisfied with the results or procedures of Ofsted inspections. Previously, such complaints were handled through the department's own internal procedures, which raised questions about the impartiality of this approach. The pilot project will be part of a broader Ofsted reform aimed at increasing trust in the school inspection system among the teaching community. Details about how the independent service will be organized, who will be part of it, and what criteria will be used in reviewing complaints have not yet been clarified. The launch of the new complaints review system comes against the backdrop of ongoing criticism of Ofsted's methods by teaching unions and school leaders, who have repeatedly pointed to insufficient transparency in the inspection process and limited opportunities to challenge its results. The results of the pilot project are expected to inform decisions about wider implementation of the independent complaints review service in the future.