In this blog, we’ll consider safeguarding through the course of an inspection. We’ll explain some of the main activities we undertake and why. You’ll find lots of references to keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) too. That’s because it sets …
Persistent school absence is one of the most significant ongoing impacts of the pandemic. The latest data shows that nearly 1 in 4 pupils were absent for 10% of school sessions in autumn 2022, nearly double the position in 2019. …
With pupils and teachers now returning to school for a new academic year, this blog gives an overview of some of the recent changes to the school inspection handbook and the way we inspect schools. In June 2023, we committed …
Alternative provider (AP) settings provide education for pupils with complex needs that can’t typically be met in mainstream schools. APs rightly differ from mainstream schools – they serve different purposes and have different objectives. When we inspect an AP, we …
In this blog, we explore the challenges of getting primary pupils back on track with reading. We look at: some useful principles for making sure that all pupils catch up quickly the term fidelity and how it can be most …
This article was originally published by Schools Week. Recently we’ve noticed a rise in the number of complaints we receive from parents. While parents should be able to complain to Ofsted if they’ve gone through their school’s internal process …
Initial teacher education (ITE), together with the early career framework and national professional qualifications form the ‘golden thread’ of teacher training and professional development. The aim is to develop high-quality teachers and leaders, which is vital for giving pupils the …
High-quality teachers are essential for giving all pupils the very best education. This is especially true for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). High-quality training and …
The period between inspections is normally simple. However, there are currently several complicating factors. This blog will clarify when schools can expect their next inspection. Normally: A school judged outstanding or good will usually be inspected within the 4 academic …
We're happy to invite you to hear directly from Ofsted in our summer webinars. We wanted to start by thanking everyone who attended or watched our schools webinars in spring. So far this year we've hosted webinars looking at: EIF …
The ongoing professional development of teachers is fundamentally important for education quality, and has been shown to improve teacher satisfaction and retention. Teaching practice based on an up-to-date, and deep understanding of relevant evidence is a hallmark of a high-quality …