inspection

Our approach to inspecting the curriculum in alternative provision

A woman using a laptop to type up notes

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 …

More parental complaints don’t mean more inspections

A woman typing on a laptop in her kitchen.

   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 …

When will my school be inspected?

An adult speaking to a student about her work

***Update September 2024*** Please note this blog no longer reflects accurate timetables for inspection following the removal of the overall effectiveness grade for state-funded school inspections. For more information, please see the timing of inspection section in the updated school …

Ofsted webinars for schools – responses to questions and new webinars

Children sat facing forward in a classroom listening to the teacher

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who attended or viewed our schools webinar series earlier this year. The recordings of these sessions are available on YouTube and the slides have been published on our SlideShare. These sessions looked at: …

What next for further education and skills initial teacher education inspections?

A tutor delivering a lesson

Helen Matthews, our Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) for Teacher Development, clarifies how and when Ofsted will inspect further education and skills (FES) teacher training programmes through the initial teacher education (ITE) framework. As part of our ITE inspection framework, …

The education inspection framework (EIF) – looking ahead to September 2022

Pupils painting in a school art lesson.

Christopher Russell, our National Director, Education, discusses the recent changes to our EIF handbooks and moving beyond transitional arrangements. We are coming to the end of another academic year and looking ahead to September 2022. Following our return to inspection, …

Supporting secondary school pupils who are behind with reading

Secondary school pupils reading in class, with one pupil discussing his book with the teacher.

Gill Jones, our Deputy Director, Schools and Early Education, on reading in secondary schools and supporting weaker readers. Since we have been back to inspecting, many of you have asked us about how we’re inspecting reading in secondary schools. You …