The Ofsted inspection changes you need to know

The Big Listen consultation was released earlier in 2024 to gain feedback on how Ofsted should reform. So what happens next?

Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation launched after the death and inquest of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. Perry died by suicide 54 days after an Ofsted inspection of her school that the coroner described as “at times rude and intimidating.”

They found that the inspection into her school in Reading had contributed to her death.

Her death prompted educational leaders and the government to address the impact that an inspection can have on mental health, as well as what support there is.

One of the ways they did this was by launching the Big Listen, the largest consultation in Ofsted’s history with over 20,000 responses.

The consultation sought the views of school staff, education organisations and parents on schools, safeguarding, SEND, teacher training, social care and further education.

Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said: “You have spoken, we have listened, and now it is time to act.”

We have broken down what the consultation outcome includes, and what changes have been made so far.

Single headline grading scrapped

This is one of the most notable changes that came from the Big Listen. Ofsted announced in September that the government was going to scrap single headline judgements.

Previously, schools were inspected every four years – or within 30 months, depending on their status – and were given one of the following four overall grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate.

Education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “Single headline grades are low information for parents and high stakes for schools. Parents deserve a much clearer, much broader picture of how schools are performing.”

She also said the government plans to make an inspection “a more powerful, more transparent tool for driving school improvement.”
For inspections this academic year, parents will see four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

This reform paves the way for the introduction of School Report Cards from September 2025, which will provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement.
Recent data from the government showed that report cards are supported by almost 80 per cent of parents.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of National Association of Headteachers (NAHT), said the union had been clear that simplistic one-word judgements are “harmful” and said they were “pleased” the government has taken swift action to remove them.

Reformed frameworks

Ofsted said it wants to reform its inspection framework, taking the “best of the current approach”, such as the curriculum focus, but “learning lessons” from what it heard from the consultation.

Ofsted’s previous frameworks were criticised in the Big Listen, and they found that their inspection frameworks did not always work as well as they could for some types of provider.

Oftsed said the department will consult on the timeframe for framework reform later in the academic year.
Additionally, the inspectorate is looking to introduce a scoring guide that outlines the criteria and standards for evaluation, known as rubics, to highlight the areas that make the most difference to the quality of teacher development. This includes evidence-based approaches to teaching and high-quality curriculum design.

Rubrics will support leaders to self-evaluate and set up more constructive conversations with inspectors.

Ofsted added that they will assess the development and implementation of the old framework against its effect on leaders, teachers and practitioners’ workload, equality, diversity and inclusion and the Public Sector Equality Duty, and its effect on the mental health and well-being of those being inspected.

Culture change needed

Changing attitudes towards mental health and working culture is far from as easy as ticking a box or passing a law. It will take sustained effort and a complete overhaul of the system.

Ofsted said they will foster “a culture of integrity in which we always treat people with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect.”

One of the ways they said they will do this is by launching the Ofsted Academy, which will be a single place that draws together all of their induction, training, learning, development and good practice work.

They also said they have delivered mental health training to every inspector which forms part of their regular core training.
Ofsted’s Sir Martyn Oliver said: “We are here for children, their parents and carers – and we will serve them best by working constructively, respectfully and empathetically with the experts who are responsible for their education and care.”

The department added they would set up an inspection welfare, support and guidance hub to make sure their inspectors and
providers have access to supportive information, and to offer any other assistance during inspection.

Better support for SEND pupils

Ofsted said there are “systemic weaknesses in the system” when it comes to inspecting special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services. It said: “We will call for improvement at all levels, whether that is at provider, local authority or national government level. We need to make sure the whole system puts the most vulnerable children first.”

The department cited regular absences as one of the key problems that needed to be tackled. Ofsted suspects that many consistently absent children are vulnerable and are in and out of both registered and unregistered alternative provision (AP), adding that many are also likely to have SEND but that it “does not know for sure.”

Ofsted added: “We also need to identify where local areas need to improve, then make sure local leaders are supported to do this. We will enhance our inspections of area SEND provision. These proposals will give local partners the breathing room to address issues in their area. They will target inspection activity where it will have the most positive impact on services for children and young people with SEND.”

The department added that they will increase their focus and scrutiny on how providers are meeting the needs of children and young people with vulnerabilities such as socio-economic disadvantage and SEND, as well as introducing a new inspection criterion for inclusion.

Safeguarding in schools

Ofsted said in some cases, it finds safeguarding concerns in a school that otherwise appears to be doing well in all other respects.
To handle this, the inspectorate is now piloting  a new approach for graded inspections; where it considers that leaders are capable of resolving the issues within three months, it will withhold its judgement and revisit the school within three months to complete the inspection. In this instance, it send a letter to schools to share with parents about the safeguarding failings.

Ofsted said it will make clearer what inspectors are looking for when they review a school’s single central record. It will update its inspection handbook to explain the statutory expectations set out in the DfE’s ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance, as it wants to help schools better understand the regulatory requirements.

Ofsted will also introduce a separate safeguarding criterion in the new report cards. This will be distinct from leadership and management, to emphasise that all members of staff should be proactive about safeguarding.

A safeguarding, attendance and off-rolling review will also be launched, which will look at how schools meet their duties around safeguarding, work to increase attendance and clamp down on off-rolling.