Ofsted handbook details inspections during Covid

Ofsted has made changes to its school inspection handbook for checks during Covid.

The new guidance explains how inspectors will reflect the COVID-19 context and the disruption it has caused when making judgements. It also aims to "minimise burdens on the sector".

During the preparation phone call with the headteacher, the lead inspector will seek to understand the specific impact of COVID-19 on the school community and how the school’s leaders responded to the situation. This discussion will also explore how the school implemented the curriculum remotely and what, if any, elements of remote education remain in place at the time of inspection.

In this conversation, the headteacher and lead inspector will agree safety protocols that the inspection team will follow to ensure that the inspection is completed in a COVID-19 secure way.

Ofsted will look at how the curriculum was implemented remotely and how curriculum planning has responded to learning gaps. Teacher assessed grades from 2020 and 2021 will not be used to assess impact.

Inspectors will also discuss attendance patterns with school leaders to understand how the pandemic specifically affected the individual school. They will want to understand how, in the circumstances, the school ensured the best possible attendance for those pupils eligible to attend in person. Attendance between March 2020 and March 2021 will not impact on our judgement of the school.

Crucially, the guidance says that when considering a judgement of good or requires improvement, inspectors will look at whether the overall quality of the school is most closely aligned to the descriptors set out. A school will be inadequate under a particular judgement if one or more of the inadequate criteria applies, unless that inadequate criteria applies solely due to the impact of COVID-19.