Ofsted's New Look
On 16 September 2024, significant changes to the Ofsted school inspection framework came into effect, aimed at increasing transparency and reducing pressure on school leaders. These changes were designed to address long-standing concerns about the inspection framework and to create a more supportive environment for school leaders and staff while maintaining accountability following widespread debate and feedback, particularly after concerns raised by school leaders and events such as the tragic case of Ruth Perry.
The Key Changes
Removal of Overall Effectiveness Grades
Prior to September 2024, Ofsted inspections culminated in an overall effectiveness grade, summarised by the now infamous single word gradings: “Outstanding,” “Good,” “Requires Improvement,” or “Inadequate.” This practice had been widely criticised as reductive, reducing the complex dynamics of school performance to a single label. The distressing death of headteacher Ruth Perry, whose school was slated for an "Inadequate" rating, intensified debates over the mental health impacts of such a high-stakes grading system.(HCR Law)(National Governance Association)
What's New?
From September 2024, Ofsted will instead rate schools in four separate categories:
- Quality of Education: Evaluates the curriculum's effectiveness, teaching quality, and student outcomes.
- Behaviour and Attitudes: Looks at students’ conduct, attendance, and the school’s disciplinary approach.
- Personal Development: Assesses how well the school supports pupils' broader development beyond academics, including their well-being.
- Leadership and Management: Judges how effectively the school is led and managed, including staff morale and adherence to policies like safeguarding (TES) (GOV.UK)
The decision to remove overall effectiveness grades is intended to provide parents and stakeholders with more nuanced information. While each category will still be graded, parents will no longer see a single word to sum up a school’s performance, which many argued often led to misinterpretation. The government also believes this shift will ease the pressure on schools, encouraging them to focus on long-term improvement without being overly concerned about one decisive rating. (GOV.UK)
Increased School Leader Involvement in Ofsted Inspections
In response to the stress school leaders often face during inspections, the new framework gives them a more active role. Under the old model, Section 8 inspections (ungraded inspections) were often perceived as quick check-ins that put a burden on leadership to "perform." The updated approach emphasises a deeper collaboration between inspectors and school leaders.
What's New?
School leaders are now encouraged to participate in "educationally focused conversations" with inspectors, during which they can discuss the school’s context, unique challenges, and priorities. This allows inspectors to better understand the school's unique circumstances that could affect its performance. For instance, schools dealing with complex socio-economic issues may benefit from being able to explain these during inspections rather than simply being judged by standard metrics.
In addition, there is now more flexibility during Section 8 inspections, reducing the administrative burden on school leaders and focusing more on the broader context of a school’s development. (TES) (GOV.UK)
Changes to Safeguarding Protocols
Safeguarding has long been a crucial element of school inspections, and under the revised framework, Ofsted has made significant adjustments to how safeguarding concerns are handled.
What's New?
In cases where safeguarding issues are identified, schools now have the opportunity to address these problems before the final inspection report is published. This is a critical change, as under the previous system, safeguarding issues would often lead to a negative inspection outcome, regardless of whether the problem was rectified soon after the inspection. Schools will now be given the chance to take immediate action and report back to Ofsted with evidence of their improvements. However, this leniency will only apply if no other serious concerns are flagged during the inspection.
This change reflects a shift towards supporting schools in making real-time improvements, rather than punishing them retrospectively for issues that could be easily fixed. (GOV.UK)(National Governance Association)
Ofsted Inspection Notification Changes
A significant shift in how schools are notified of upcoming inspections is intended to streamline the process and reduce stress. Under the previous framework, schools typically received notification the day before an inspection, often causing anxiety as leaders scrambled to prepare on short notice.
What's New?
From September 2024, schools will only be notified on Monday afternoons if they are due for an inspection later that week, with the inspection taking place on the following Tuesday and Wednesday. This more predictable schedule is designed to reduce last-minute panic and give schools a full day to prepare.
Additionally, if a bank holiday falls within the inspection week, the notification might be adjusted to accommodate that, ensuring consistency across the board. (TES) (GOV.UK) (National Governance Association)
The inspection timeline will now be as follows:
Monday - A school will receive notification of an inspection by Monday afternoon
Tuesday and Wednesday - The inspection will be carried out
Thursday - The inspector writes up the report
18 days after inspection - A draft report will normally be sent to the school
35 days after inspection - The final report will normally be published