What is Ofsted and how do school inspections work?

Ofsted should be reformed, and should move away from providing single-word judgements on schools, an inquiry by MPs has found.

Their report highlighted concerns raised by the inquest into head teacher Ruth Perry’s suicide, which concluded that a critical Ofsted inspection “contributed” to her death.

Ofsted – the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills – inspects and reports on anywhere that provide education for young people in England, including schools, nurseries and childminders.

Schools or organisations are inspected every four years or 30 months depending on their status, and are then graded accordingly:

Many parents rely on Ofsted ratings to help them choose a school or nursery.

Ofsted also inspects some independent schools in England, while others are assessed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Inspections in Wales are carried out by Estyn, in Scotland by Education Scotland and in Northern Ireland by the Education and Training Inspectorate.

During an Ofsted visit – which can last up to two days – inspectors observe lessons and talk to staff and pupils.

The school is normally notified the day before.

Schools can request to defer or cancel a visit, but only in exceptional circumstances.

Inspectors judge schools according to Ofsted’s education inspection framework.

They assess:

The final report gives the school one overall grade.

Schools can be downgraded if they fail any one part of the inspection.

The Ofsted report for Caversham Primary School – where Ms Perry worked – described a “welcoming and vibrant school”.

But it also highlighted failings in training, record-keeping and checks on staff.

Schools that were rated good or outstanding used to be assessed every four years, but routine inspections for outstanding schools stopped in 2011, so resources could be focused on the worst-performing institutions.

However, this meant some outstanding schools might not have been visited for more than a decade.

In 2020, the government restored routine inspections to provide more up-to-date information.

There were 3,400 outstanding schools in England in 2020, and Ofsted plans to reinspect them all by summer 2025.

The latest data from Ofsted shows that of the 358 outstanding schools visited between September 2023 and December 2023:

Ofsted previously acknowledged that many schools being reassessed had experienced “significant change” since their previous visit.

Schools graded good or outstanding will be re-inspected after four years, but are also given recommendations on how to improve in the interim.

Any school which requires improvement will be revisited within 30 months.

Schools that are rated inadequate become sponsored academies, and are supported by another outstanding school or charity.

However, under changes introduced in June 2023, if a school is graded inadequate overall because of ineffective safeguarding, but all other judgements were good or outstanding, inspectors will return within three months to see if improvements have been made.

Head teachers can challenge the rating their school is given.

Complaints are dealt with by a senior inspector who was not involved in the original assessment.

The way Ofsted handles the post-inspection period will change in April 2024, with the aim of resolving complaints more quickly, and increasing transparency around decision making.

The Beyond Ofsted inquiry, chaired by former Schools Minister Lord Knight and funded by the National Education Union (NEU), called for “transformational change”.

Several teaching unions want the current system of one-word grades to be replaced.

Estyn in Wales and the body which inspects Church of England schools and academies have already moved away from this approach.

An inquiry by the Education Select Committee urged Ofsted’s new chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, and the government, to consider a more “nuanced system that can provide value to both schools and parents”.

Prof Sonia Blandford, from Plymouth Marjon University highlights the time pressures of the current inspection regime, which scrutinises “every aspect of the school” in a very short period of time.

She says the 24-hour notice period also places considerable pressure on teaching staff.

After the inquest into Ruth Perry’s death, senior coroner Heidi Connor issued a prevention-of-future-deaths notice (PFD), to help avoid further tragedies.

Ms Connor said she was concerned by “the almost complete absence of Ofsted training” for inspectors looking for signs of distress in school leaders.

The Department for Education (DfE) promised to work with Ofsted to improve the system.

All Ofsted visits were halted for a fortnight in January to give lead inspectors mental health awareness training. In exceptional circumstances, inspections can now be paused, usually until the next day, but potentially for up to five working days.

An independent expert will also review Ofsted’s response to Ms Perry’s death.