What is off-rolling?
Off-rolling is using unlawful means to remove a pupil from a school roll. It will be considered during an Ofsted inspection.
Ofsted's operating guide explains that if inspectors were to find evidence of off-rolling, they'd likely grade the leadership and governance evaluation area as 'urgent improvement.'
Ofsted's definition
In its inspection information for state-funded schools, Ofsted defines off-rolling as:
- Removing a pupil from the school roll or preventing them from attending school normally without a formal, permanent exclusion or formal suspension, such as by:
- Moving the pupil to alternative provision, when it's not in the pupil's best interests
- Intentionally not following regulations when carrying out a permanent exclusion
- Sending the pupil home
- Placing the pupil on a part-time timetable
- Placing pressure on a parent to remove their child from the school roll
- Placing pressure on a post-16 student not to continue with their studies
When the decision is made primarily in the interests of the