The inspection system
Highlights from school evaluation and improvement
- 2019 Ofsted inspection framework: what it means for your school Get to grips with the 2019 inspection framework. Find out how to assess your curriculum's 'intent, implementation and impact' with our prompts, and how inspectors will judge behaviour in your school.
- Frequency of Ofsted inspections Find out how often Ofsted inspects schools and get an idea of when your next inspection will be (including the current timings due to the pandemic).
- How Ofsted inspects alternative provision Updated Learn how Ofsted inspects pupil referral units (PRUs) and alternative provision (AP) academies. Also find information covering inspection of off-site units and residential provision.
- Inspection judgements: Ofsted grade descriptors Use our side-by-side comparison of Ofsted grade descriptors, which reflect the September 2023 School Inspection Handbook updates, to understand the criteria inspectors use to make their judgements.
- Ofsted inspection of schools rated ‘requires improvement’ If your school is rated 'requires improvement', you may receive a monitoring inspection before your next graded inspection. Understand what happens during a monitoring inspection and when Ofsted is likely to inspect you next.
- Ofsted mythbuster Can headteachers join deep dives? Do schools need a certain level of staff absence to get a deferral? Read our mythbuster to get clarity on a range of questions about how Ofsted inspects your school.
- Ungraded inspections for 'good' and 'outstanding' schools Get a handle on what happens before, during and after an ungraded inspection (previously known as a section 8 inspection), and what Ofsted will be looking for, so you and your staff feel ready.