Timings depend on your Ofsted grade and date of last inspection
Take a look at the section below that matches your current Ofsted grading. Be aware, though, that Ofsted can inspect your school at any time if it has concerns (see 'Urgent inspections outside the routine schedule' later in this article for more detail).
Inspections can happen any time you're in school – from 5 school days after the autumn term starts
For example, if pupils go back to school on a Wednesday, inspections can take place from the following Wednesday onwards. This is explained in paragraph 34 of the School Inspection Handbook 2023.
The inspection window is open until the end of the school year. You won't be inspected during school holidays, but you can be inspected on the last few days of a term. An Ofsted representative told us this.
If your school's most recent graded or ungraded inspection was