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Ofsted inspection framework 2025: summary of changes

Get your head around the key changes to school inspections for state-funded schools for 2025, including new report cards, the inspection toolkit, and changes to the notification phone call.

Last reviewed on 21 November 2025See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 42941
Contents
  1. Routine inspections to 'resume on 1 December'
  2. Understand the documents involved
  3. New report cards
  4. New inspection toolkit
  5. All inspections are full graded inspections
  6. Monitoring inspections
  7. No more deep dives
  8. New role of nominated staff member
  9. Changes to the notification phone call
  10. Additional focus on inclusion across all areas
  11. New measures for wellbeing during inspections
  12. New local data reporting service

Visit our Ofsted resource hub to see all the content we've updated and resources we've added to help you manage changes to the system. Select 'Save for later' at the top of the hub page to be notified when we add more content to that page. 

Routine inspections to 'resume on 1 December'

All state-funded schools will be eligible for inspection from 1 December, as part of the normal inspection schedule, according to a report in Schools Week.

If your school is in the 'inspection window', our Ofsted resource hub can help you understand what's involved in the 2025 framework and prepare for inspection.

Only schools who volunteered for early inspection will be inspected before 1 December. 

There won't be any inspections in the final week before Christmas.

Inspections for non-association independent schools will resume in January 2026.

This is set out in the ‘Starting inspections’ section under 'Next steps' in Ofsted’s consultation outcome.

Understand the documents involved