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How Ofsted inspects safeguarding

Get to grips with how Ofsted will inspect safeguarding in your school under the 2025 inspection framework. Find details of the key evidence it will consider, and use our self-evaluation tool to review your setting.

Last reviewed on 11 September 2025See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 11106
Contents
  1. Ofsted will inspect safeguarding on a 'met'/'not met' basis
  2. What Ofsted is looking for
  3. Evidence Ofsted will be gathering
  4. How you'll be graded
  5. Use our self-evaluation tool to review your setting
  6. How Ofsted will consider safeguarding for pupils with SEND, and those in the early years and KS1
  7. Ofsted can suspend an inspection if it has safeguarding concerns 
  8. Next steps

Ofsted will inspect safeguarding on a 'met'/'not met' basis

Under the 2025 inspection framework, safeguarding is its own evaluation area. Your school will either meet, or not meet, Ofsted’s safeguarding standards. This is different from the rest of the evaluation areas, which are graded on a 5-point scale.

This is because Ofsted expects your school to be completely compliant with statutory requirements (read more about this below).

During the planning call, the lead inspector will ask you whether there are any relevant safeguarding matters that you've identified, including any safeguarding concerns or allegations made about adults. 

What Ofsted is looking for

Your school is expected to have an open and positive safeguarding culture that puts pupils’ interests first. Leaders should take an effective, whole-school approach to safeguarding.

This means that you should:

Be vigilant and recognise that safeguarding issues might occur in any provision at any time  Protect