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How to carry out your own case sampling

Case sampling isn’t just for Ofsted. It’s a great way to assess how inclusive your school is, and see your provision through the eyes of your most vulnerable pupils. Find out how to do it effectively, and use our templates to make the process easier.

Last reviewed on 6 February 2026
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 52963
Contents
  1. What is case sampling?
  2. How to do it 'in-house'
  3. 1. Select your pupils
  4. 2. Prepare
  5. 3. Gather evidence: learning walks, work study and pupil voice
  6. 4. Chat to key staff
  7. 5. Reflection and next steps
  8. How case sampling fits into your wider monitoring schedule

What is case sampling?

Case sampling is the process of selecting a small number of pupils in your school, to look in detail at how effectively the school is supporting them to achieve, belong and thrive. It is a way to:

It’s a new feature of Ofsted inspections under its 2025 framework – but it’s also an exercise you and your SLT can carry out for yourselves as part of your regular monitoring and school improvement work. We explain in the final section of this article how case sampling can fit into your wider monitoring. Find out more about how Ofsted carries out case