The key changes to Ofsted inspection for 2026-27

Ofsted has set out changes in how it will look at schools’ academic performance, special educational needs provision and inclusion in inspection from September.

The inspectorate has today published updated grading toolkits and guides for inspectors, which will come into force at the start of the next academic year.

As Tes revealed earlier this year, Ofsted is providing more context on how it looks at the performance of disadvantaged pupils, and is also set to compare similar schools’ data.

Here are the key changes:

Comparing similar schools

In a blog also published today, Lee Owston, the watchdog’s national director for education, says that Ofsted and the Department for Education have created a new statistical model to group similar schools together.

He adds: “This provides additional information to help leaders and inspectors understand how well pupils in one school are achieving compared to schools with a similar context.”

The updated toolkit says that when assessing achievement, inspectors will assess what the data indicates about achievement over time, including when compared to similar schools, and use this as a starting point for discussions with leaders about achievement

It also says that inspectors will consider the extent to which pupils’ attainment and progress in national tests and examinations compare with national averages and similar schools.

The current toolkit runs for inspections until the end of this academic year.

Achievement of disadvantaged pupils

The toolkit has also been amended to include new wording about how inspectors consider the performance of disadvantaged pupils in tests and exams.

Inspectors are to look at whether disadvantaged pupils attain well, “including whether their attainment is in line with the attainment of disadvantaged pupils nationally”.

It is also set out that inspectors will be looking at whether disadvantaged pupils “make appropriate progress from their starting points, including the extent to which their progress is in line with the progress of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally”.

Inclusion and SEND leadership

In his blog, Mr Owston also highlights that Ofsted has now introduced the term “leaders who have an inclusion role” within its inspection materials.

He adds: “This is because inclusion is the responsibility of all leaders and staff within a setting, and we want to encourage inspectors and leaders to consider this evaluation area for those within the ‘contextualised’ group and look at those with other leadership roles, beyond that of the Sendco.”

Headteachers’ leaders had raised concerns that the new inclusion focus in the new inspection framework was creating a large workload for Sendcos.

Inclusion changes

The updated toolkit also reflects some of the government’s new expectations on inclusion, which are being introduced through the government’s SEND reforms.

It says that when considering a school’s inclusion grade, inspectors will look at the extent to which leaders, alongside governors and/or trustees, “have developed and published on their website an inclusion strategy that sets out how their overall school funding allocation, including the inclusive mainstream fund, will be used to meet the specific needs of their cohort and improve inclusive practice across the school”.

The DfE has introduced a new inclusive mainstream fund and said that it expects schools to publish inclusion strategies by December.

The updated toolkit says that inspectors will check to see if leaders are ensuring that any inclusion base meets pupils’ needs effectively and supports them, as appropriate, to participate meaningfully in wider school activities.

Impact of SEND on attendance

There are a couple of additions to the toolkit to reflect the impact that pupils with SEND can have on school attendance.

SEND has been added to a sentence saying: “Some schools have a significant proportion of pupils who join with previously low attendance or following disruption to their education (including in alternative provision and [university technical colleges]). In these schools, inspectors recognise that this may affect overall attendance or rates of persistent absence”.

The updated toolkit also says that inspectors will assess the extent to which Ofsted’s leaders have worked with parents and the local authority to ensure that pupils with an education, health and care plan, or EHCP, have suitable support to attend and behave well, where appropriate.

Safeguarding changes

The current toolkit says that Ofsted looks at whether leaders take an effective, whole-school approach to safeguarding.

This has been updated to encompass leaders and those responsible for governance.

The updated toolkit also states that schools need to ensure that any other required records regarding disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006 are accurate and up to date.

And Ofsted has expanded on a section on pupils at risk of harm, to include pupils with mental health issues that may develop into safeguarding risks.

Medical conditions

Ofsted inspectors will be checking whether schools have made arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions, and that they have a dedicated allergy safety policy.

The expectation is that both documents would be owned by a named senior leader and governor, and reviewed at least annually.

Enrichment framework

The updated Ofsted toolkit also mentions the government’s planned enrichment framework for schools, which is yet to be published.

It says the inspector will be looking to see that schools have ensured that “any enrichment is purposeful and varied, having regard to the enrichment framework (where applicable)”.