Graded Inspections
All schools that received an overall effectiveness judgement of ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ before September 2024 will receive a graded inspection
- A selection of schools that received a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ judgement based on Ofsted’s risk assessment process (see paragraph 69 of the School Inspection Handbook and Ofsted’s risk assessment methodology) will receive a graded inspection.
Which schools will Ofsted inspect?
Section 5 outlines that it is the duty of the chief inspector to inspect all schools that it applies to, this includes:
- Community, foundation and voluntary schools
- Community and foundation special schools
- Maintained nursery schools (local-authority funded)
- Academy schools and alternative provision academies
- City technology colleges
- City colleges for the technology of the arts
- Special schools that are not community or foundation special schools but are for the time being approved by the secretary of state under section 342 of the Education Act 1996 (c.56) (approval of special schools)
Exceptions to this list include a school that is closing (any of the previously mentioned schools which have been approved for closure) and schools where the chief inspector has decided that an inspection would serve “no useful purpose”.
Ungraded Inspections
- ‘Many’ schools graded ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ before September 2024 will receive an ungraded inspection
- ‘Usually’ an ungraded inspection is followed by a further ungraded inspection at about a four-year interval
- An ungraded inspection can be ‘deemed’ a section 5 inspection, in which case inspectors will make graded judgements for the key areas and any early years or sixth form provision.
- Emergency inspections are usually conducted under section 8 and then ‘deemed’ to be a section 5 inspection.
See paragraphs 55 to 57 of the School Inspection Handbook.
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