The Chief Inspector of the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted), Sir Martyn Oliver, has spoken at the 2025 Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Annual Conference in Liverpool and announced a consultation on comprehensive reforms to the education inspection framework. The changes include replacing overall effectiveness grades with a new five-tier grading system and report cards across multiple evaluation areas. Ofsted also published its March 2025 Big Listen monitoring report, setting out a combined 132 actions a In the Big Listen response and in response to Dame Christine Gilbert’s review, we set out a combined 132 actions Ofsted plans to take to reset their relationship with regulators and inspectors, to work collaboratively with them to put children and learners first, to foster a culture of integrity where people are treated with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect and to be a learning organisation that operates transparently, listens to challenge and takes action to change.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published guidance confirming that the 2026 thematic visits on special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) will examine local offers. Under the legal framework provided by the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (with supplemental powers under sections 118(5) and (6), the Children Act 2004, and its Joint Area Reviews Regulations) and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (including sections 53, 62–64 and paragraph 9(1) of schedule 4), Ofsted and the CQC will collaborate on these visits. Ofsted will lead the visits under the direction of the Secretary of State for Education, while CQC will assist by offering information, advice and exercising inspection powers for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published a report that looks at how education, health and care partners work together to commission and oversee alternative provision (AP). Ofsted have said that a lack of national standards and clarity on responsibilities for AP commissioning and oversight have resulted in inconsistent and ineffective practice, all to the detriment of children and young people. The report has highlighted examples of good practice and has urged local authorities and schools to adopt this where possible. Ofsted have concluded that this system needs reform and has made recommendations to strengthen AP commissioning and oversight. Some of the recommendations include better guidance explaining the purpose of AP and indicators of success; defining responsibilities and roles for local area partners; improved oversight; and regular review of the safety and effectiveness of the commissioned AP once a child has been placed in one.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have jointly published the outcome of a review into how local area services for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are inspected. The review, which included consultations with young people, families, inspectors, and representatives from the Department for Education and NHS England, aimed to refine the inspection framework to both improve the SEND system and maintain accountability.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published a thematic review examining the experiences of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who are not in school in England, based on visits to six local areas in 2025. The report found that children with SEND are leaving the school system because their needs are not being met, with inconsistent access to services when not in school and missed opportunities to identify needs early enough. The review makes six recommendations. These recommendations include that the Department for Education (DfE) should prioritise working with local area partnerships to ensure children's emerging needs are consistently identified early and that NHS England and the DfE should provide local area partnerships with necessary resources and training to support schools in taking a needs-led approach. The report also recommends that the DfE develop guidance for appropriate use of education otherwise than at school arrangements and resolve inconsistencies in how in-year admissions are coordinated. Local area partnerships are advised to establish robust information-sharing processes and ensure coordinated support through lead professionals for all children with SEND not in school.

The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published guidance detailing the approach for conducting thematic visits to local areas in England as part of the Area SEND inspection system. The 2025 visits will specifically focus on children who are not in school, aiming to investigate this particular aspect of the special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) system in depth. These thematic visits, conducted annually to a small number of areas, form part of the broader Area SEND inspection framework and seek to provide detailed insights into specific elements of SEND provision across local areas.

Ofsted has announced that changes will be made to ungraded inspections in the autumn term. Ofsted has confirmed that it will publish the new inspection handbooks in September 2024 and will also produce informative videos for schools.

The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has announced measures for the implementation of its renewed inspection framework, which will commence in November 2025.  These measures include an enhanced quality assurance process with fewer initial inspections led by senior inspectors, a suspension of inspections during the week preceding Christmas, and the introduction of a Deputy Chief Inspector review process for inspection deferrals. Additionally, Ofsted will publish inspector training materials on its external platform, operate a telephone helpline for queries, and conduct exit interviews with a random sample of providers. The agency will also hold regular meetings with sector representatives and maintain an online FAQ document throughout the initial implementation phase.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) has published its response to its consultation on improving education inspections. The reforms include a new five point grading scale, reduction in evaluation areas from eight to six and introduction of 'report cards' replacing traditional inspection reports. Implementation begins 10 November 2025 for schools, early years and further education providers, with independent schools and initial teacher education following in January 2026. Early years settings will move to a four year inspection cycle from April 2026. Changes aim to increase transparency while maintaining accountability standards.

Ofsted has announced a pilot Independent Complaints Review (ICR) service for state-funded schools inspected during the 2026–27 academic year. Unlike the existing Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted, the ICR will be able to assess both how Ofsted handled complaints and whether its responses were fair and reasonable, including matters relating to inspection processes, findings and grades. It will have access to original, unredacted inspection evidence. Schools may request a review after Ofsted's internal complaints process has concluded and their inspection report card has been published. His Majesty's Chief Inspector (HMCI) will personally consider and respond to each ICR recommendation. Where a recommendation concerns grading, HMCI may set aside the published report card and arrange a new inspection. The pilot will begin shortly, run through the 2026–27 academic year and include ongoing complaints about inspections during the current term.

Ofsted has announced a pilot scheme that will recruit Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) in groups from professional organisations rather than recruiting individuals. This new approach targets multi-academy trusts, local authorities, dioceses, local school networks, independent learning providers, and general further education colleges. Under this model, Ofsted will contribute to employers' costs instead of charging separate inspection fees, allowing staff to become OIs as part of their professional development pathway. The pilot offers structured engagement opportunities through the Ofsted Academy, facilitating the creation of professional communities between OIs and His Majesty's Inspectors. The first participants began their inspector training in January and continuing through 2026 and are currently undertaking shadow inspections, with live inspections scheduled later this term.

Ofsted has announced plans to change inspections of local authorities’ children’s services (ILACS) in 2026 and 2027, including the removal of the overall effectiveness judgement from April 2026. The decision follows the Big Listen consultation and Ofsted’s commitment to making inspections fairer, including removing overall effectiveness grades across all remits it inspects and regulates. From April 2026, Ofsted will revise the ILACS framework to align inspections with broader reforms in children’s social care. It will also provide additional training for ILACS inspectors and establish an advisory reference group made up of National Advisers, sector experts and representatives from pathfinder local authorities. In 2026, Ofsted will consult on proposals for a renewed children and families services framework, which is planned for introduction in 2027.