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Cultural capital: what it is and how to monitor it

Get a handle on what ‘cultural capital’ means and how Ofsted will consider it as part of your school’s quality of education. Find out what questions you can ask your school leaders, so you feel confident pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.

Last reviewed on 12 April 2024See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 40777
Contents
  1. What is cultural capital?
  2. How will Ofsted inspect it? 
  3. How do I monitor it?
  4. Questions to ask school leaders

What is cultural capital?

How Ofsted defines it

Ofsted added the term 'cultural capital' to the School Inspection Handbook in 2019. In paragraph 255, it defines it as:

...the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

In her speech in 2019, former chief inspector Amanda Spielman explained what the term means in practice:

By [cultural capital], we simply mean the essential knowledge, those standard reference points, that we want all children to have.

... So for example, it’s about being able to learn about and name things that are, for many, outside their daily experience.

Cultural capital doesn’t just come from British 'high' culture (e.g. trips to the ballet or opera, or an understanding