How Ofsted inspects 'quality of education'

Be clear on how your school's curriculum will be inspected under the 'quality of education' judgement.

Last reviewed on 16 August 2023
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School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 36197
Contents
  1. Your role as a governing board
  2. The transition period ended in 2022, but Ofsted recognises your curriculum may still be changing
  3. Your school is expected to provide a 32.5-hour school week by September 2024 at the latest
  4. 3 central concepts: 'intent, implementation and impact'
  5. The inspection is a 3-stage process
  6. In a nutshell: what’s an 'outstanding' quality of education?
  7. Myths about the process, busted

Your role as a governing board

As a governing board, you won't be inspected under Ofsted's 'quality of education' judgement. Find out how governance is inspected.

The sections below are about how Ofsted inspects your school's curriculum. You don't need to know this information in great detail, but understanding the basics can help you monitor your school's approach.

Read our article to find out what questions inspectors might ask you.

The transition period ended in 2022, but Ofsted recognises your curriculum may still be changing

Ofsted ended its curriculum transition arrangements in September 2022. It previously put these arrangements in place to help schools transition to the 2019 Ofsted framework, and extended them due to the pandemic.

The 'good' grade descriptor covering curriculum adaptation is still in

Read next

Also in "The inspection framework"