Ofsted: latest updates

Stay up to date with all things Ofsted.

Updated
on 17 September 2024
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Contents
  1. 16 September 2024: Ofsted inspection handbook updated for 2024
  2. 3 September 2024: Ofsted publishes results of its 'Big Listen'
  3. 2 September 2024: Ofsted gets rid of single headline judgements
  4. 23 July 2024: new inspection handbooks to be published in September
  5. 8 May 2024: ungraded inspections will not receive 'deep dives' from September 2024
  6. 26 April 2024: schools with RAAC in some of their buildings can defer inspections this term
  7. 24 April 2024: Ofsted outlines its approach to artificial intelligence (AI)
  8. 7 February 2024: having RAAC in your buildings is sufficient grounds to defer an inspection
  9. 19 January 2024: Ofsted inspection handbook updated for 2024
  10. 5 January 2024: Ofsted inspections to begin from 22 January
  11. 2 January 2024: Ofsted delays start of spring term inspections
  12. Older updates: what you may have missed from 2023

16 September 2024: Ofsted inspection handbook updated for 2024

Key changes include:

  • Schools won't get an overall effectiveness grade in graded inspections anymore
  • There are changes to how to work out the likely date of your school's next inspection
  • Your school will be notified about routine inspections on a Monday morning
  • Ungraded inspections will focus on whether schools have taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection, and won't include deep dives
  • Inspections can be suspended for 3 months, to allow leaders to improve safeguarding

For more details, see our summary of the handbook changes, as well as our more detailed summary of Ofsted changes for the 2023/24 academic year.

3 September 2024: Ofsted publishes results of its 'Big Listen'

Ofsted has outlined the main changes that it's making in response to its Big Listen.

Piloting over this autumn term: Ofsted will announce all inspections for that week on a Monday, with inspections taking