If I were a headteacher today preparing for an inspection under the new framework, I would know I need to gather information to support my assertions about where my school’s provision is in relation to Ofsted’s evaluation criteria.
Because the framework is new, I would need to ensure my judgements align with the expectations set out in the inspection toolkit.
Ofsted Inspection Changes 2025: What Schools Need to Know
To feel secure in my judgements, I would need to be fully conversant with the new framework and secure about the evidence I have available. The unfamiliar terminology might be an early sticking point. For example, the change from ‘secure’ to ‘expected standard’ gives me some concern, with expected standard feeling more demanding than just secure.
Of course, my senior leaders and governors would also need to be confident in their judgements. It is therefore important that we all have clarity about the expectations and that we are confident in our understanding of these expectations.
There is little doubt that there has been a shift in direction, with areas such as inclusion gaining greater prominence. How we provide for children with special educational needs will be under greater scrutiny as, indeed, will be our provision for disadvantaged children. In the past, we may have been confident that this was a strength, but we may feel there has been greater pressure of late with children arriving in our nursery and reception classes with more issues than before.
Similarly, the well-being of staff may be something that in the past we would have been proud of, but this is an area that has changed in recent years. We may need to show a greater level of proactivity regarding what we do now to secure the well-being of children and staff.
It is impossible to ignore the additional pressure that the new framework puts on school leadership and governance. Many may agree that leadership should come under greater scrutiny as we move forward, but again and again the framework focuses on what the leadership is doing …to manage behaviour, …to secure good attendance, …to drive the curriculum, …to develop teaching, etc.
It is therefore important that leaders seek as much support as is possible to help gauge where their self-evaluation sits considering the new framework’s judgements.
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Focus offer a number of ways in which we can support schools with self evaluation.
SEF Service
We offer a service to help you organise your self-evaluation document. We look at each of the areas outlined in the report card, consider the documents you send us, and give you a very good draft. Find out more
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View our full range of resources to help with Self-Evaluation
View our full range of resources to help prepare for an Ofsted Inspection