OFSTED Inspection Reform - November 2025 - What's changing?
From 10 November 2025 the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) will come into force. The key changes include:
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A shift away from a single “overall effectiveness” verdict to a report card format, which presents separate graded judgements across several evaluation areas.
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Introduction of a five-point grading scale for each area, instead of the traditional four-category scale (Outstanding/Good/Requires Improvement/Inadequate). The new grades are: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
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Six (in most cases) core evaluation areas across which schools will be judged:
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Leadership & governance
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Curriculum and teaching
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Achievement
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Attendance & behaviour
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Personal development & wellbeing
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Inclusion (this is new)
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A new inspection methodology described as “secure-fit” (all the criteria within a grade must be met) replacing the previous “best‐fit” model.
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Increased focus on disadvantaged pupils, learners with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), and those in or leaving care — especially through the inclusion evaluation area.
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Revised inspection frequency: for example early years settings will be inspected at least once every four years (previously six) in many cases.
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The reforms also include an enhanced focus on staff wellbeing and workload, partly in response to feedback from the sector.
What Does This Mean for Pupils?
For pupils, the reforms are intended to bring several potential benefits:
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More tailored and transparent feedback
The new report cards will highlight strengths and areas for improvement in specific domains (e.g., inclusion, personal development) rather than delivering only a single headline judgement. This means pupils (via parents) may get clearer information about aspects of their school experience (for example how the school supports vulnerable learners).
This could support better decision-making about the quality of provision and help families understand how well their child’s school is doing in the specific areas that matter to them.
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Greater focus on inclusion and disadvantage
With “Inclusion” elevated to a core evaluation area, pupils with SEND, those from disadvantaged backgrounds or those in care should attract more consistent scrutiny of how well their needs are met. This may help reduce variability in the quality of support they receive and raise the profile of their outcomes within inspection regimes.
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Potentially earlier intervention for under-performing schools
Schools receiving lower grades (for example “Urgent improvement”) in certain domains will face more frequent monitoring inspections. That could mean faster action to improve areas that directly affect pupils’ experiences (behaviour, teaching quality, personal development).
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More nuanced picture of school quality
Because pupils’ experiences are multifaceted (not solely academic attainment), the wider evaluation range (behaviour, personal development, wellbeing) may better reflect the lived experience of students. For example, a school might have strong attainment but weaker personal development – the new framework will allow those tensions to be seen.
However, there may also be risks to watch:
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If schools prioritise achieving higher inspection grades, there is a chance that resources and effort shift to inspection-compliance rather than all-round pupil experience.
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Pupils in schools judged as needing attention may experience instability during improvement processes (staff changes, restructuring, etc).
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Because the system is new, there may be inconsistency in how inspection judgements are applied across schools, which could affect fairness for pupils in less well-resourced settings.
What Does This Mean for Teachers and School Staff?
For teachers, leaders and support staff, the reforms bring a number of practical and strategic implications:
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Broader focus of inspection means broader preparation
With evaluation areas including personal development, behaviour & attendance, inclusion plus leadership and curriculum, staff may need to be ready to show evidence across a wide range of domains — not just teaching and learning. This means more documentation, tracking, policies and outcomes for non-academic areas.
The shift from a single overall grade to multiple domain grades may require schools to embed a more holistic approach to continuous improvement.
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Greater emphasis on staff wellbeing built into framework
Ofsted’s announcement emphasises that the reforms include safeguards around professionals’ workload and wellbeing. For example, adding an additional inspector on school inspections to support the process. If well implemented, this could reduce some of the stress associated with high-stakes inspections.
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Inspection outcomes will be more visible and granular
Because report cards will show strengths and weaknesses by domain, teachers may see more specific feedback about their areas of development. This could support targeted professional development but also may increase pressure if staff feel exposed in weaker domains (e.g., inclusion, personal development).
There is a possibility that staff may feel more accountable across more domains, which could raise anxiety or workload unless managed carefully.
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Leading improvement may require more strategic planning
School leaders will need to align strategy to multiple graded areas, and often show how each domain is being addressed. For example, demonstrating how the curriculum supports personal development, or how attendance/behaviour links to academic outcomes. Leadership and governance grade remains central and may require greater cross-department coordination.
Teachers may increasingly find themselves involved in whole-school improvement work (beyond their classroom), connecting their practice to inspection domains.
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Potential benefits and challenges for career development
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Benefit: The more nuanced feedback may help teachers identify strengths and areas for growth more clearly — enabling more personalised CPD and career pathways.
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Challenge: If inspection outcomes influence reputational and performance metrics, staff may feel increased pressure, especially in schools judged to need improvement in one or more domains.
Additionally, unions and staff associations have expressed concern about timelines and workload implications of the reforms.
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Key Take-aways for Schools and Stakeholders
For schools, suppliers and education support professionals (including those using businesses such as Supply Hive to connect with schools), these reform changes present both opportunities and responsibilities:
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Opportunity: The broader focus of inspections may create market demand for resources and support in areas such as personal development, inclusion, wellbeing, attendance & behaviour tracking, and professional development around leadership.
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Responsibility: Schools will need to ensure their systems, evidence and policies are aligned to all evaluation domains — not just traditional teaching & learning. This means integrating strategies across leadership, curriculum, wellbeing and inclusion.
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Preparation: Schools should begin reviewing how they monitor and evaluate performance across the new domains; ensure that there is clear evidence on inclusion, personal development, attendance/behaviour; and that staff understand how their roles contribute to these domains.
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Communication: Because the report cards will be more detailed, schools should prepare to communicate outcomes clearly to parents, carers and stakeholders — explaining strengths and areas for development in each domain.
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Supplier alignment: Educational suppliers might consider how their services map to the new evaluation areas — e.g., tools that support tracking of wellbeing, behaviour/attendance, inclusion interventions, leadership training, or curriculum mapping.
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Wellbeing matters: For teachers and leaders, this is a reminder to embed a culture of support and workload management — while inspection pressure may change its nature, the demands remain significant.
Conclusion
The overhaul of the inspection framework by Ofsted represents one of the most significant changes in many years. With its launch scheduled for November 2025, the implications for pupils, teachers and school systems are substantial. Pupils could benefit from a more nuanced and holistic inspection system that highlights supports for inclusion and personal development, while teachers and leaders will need to adapt to a broader set of evaluation criteria and ensure their work contributes effectively across all domains.
