Ofsted Short Inspections

From September, schools and further education and skills providers that were judged good at their most recent inspection will receive a short inspection approximately every three years. The vast majority of good schools and providers maintain this standard at their next inspection. They are making this change in order to reduce the burden of full inspections on good schools and providers.

Short inspections will start from the assumption that the school or provider remains good. Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) will test this through their inspection activities and through constructive and challenging professional dialogue with leaders and governors. It will be for leaders to provide evidence so that HMI can validate this assumption. Inspectors will examine leaders’ and managers’ capacity to drive ongoing improvement.

Short inspections will be led by an HMI. HMI will be on site for a maximum of one day in schools and two days in further education and skills providers. HMI will only make judgements on whether the school or provider remains good and safeguarding is effective. They will not make a full set of graded judgements and will not change the overall effectiveness of the school or provider.

If HMI are unable to gather sufficient evidence that the school or provider remains good, or they have concerns, they will quickly convert the inspection into a full inspection that will make the full range of judgements. If they see evidence of rapid improvement and consider that the school or provider may already be outstanding, they will also quickly trigger a full inspection.

Through short inspections, they will be able to recognise and acknowledge earlier where schools and providers have improved. It also means that schools and providers that are in decline will be identified earlier and supported faster. Short inspections will allow Ofsted to provide more up-to-date and relevant information to parents, to the broader community and to schools and providers themselves.