Ofsted publishes updates to school inspection handbooks

From this term state-funded schools will not receive an overall effectiveness grade during graded inspections, following the decision by the Department for Education. This change has been reflected in the handbooks.

The handbooks have also been updated to reflect the previously announced changes to ungraded inspections, designed to reduce the burden on school leaders and allow more time and flexibility for inspectors to get to know the school, including its context and priorities.

Read the school inspection and school monitoring handbooks.

Further changes include an update to how we notify schools of inspections. Notifications for graded and ungraded inspections will now be carried out only on the Monday mornings of the week Ofsted will inspect the school.

Other updates include a change to allow schools which have issues with safeguarding, but there are no other concerns, to remedy the issues before the report is published.

See the updates to the early years and further education and skills inspection handbooks.