Ofsted has today published an evaluation assessing the role that
the current education inspection framework (EIF) has played in
improving curriculum quality in schools.
The evaluation found that curriculum quality has improved in
schools, and that the education inspection framework
(EIF) played
a part in influencing these improvements. However, the
improvements were fundamentally driven by school leaders and
staff.
Read the report: Curriculum
quality: evaluating the impact of the education inspection
framework.
Ofsted carried out curriculum research in 64 schools in 2018, and
revisited 20 of those schools in 2024 to compare curriculum
quality before and after the introduction of
the EIF.
The evaluation found that, in the schools revisited:
- overall curriculum quality had improved
- the intent, implementation and impact structure of
the EIF
had influenced school leaders' thinking about the curriculum
- the curriculum was more likely to be ambitious across all
subjects
- while the quality of reading was high in the initial study,
school leaders had further prioritised reading
- leaders reported that, under the EIF, subject leaders had
greater levels of ownership and responsibility
- the curriculum was more purposefully sequenced and mapped​
Ofsted is currently consulting on a renewed
framework, which will incorporate the best of the
EIF,
including the clear focus on curriculum quality.
Education professionals, parents, carers and learners are all
encouraged to give their views on the consultation before it
closes on 28 April 2025.
Respond to the
consultation
