Ofsted has changed how it inspects schools this term
What happened
Ofsted's updated inspection materials came into use at the start of this term. The changes apply to inspections from September 2026, and they were published on 12 June 2026 so that schools and other providers had time to prepare. Ofsted inspects a wide range of education in England, and the updates cover several parts of it. For state-funded schools, three changes stand out. The wording on pupil attainment and progress has been clarified so that inspectors consider how results compare with similar schools, rather than only with national averages. There is updated wording on mobile phone policies. And there is new wording on how school leaders engage with pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities, and with their families, as part of how inclusion is judged. Reporting on the changes has also highlighted a broader shift: inspectors are expected to look more closely at whether pupils facing barriers to their learning or wellbeing are achieving well, not only at how the school performs on average. For early years settings, the toolkit now says more about practitioners' responsibilities for child protection, and adds a new standard covering safer sleeping, eating and weaning practices. For further education and skills providers, the safeguarding language has been strengthened around identifying learners and apprentices who may be at risk of harm because of mental health difficulties. Ofsted has also said that toolkit updates will now follow an annual cycle, published ahead of each September.
Why this matters
For most parents, Ofsted is something noticed twice: when choosing a school, and when a report lands. But what inspectors measure shapes what schools prioritise, quietly and continuously. Change the questions and you change where attention goes. So these updates are worth understanding even if you never read an inspection report in full. The comparison change is the most technically significant. Judging a school against schools with a similar intake, rather than against the national average, is a fairer test. A school in a community with high deprivation and a high proportion of pupils with additional needs will look weaker on raw averages than a school in a wealthy area, regardless of how well it teaches. Comparing like with like gets closer to what a school is actually contributing. The inclusion changes matter for a different reason. Families of children with special educational needs and disabilities have spent years describing a system where their children's progress is treated as a footnote. Explicitly asking inspectors to look at whether pupils with barriers to learning or wellbeing are doing well, and at how leaders engage with those families, puts that group nearer the centre of the judgement. The early years addition on safer sleeping, eating and weaning is narrower but important. These are the areas where things go seriously wrong with very young children, and they are practical, checkable practices rather than abstractions. And the move to an annual, published update cycle is a small piece of good administration. Schools can plan against a known rhythm instead of reacting.
What the evidence actually says
A note of realism is worth adding here, because it is easy to read inspection changes as though they automatically change what happens in classrooms. Inspection is a measuring instrument. Changing the instrument changes what gets seen and reported. Whether it improves what children actually experience is a separate question, and a harder one to answer. Comparing schools with similar schools is fairer, but it is not simple. It depends on how similarity is defined, and any grouping method involves judgement calls. Two schools with comparable figures on paper can face very different circumstances. There is also a well-documented tension in school inspection generally: what gets inspected gets prioritised, which is the point, but it can also encourage schools to focus on demonstrating compliance rather than on the underlying thing. That risk does not disappear because the wording improved. On inclusion in particular, the change asks inspectors to look harder. It does not by itself provide schools with more specialist staff, more educational psychologist capacity, or shorter waits for assessment, which are the constraints families most often run into. Better scrutiny is genuinely valuable, and it is not the same as more resource. So the honest summary is that these are sensible, incremental improvements to how schools are judged. They are not a reform of the school system, and Ofsted has not presented them as one. Treating them as either trivial or transformative would both be wrong.
Practical advice
If your child's school is inspected this year, remember an inspection is a snapshot. It is useful information, and it is not the whole truth about a school. Read the report itself, not just the headline judgement. The detail about what the school does well and where it needs to improve is far more useful when choosing or supporting a school than a single word. If your child has special educational needs or disabilities, note that how leaders engage with pupils and families like yours now forms part of the inclusion judgement. If you have experience of that engagement, good or bad, it is relevant. Parents can share views with inspectors. Ofsted runs a parent survey during inspections, and schools are asked to tell parents when an inspection is taking place. If you have something to say, that is the moment. If you have a concern about your child's school, the route is usually to raise it with the school first, then the governing body or academy trust, before escalating. Ofsted is not a complaints service for individual disputes, though it does take account of complaints about a school as a whole. If your child has a medical condition, check that the school's arrangements for supporting them are written down and shared with the staff who teach them. Schools in England have duties to support pupils with medical conditions, and this is worth confirming rather than assuming.
What to know
Ofsted's updated inspection toolkits and operating guides apply to inspections from September 2026. They were published on 12 June 2026. For state-funded schools, the notable changes are clearer wording on comparing attainment and progress with similar schools rather than only national averages, updated wording on mobile phone policies, and new wording on how leaders engage with pupils with SEND and their families as part of the inclusion judgement. Inspectors are also expected to look more closely at whether pupils facing barriers to learning or wellbeing are achieving well. Early years settings see expanded child protection content and a new standard on safer sleeping, eating and weaning. Further education and skills providers see strengthened safeguarding wording on learners at risk because of mental health difficulties. Future updates will be published annually ahead of each September. These are worthwhile, incremental changes to how schools are measured. Fairer comparison and closer attention to inclusion are real improvements. They do not, on their own, add specialist staff or shorten waits for assessment, which is where many families feel the pressure most. Sources: Ofsted, "Inspection materials updated ahead of September 2026", GOV.UK, 12 June 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/inspection-materials-updated-ahead-of-september-2026; Ofsted, "What you need to know about the September 2026 updates to education inspections", Ofsted education blog, 12 June 2026, https://educationinspection.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-september-2026-updates-to-education-inspections/; Schools Week, "Ofsted: Key changes to school inspection from September 2026", https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-the-key-changes-to-school-inspection-from-september-2026/ This article is for general information about education policy and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. If your child has a medical condition affecting their schooling, speak to the school and to your GP or specialist team.
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