Ofsted has published its education inspection update for the upcoming academic year starting from September 2026. In this article we will cover the key changes presented in the new education inspection framework (EIF) to help your school prepare for the new academic year.
Over the last few years, Ofsted has embarked on a journey of significant change, leading to the launch of the renewed EIF in November 2025. Through feedback from educational organisations and learners, Ofsted has made a commitment to now have annual reviews and updates to its inspection regulation, leading to better clarity and consistency across the board.
The new inspection toolkits are grounded in the statutory and non-statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE). This means that each year, as part of the updates, Ofsted will reflect how the relevant guidance has changed or will change in the next academic year. This will allow Ofsted to reflect any changes in its inspection practice at the appropriate time.
Ofsted has introduced a new “similar schools” statistical model, developed with the DfE, to help inspectors and leaders compare pupil achievement against schools with similar characteristics and contexts.
School inspection guidance has been updated to use this contextual information when considering achievement, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and progress, and trends over time.
Early years inspections will place greater emphasis on EYFS Profile data and comparisons with national development benchmarks.
Following feedback from smaller schools about workload pressures, Ofsted has updated guidance on who can accompany inspectors during learning walks.
Inspectors are encouraged to use reflection meetings to keep leaders informed of emerging findings.
Learning walks will have a clearer focus on the “curriculum and teaching” and “achievement” evaluation areas, while still gathering evidence for other areas where relevant.
Ofsted’s report cards now include contextual performance data alongside inspection outcomes.
New guidance will be published to help schools, parents and carers understand where this data comes from and how it is used.
Ofsted has begun removing national comparison data from report cards for special schools after feedback that it was not helpful.
Early years inspection materials have been updated to reflect changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage, including expectations around safer sleeping and safer eating.
These changes will also inform inspections of school-based nurseries and maintained nursery schools.
Inclusion remains a major priority and is defined broadly, covering:
Ofsted has added the term “leaders who have an inclusion role”, recognising that inclusion is not solely the responsibility of the SENCo and may involve designated teachers, inclusion leads and other leaders.
This update is inherently linked to the DfE’s recent SEND reform which aims to improve inclusivity across schools and other educational settings. Download our FREE SEND reform guide.
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