Ofsted inspection cyle to accelerate so all schools are inspected by July 2025

Ofsted has set published a new strategy for the next five years (2022 to 2027), which sets out its strategic priorities.

It includes commitments to accelerate the inspection cycle so that all schools are inspected by July 2025, and will allow more time for professional dialogue and evidence-gathering by increasing the proportion of longer inspections in education.

The new strategy commits Ofsted to helping make sure every child’s earliest experience of education is as good as it can be. It states that Ofsted will use research and insight to support young children’s physical, social and wider development, increase training for the inspection workforce and promote a better understanding of early education and care in support of positive change.

Ofsted will also share data and insights about group-owned early years providers, to improve regulatory oversight at the group level, and work with government to simplify the regulatory regime for childminders.

Ofsted also commits to assessing all further education colleges on how well they are meeting the skills needs of the economy within the next four years.

It will review social care inspections following the recommendations of the independent care review.

Ofsted's strategy also says it will develop and implement a new area SEND inspection framework that holds the right agencies to account for their role in the system.

The strategy also pledges to enhance inspections of independent schools, so swift intervention can happen where standards are poor.

Ofsted will also work with the Department for Education (DfE) to increase powers to act when children are educated or cared for in unregistered settings, and will commit to improving the diversity of our staff, across grades and roles.