What will the new ungraded inspection process be like? 

 

Until one of our schools undergoes this new ungraded inspection process, we won’t know all the details. However, recent Ofsted webinars and our own school development training, led by an Ofsted inspector, have provided valuable insights.

Ofsted aims to make ungraded inspections distinct from graded ones, presenting them more like monitoring visits. During webinars, HMIs emphasized the importance of professional dialogue between leaders and inspectors. Ungraded inspections offer leaders a chance to showcase improvements since the last inspection and outline future goals.

The primary goal of an ungraded inspection is simple: to determine if the school maintains the standards set during the last inspection.

Key Differences in the Ungraded Inspection Process

HMIs highlighted two main differences in these inspections:

 

More Professional Dialogue

Inspectors will take time to understand the school’s context, the challenges faced, and leadership priorities, focusing on the impact of the school’s efforts.

Increased Flexibility

Inspectors will collaborate with leaders to gather evidence, ensuring they understand the school’s operations and the quality of education provided. While some familiar evidence-gathering activities remain, inspectors now have flexibility in how they collect this information. The goal is to ensure there’s enough evidence to evaluate the school accurately.

What Will an Ungraded Inspection Look Like?

Some aspects will feel familiar, but there are subtle and significant changes to note:

 

Pre-Inspection

Inspectors will still review information about the school, including the IDSR and previous reports. Ofsted has suggested they may also review the school’s website.

Educationally Focused Phone Call

In this conversation, inspectors will aim to understand the school's context and leadership priorities. Multiple leaders can participate, and it might be helpful to have someone take notes.

Reflection Time

After the call, inspectors will consider focus areas and how best to gather evidence. This time also allows leaders to prepare additional information for the planning call.

Planning Phone Call

The focus of this call is to finalise the timetable for Day 1 of the inspection, with Day 2 planned later. Focus areas and inspection activities will be negotiated. However, the inspector remains responsible for ensuring the evidence reflects that the school maintains a high standard of education. This process includes verifying that all key areas of the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) are still as strong as in the previous inspection.

School Visit

Inspectors will spend more time in lessons, visiting alongside leaders. Lesson visits will include discussions with pupils and a review of their work. Inspectors may take longer to gather and record this evidence, so extended blocks of inspection time are built into the schedule.

Inspectors might also ‘walk and talk’ with pupils to explore focus areas, rather than relying on formal pupil voice activities.

Certain activities, like listening to the lowest 20% of pupils read or reviewing their writing, remain unchanged. Similarly, safeguarding, staff well-being, and workload will be evaluated.

Ofsted promises time for reflection and discussions with leaders throughout the inspection, aiming to foster collaboration.

Sample Day 1 Timetable

The first day’s timetable will be shaped by the identified focus areas. Flexibility is key, and the inspectors will engage with leaders to plan these activities together.

Focus Areas in Ungraded Inspections

Focus areas shape ungraded inspections. These areas are selected to reflect the school's context, leadership priorities, and a shared commitment to quality education. Typically, there will be 3 or 4 focus areas.

In primary schools, early reading and maths will always be one of the focus areas. Early reading remains a significant emphasis for inspectors, so leaders must be well-versed in the simple view of reading. The second focus area will cover the wider curriculum, considering groups of subjects based on the school’s priorities.

In secondary schools, focus areas will also involve groups of subjects, though the combinations might seem unusual. Examples provided by HMIs include vocational and sixth-form subjects.

Good and Bad Focus Area Examples

Effective: Reviewing the quality of education in history and geography, alongside high-quality assessment.
Ineffective: A broad focus on behavior, which would be difficult to evaluate thoroughly.
Effective: Evaluating leadership actions to reduce bullying, which ties into attendance, PHSCE, and pupil safety.
Ineffective: Focusing solely on the new online safety curriculum, which may not provide sufficient evidence.
Effective: Exploring how the school supports students in staying safe and healthy.
Possible Outcomes of Ungraded Inspections

There are four potential outcomes for ungraded inspections, as outlined in the inspection handbook:

1. The school has maintained the standards from the last inspection.
2. The school’s work has significantly improved across all areas.
3. The school's performance may not be as strong as at the last inspection.
4. Serious concerns arise regarding quality of education, behavior, or safeguarding, which could trigger a graded inspection within 48 hours.

Want to find out more?  Join me on Cross phase – Showcase your subject in Ofsted’s new approach to inspection | Education Services