School leaders who volunteered for new inspections said they were much more collaborative, but warned about the toll on staff of the 鈥渇ar more rigorous鈥 checks. New report card inspections were introduced last week, with routine inspections restarting on December 1. Currently, inspections are only for schools who volunteered and are led by senior inspectors. But here鈥檚 what five leaders who were inspected had to say about their experience… Collaborative, but rigorous Leaders said the inspections are 鈥渕ore collaborative鈥, with a 鈥渄efinite shift in tone鈥. One leader said inspectors praised what the school was doing well and added they were 鈥渁 lot more open鈥. However, he warned of heightened pressure on staff, saying the inspection was much more rigorous. Staff described 鈥渁 level of pressure that is way heavier than anything they have seen beforehand鈥, he said, adding it was 鈥渁n awful lot of scrutiny, at a granular level, that schools aren鈥檛 used to鈥. Paul Stone One newly qualified teacher was observed 鈥渇or the best part of two-and-a-half hours during the two days, which is way more than anything you would have ever expected under the old framework鈥. Paul Stone, CEO at Discovery Trust, took part in an inspection at one of the trust鈥檚 primary schools last week. He said the inspection, which involved four HMIs on day one and three on day two, was 鈥渋ncredibly intense鈥. While inspectors were 鈥渧ery caring and very clear鈥, the new framework is 鈥渕assively different鈥 and could shock schools, he warned. Concerns about 鈥榮ecure fit鈥 model Headline grades were abolished in September 2024. Under the new framework, schools are instead graded on a colour-coded, five-point scale across a minimum of six judgment areas. To achieve a set grade under Ofsted鈥檚 new 鈥渟ecure fit鈥 model, every standard must be hit, which is a shift from the previous 鈥渂est-fit鈥 model of awarding ratings. Inspectors begin by assessing whether a school meets the requirements for the middle 鈥榚xpected standard鈥 grade. Stone said this approach leaves 鈥渘o wriggle room鈥. Meeting every 鈥榚xpected standard鈥 is 鈥済oing to be hard for schools鈥, the head of the inspected school added. Concerns also centre on the 鈥榓chievement鈥 judgment area. To reach 鈥榚xpected standard鈥, pupils must 鈥渁chieve well鈥 and have attainment and progress scores 鈥渂roadly in line with national averages鈥. Two leaders pointed out that this use of averages means 鈥渉alf of schools simply won鈥檛 meet it鈥. One added that terms like 鈥渢ypically鈥 and 鈥済enerally鈥 in inspection toolkits also leave too much to inspector interpretation. Another leader said the sheer number of requirements in the toolkits makes the pre-inspection self-evaluation process and evidence gathering extremely time-consuming. While another said: 鈥淸With] everything that’s going on in schools鈥 I really, worry about staff, recruitment and retention.鈥 Although he felt the provisional grades his school received were fair, he cautioned: 鈥淵ou can’t boil a school down to a load of boxes and some colours.鈥 Tough grade benchmarks Stone said his school received fewer higher grades than he had expected. Another leader described 鈥榚xpected standard鈥 as 鈥渁 very tough benchmark鈥, and 鈥榮trong standard鈥 as 鈥渁 very high benchmark indeed鈥. 鈥淚 would say 鈥榚xceptional鈥 is quite a bit beyond 鈥榦utstanding鈥 鈥 quite significantly so,鈥 he said, predicting some 鈥榦utstanding鈥 schools would not even achieve one. Another said the 鈥榚xceptional鈥 grade 鈥渋s going to truly embrace its name, in that you will need to be the exception to the rule to achieve that鈥. He added that many schools will be 鈥渇ar more likely to get a range of grades鈥. Stone said he was concerned that even 鈥渟avvy parents will not understand鈥. He said 鈥榥eeds attention鈥 could be interpreted as 鈥渢errible鈥, while moving from 鈥榞ood鈥 to 鈥榚xpected standard鈥 could appear 鈥渓ike you have gone backwards鈥. Ofsted has stressed that the new grading system is not comparable to the previous one. But one leader said: 鈥淩egardless of the narrative, people will be able to draw parallels between the frameworks, the same way that they did with the GCSE grading structures.鈥 Ofsted鈥檚 national director for education, Lee Owston, said this week that the inspectorate is working to produce materials for parents to explain the new grading system. 鈥楪o anywhere in the building鈥 One CEO described their inspection as more 鈥渇luid鈥 and 鈥渙n-the-hoof鈥, compared to 鈥渟tructured鈥 meetings for subject deep dives. 鈥淚t was basically very much kind of 鈥榞o anywhere in the building 鈥 follow children rather than follow subjects鈥, and 鈥榳e’re going to see what we find in that way鈥,鈥 he said. Another leader said inspectors 鈥渢alk[ed] to children a lot more, and not necessarily [only] in the same structured way that they have previously鈥, testing schools鈥 claims against pupils鈥 real experiences. Leaders remarked on the new framework鈥檚 鈥渉uge focus on inclusion鈥 鈥 which includes an 鈥榠nclusion鈥 judgment area. They reported inspectors doing detailed case sampling of around six children who face disadvantage or barriers to their learning. Stone said inspectors also looked at how teaching was being adapted to fit disadvantaged children, and welcomed the inclusion focus as 鈥渓ong overdue鈥. But he added that heads not well supported by a trust or local authority could find the new inspections 鈥渧ery difficult鈥. The primary head added: 鈥淚f you know the needs of your pupils and you know your school, it would be a fairly positive process. But there is absolutely no hiding away from anything.鈥 鈥楨nergised not anxious鈥 Chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said the new 鈥渓earning walks鈥 had 鈥渇elt much more natural and more representative of the normal school life, and there鈥檚 been an emphasis of the approachability of inspectors. 鈥淲hen we inspect, we are asking you to take us on a journey around your school. Tell us your story. 鈥淚nspection is a chance for a dialogue and a genuinely collaborative process in which we are thinking together about what we are seeing.鈥 Speaking at the Schools and Academies Show at the NEC in Birmingham on Wednesday, he said he wanted leaders to 鈥渇eel comfortable and motivated by the changes鈥. 鈥淣ot anxious, but energised by a system that accounts for the complexity and richness of what happens in your schools every single day. 鈥淎nd it should feel energising. This is truly a bold, defining change that fundamentally reshapes how we think about schools, and hopefully, how you all think about yourselves.鈥 He added that Ofsted had 鈥渄one all that we can鈥 to ensure reform is 鈥渄one with you and not to you鈥. He insisted that 鈥渢eacher and leader wellbeing is built into the very aspect of how I designed this renewed approach. 鈥淵our workload matters. Your stress levels, as we鈥檝e seen today, matter. The sustainability of your leadership matters.鈥
Allan 21 November 2025 It was lauded as an inspection framework which would benchmark schools against similar schools and take context into account. It doesn’t. The fastidious and pedantic approach to the grade criteria by inspectors means that schools in disadvantaged areas will fall. It says national average in the EYFS section for strong standard and inspectors applied this to the letter despite a school with breathtaking progress from starting points – this was ignored by inspectors. A school in the pilot, primary where parents are the ones sending children to school, was almost judged as needing improvement despite it being the highest attendance in the south of the city. The grade description said average regardless of context – so this is how inspectors applied it. at no time is context taken into account at the judgement meetings
Mr James Harry Watton 21 November 2025 No surprise. Ofsted tasked with reducing stress for teachers increases workload and stress. And we wonder why staff hate their jobs and regularly leave in 5 years. Don’t get me started on the effect these bureaucrats have on leaders.