Ofsted webinars for schools

This term we hosted the following webinars:

  • School inspection update: autumn 2024 
  • Changes to ungraded inspections
  • Strong foundations in the first years of school

Recordings are available on the @Ofsted YouTube channel. Links below. 


Past webinars


Strong foundations in the first years of school - recording available soon
In this webinar, we shared some of the key messages from our recent publication and explored what our research and inspection suggest schools could pay particular attention to in Reception and key stage 1, so that all children gain the knowledge and skills that will prepare them for key stage 2 and beyond.


Changes to ungraded inspections 

In this webinar we discussed our new approach to ungraded inspections from September 2024.

School inspection update: autumn 2024

In this webinar provided an outline of the updates to the school inspection handbook for maintained schools and academies.  

 

How Ofsted inspects small primary schools
In this webinar we explained how Ofsted looks at the quality of education in small primary schools. 


How Ofsted inspects alternative provision
In this webinar, we discussed our approach to the inspection of alternative provision (AP) using the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) and explored how we use the EIF’s flexibilities to enable us to understand an AP’s core work and curriculum.


How Ofsted inspects behaviour 
During this webinar we shared our latest research findings on behaviour in maintained schools and academies. We considered the potential barriers to securing good behaviour and the key actions that effective schools are prioritising. We focussed on how schools establish high expectations, what pupils are explicitly taught and why, the importance of training for staff and getting things right from the start.


An update on attendance with Ofsted and DfE
During this webinar we provided a national update on attendance matters for maintained schools and academies. We considered how Ofsted inspects attendance and explored the updated attendance guidance from the DfE. The messages in this webinar build on those of the webinar we held in February 2022 where we considered how schools are securing good attendance and tackling persistent absence

How Ofsted inspects safeguarding in schools
In this webinar explored what makes for an effective safeguarding culture, reasons why safeguarding may be ineffective, what might constitute a need for minor improvements, the checks they make on the single central record and how Ofsted reports on safeguarding.  


Ofsted's school inspection update: autumn 2023
This webinar provides an outline of the updates to the school inspection handbook for maintained schools and academies including: safeguarding, early monitoring inspections, inspection timings, leadership and governance and sharing judgements. 

Early years in schools
In this webinar we will discuss communication and language and what inspectors look for on inspection including the use of phonics and early reading.  We will explore deep dives in the early years and share insights from our research.

Curriculum and subject leadership
In this webinar we will look at how subject leaders are involved in Ofsted inspections. We will explore the evidence we gather on deep dives, findings from our recent curriculum research reviews and share insights from our subject leads. 

How schools are inspected
This session focussed on the practicalities of school inspection from the initial notification of inspection right through to the publication of the final report.  

Securing good attendance and tackling persistent absence
This session focussed on how inspectors look at attendance during an EIF school inspection. We shared some of the findings from our research into how schools secure good attendance and some of the things that schools do when they tackle persistent absence well. 

Secondary pupils who need to catch up with reading
This session explored what research and inspection tells us about effective assessment, curriculum and pedagogy for secondary-aged pupils who need to catch up urgently with reading. 

EIF inspections: seeing the big picture
This session explored how inspectors weigh up the evidence they collect on inspection, seeing the big picture of what a school is providing overall for its pupils.  


Governance and inspection 
In this session we discussed the inspection process and clarified the role of school governors in the process. 

EIF inspections in special schools
The focus of this webinar was on how we apply the education inspection framework (EIF) in special schools and the specific factors that Ofsted inspectors take into account on these inspection.

Inspections and teacher workload 
In this session, we discussed inspections and teacher workload and explained how we consider the workload and well-being of leaders and staff on inspection.

EIF inspections in primary schools
In this session, we explained how we inspect against our framework in primary schools and explored areas such as leadership, deep dives and early reading.


Inspections and the COVID-19 pandemic 
In this session, we discussed school inspections and the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We outlined inspection timings and how we consider the impact of the pandemic on schools during inspections when we’re making judgements.