Organisations inspected for their early career framework training and national professional qualifications will get the right to present additional evidence in meetings with Ofsted and longer to request a deferral.
Ofsted has also given providers more time after the inspection to flag concerns.
But guidance is now more vague on when providers will get the call informing them of an impending inspection, when conversations with the lead inspector will take place and when teams will arrive on site.
Ofsted has set out a range of changes to its inspection framework and handbook for lead ECF and NPQ providers, which get full inspections every two years and monitoring visits during the first year of delivering their course.
The changes take effect today.
Here’s a summary of the main changes.
1. Notification call could come later
The previous handbook stated Ofsted would contact the lead provider’s representative between 9.30am and 11am five working days before the inspection.
The updated document states this call will simply come “after 9.30am” five days before the visit.
2. Deadline for deferral requests extended
A section on inspection deferrals has been updated. Previously it stated that Ofsted “will not normally consider a deferral request if we receive it after 4.30pm on the day that the lead provider is notified”.
That passage has been removed. Updated guidance states that a lead provider “may make a request to the Inspection Support Administrator when it is notified of the inspection, or at the earliest opportunity but before the start of the inspection”.
3. Providers can present more evidence in daily meetings
Inspectors meet each day of an inspection to discuss emerging findings, with lead providers previously invited as “observers”.
Ofsted has updated its handbook to state that at these meetings, lead provider representatives “are given the opportunity to present additional evidence as well as to share their reflections on what they have heard”.
“This will give leaders the opportunity to clarify any factual inaccuracies and draw inspectors’ attention to any other specific matters.”
4. Ofsted gives providers longer to raise concerns
Previous guidance stated that lead providers with concerns about their inspection could contact Ofsted “on the working day after the end of the inspection, if necessary”.
The new document states they can “contact Ofsted after the end of the inspection, if necessary”.
5. Less specific timings for ‘focused’ conversations
Lead inspectors hold “educationally focused” conversations with lead providers after they have notified them of an inspection.
The old guidance stated this would “normally” take place between 1pm and 3pm on the day of the notification call, and would “usually” last around 90 minutes.
The new guidance states simply that it will take place on the same day as the notification call, without reference to specific timings or duration.
6. Focus on preparing NPQs for leadership
A section about what inspectors will seek to understand from the initial conversation has also been updated.
It previously stated they would want to understand “how leaders have designed a curriculum to implement the NPQ programmes of education effectively so that they are taught comprehensively”.
But this sentence has been extended to include “and prepare NPQ participants for leadership roles within their setting.”
The previous document also stated that inspectors would seek to understand how leaders ensure their curriculum prepared ECTs to teach effectively and NPQ participants for leadership roles. These points have been removed.
7. Updated guidance on planning discussions
The next phase of an ECF or NPQ visit is an inspection planning discussion.
Previously, the guidance stated these would “normally take place on a Monday, after the reflective, educationally focused conversation, and will continue on the Thursday and Friday”.
The new handbook states the discussions “will normally start after the educationally focused conversation, and continue during the two working days before the inspection”.
8. Arrival times more vague
The handbook has also been updated with less specific timings for the arrival of inspectors.
It previously stated that they would normally arrive between 10.30am and noon, and that “earlier activities may be planned if they are virtual and do not interfere with travel”.
“Where the inspection starts on a Monday, the lead inspector should adapt the start time to ensure that team members do not need to travel on a Sunday evening.”
The new document simply states inspectors “will normally arrive at the site on the morning of the first day of a full inspection”.
