Welcome to SAfE’s latest Ofsted tracker, highlights and insights

In this edition of OFSTED Insights, we examine how achievement is evaluated within the revised framework, explore the likely key indicators inspectors will consider, and outline strategies to support leaders in evidencing impact effectively.

The revised Ofsted inspection framework introduces a significant shift in how inspectors evaluate achievement, treating it as a distinct evaluation area, separate from curriculum and teaching. This separation enables inspectors to recognise when curriculum design and teaching are strong, even if this has not yet translated into high outcomes, while also identifying where specific weaknesses may sit.

For senior leaders, the key message is that achievement is now understood through a broader and more nuanced lens. Evidence is drawn from a wider range of sources, demonstrating not only what pupils have achieved, but also how securely they have built the knowledge that enables them to progress. Achievement is no longer judged through data alone; rather, it is evaluated through the extent to which pupils have secured the foundational knowledge, fluency and readiness for the next stage that the curriculum intends.

Within the framework, achievement is understood through the combined lens of attainment and progress. Inspectors will consider whether pupils reach expected standards in national assessments and whether they develop secure knowledge from their individual starting points. To build a balanced and secure picture of achievement, inspectors will draw upon a broad evidence base, including pupils’ work, lesson visits, case sampling, discussions with pupils and leaders, curriculum expectations, and national assessment outcomes detailed within the Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR).

For senior leaders, bringing together findings from their own ongoing monitoring and evaluation enables them to speak with confidence about whether pupils are learning what is intended. This creates a secure first-hand understanding that feeds directly into robust self-evaluation. It also places leaders in a stronger position during inspection activities, particularly learning walks and professional discussions focused on achievement.

Within inspection, a school’s national assessment data provides an important starting point. The IDSR forms the basis of pre-inspection discussions, enabling inspectors to understand longer-term attainment and progress trends, identify groups whose outcomes appear lower, and consider contextual factors such as levels of disadvantage, SEND profiles and the use of alternative provision.

The use of three-year averages helps reduce variability, particularly for smaller schools, while the revised statistical methodology places schools into seven bandings, with colour-coded indicators highlighting any significant patterns that may require further exploration.

During the pre-inspection call, inspectors will invite leaders to explain areas of lower performance, outline actions currently underway, and articulate how they know these actions are having impact. This early conversation shapes the initial inspection focus and provides leaders with an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the school’s performance narrative. Importantly, this initial picture of achievement provides the context for exploring a further layer of evidence: how effectively the curriculum secures the foundational knowledge pupils need to progress.

A central aspect of this curriculum focus is how effectively schools build the foundational knowledge pupils require to access increasingly complex learning. Secure language and communication, early reading, phonics, number fluency, vocabulary development and handwriting are viewed as essential building blocks in pupils’ achievement and progress. In evaluating achievement, inspectors are therefore likely to consider pupils’ fluency and accuracy, the extent to which foundational gaps hinder learning, and the timeliness and effectiveness of leaders’ responses when pupils begin to fall behind.

Within this, it is valuable for leaders to reflect on how effectively their youngest pupils are supported to make the best possible start. Key aspects of provision that contribute to this include:

Inclusion is threaded throughout the achievement evaluation area. While inspectors evaluate outcomes for all pupils, there is a particularly sharp focus on pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils, children looked after, and pupils who face barriers relating to wellbeing or attendance.

It is therefore essential that leaders can demonstrate how their provision reflects the specific context of their school, and how high ambition for all pupils is consistently embedded within everyday practice. This includes evidencing a thoughtful, research-informed approach to the use of Pupil Premium funding.

To support ongoing self-evaluation around achievement, leaders may find it helpful to reflect on whether:

In terms of evaluation judgements, inspectors distinguish between expected, strong and exceptional standards of achievement. At the expected standard, pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages, disadvantaged pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages for disadvantaged pupils nationally, and foundational knowledge is secure. To meet the strong standard, inspectors are likely to look for disadvantaged pupils achieving above national disadvantaged averages and for gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils to be closing rapidly. Exceptional achievement is not simply an extension of strong performance. Rather, it reflects transformational impact on pupils, innovative leadership that removes entrenched barriers, and outcomes that demonstrate the sustained impact of high-quality provision over time.

In summary, the revised framework evaluates achievement in a more rounded and meaningful way. Alongside national assessment data, inspectors will consider the security of pupils’ knowledge, the effectiveness of curriculum design, the timeliness of intervention when pupils are at risk of falling behind, and the success of all pupils, particularly those facing the greatest barriers.

By drawing on a broad evidence base and fostering professional dialogue across their teams, leaders can develop a clear, evidence-informed and confident account of how well pupils are achieving within their school community.