Ofsted Inclusion, Explained Plainly

From The Education Commute · 16:50

Show by The Education Commuter

This episode walks through what Ofsted's Inclusion evaluation area asks of a school, in plain language, using the toolkit for inspections from the seventh of September twenty twenty-six. A headteacher or deputy and a Senco cover the four groups of pupils, the six factors, everyday inclusive teaching and the graduated approach, and what schools publish. They finish with how inspectors gather evidence through professional conversations and what the expected standard looks like. Strong and exceptional are signposted for the next episode.What's coveredThe four groups the area considers, and the wording "may include" for other barriersThe six factors inspectors focus on, and how they apply to different ages and stagesEveryday high-quality inclusive teaching, and the graduated approach: assess, plan, do and reviewWhat gets published: the accessibility plan, the special educational needs information report and the inclusion strategy, including the inclusive mainstream fund named in the toolkitWhy the toolkit does not ask for documents made specially for an inspectionProfessional conversations, and how inspectors may discuss internal data without reviewing itThe expected standard, and what "typically" and "generally" mean for how you describe your workA signpost to the strong standardQuestions to askQuestions to ask yourself. One: if a teacher were asked what everyday high-quality inclusive teaching looks like in their classroom, before any individual adaptation, what would they say?Two: how quickly do we spot a new or changing need, and how do we know we got it right?Three: does our inclusion strategy on the website say how our funding meets the needs of our own cohort?Questions to ask others. Ask a colleague: what is your part in delivering our pupil premium strategy?And ask a governor: how do you hold us to account for the support we give each of these groups of pupils?Join the discussionWhat does everyday inclusive teaching look like in your school? Tell us in the comments. No pupil names or personal details needed.Actions for considerationAsk teachers what everyday high-quality inclusive teaching looks like in their classroom before any individual adaptation.Check how quickly your school spots a new or changing need, and how you know the identification is accurate.Read your published accessibility plan, special educational needs information report and inclusion strategy, and check they are easy to find and describe what you actually do.Check that your inclusion strategy says how your funding meets the needs of your own cohort.Ask staff to explain their role in delivering the pupil premium strategy, and how they are trained and supported to use assess, plan, do and review.Ask governors how they hold leaders to account for the support given to each of the four groups.SourceOfsted, State-funded school inspection toolkit, version 2.0, June 2026, for inspections from 7 September 2026: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a915d1c01bbff0bf8f97b51/Schools_inspection_toolkit.pdfTwo free newsletters, one for staff and one for parents and carers, at theeducationcommute.co.uk.Both voices on this show are pretend; the judgement isn't. This episode is general information about Ofsted's published toolkit, not advice on a particular inspection. Check the current toolkit.

More episodes of The Education Commute

More episodes

PodSearch is a free, independent podcast search engine. Read about PodSearch, the privacy policy or contact us.