Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, is the national regulator for all UK education and training.
In existence for more than 30 years, it inspects services providing education and skills for learners of all ages as well as inspecting and regulating services that care for children and young people.
A non-ministerial department, Ofsted was brought in during 1992 by the then prime minister John Major - two years after his predecessor Margaret Thatcher launched the UK's first national curriculum. Under Mrs Thatcher, schools were still inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs), but there were concerns about the scale and potential bias of inspections. Major's government wanted to introduce a more rigorous system that inspected every school every four years, and so Ofsted came into being.
A common inspection framework was created, thousands of inspectors were hired, and the first inspection took place in 1993. Ofsted was then introduced in state-funded schools with the aim of improving the quality of education across Britain. It published and shared reports with schools, parents and the government.
Daycare and childminders
After its early success in schools, Ofsted was rolled out across all daycare and childminders in 2001, and then to all adult learning organisations in 2007. Higher education institutions (HEIs) and universities were not included as at that time they were the Quality Assurance Agency's responsibility.
By the mid noughties, Ofsted was an educational institution - but there was still room for it to adapt and grow. Between 2001 and 2005, Ofsted became more flexible and more responsive to individual schools' requirements. Instead of following a strict four-year regime, 'outstanding' and 'good' schools were only inspected every six years, 'satisfactory' schools every three, while schools rated 'inadequate' were monitored regularly.
The next change came in 2013, when Ofsted reduced the notice given before an inspection to just two days. This enabled Ofsted to assess organisations as a whole, rather than on a pre-rehearsed training session, helping inspectors to gain a true understanding of how centres ran on a day-to-day basis. Ofsted published the Common Inspection Framework in 2015, so organisations knew what to expect on inspection day.
RoATP
In 2017 Ofsted saw another big change, after the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) brought in the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) (Now APAR)- listing organisations which were eligible to receive government funding to train apprentices.
The register's launch meant that thousands more providers needed to be inspected. Meanwhile, there was a similar surge in the number of employers delivering apprenticeships, so Ofsted inspectors were also required to go into business premises. In response, Ofsted worked hard to gather feedback; updating its processes to make sure inspections were relevant for all businesses.
Universities
In April 2021, a significant shift occurred when universities were brought under Ofsted's watchful eye for the first time. Up until then, Ofsted had only been responsible for quality assurance in apprenticeships up to level 5, while the Office for Students (OfS) handled inspections for degree apprenticeships at levels 6 and 7.
Traditionally, universities had been inspected in a completely different way to other education providers. They had their own quality standards and assessment procedures, so when degree apprenticeships were introduced, they just followed suit.
But, by the 2020s the apprentice training landscape had evolved, with over 50 UK universities delivering degree apprenticeships, including prominent Russel Group universities such as Manchester, Warwick and Cambridge.
By this time there were concerns in the sector that the Office for Students wasn't regulating degree apprenticeships in the same way that Ofsted inspected lower-level apprentice programmes. So, to level the playing field and promote consistency across the board, the Department for Education brought all apprenticeships into Ofsted's remit.
APAR
August 2023 saw the introduction by the DfE of APAR (Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register) - a new body created by merging RoATP (Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers) with RoEPAO, the Register of End Point Assessment Organisations
The goal? To cut through the red tape. APAR's arrival meant that when an organisation received recognition for a standard from Ofqual or the OfS they automatically made it onto the list of approved EPAOs. The best part? The register is kept up to date automatically, thanks to data exchanges between regulators and awarding bodies-taking a load off everyone's shoulders.
Single word Ofsted judgements
Fast forward to 2024 and the arrival of more radical changes - most notably the removal of controversial single word Ofsted judgements.
The new Labour government scrapped these judgements in state schools with immediate effect in September. Ofsted ratings will now be replaced by report cards aimed at improving standards and helping parents to better understand schools' strengths and weaknesses.
Rather than schools being labelled as 'outstanding,' 'good,' 'requires improvement,' or 'inadequate,' they'll now be assessed on key areas like the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. This change will be rolled out at a later stage for private schools, early years settings, colleges, independent training providers, social care and initial teacher training, but the DfE has not said when as yet.
Stay ready
No matter how the timescales or rating criteria change, one thing is clear: Ofsted inspections aren't going anywhere.
They'll continue to play a crucial role for all education and training providers. So, whether you're a childminder, school, college, university, training provider, or employer, it's essential to stay ahead of what Ofsted inspectors will expect from you.
Want to know how OneFile can help you get inspection-ready and excel? Download our free guide and be prepared for your next Ofsted visit!