Life Lessons response to Ousted

Life Lessons response to the new OFSTED Framework

The new OFSTED framework, set to be fully implemented from November 2025, represents a significant shift in how schools in England are to be assessed. Here at Life Lessons Education, we’ve been following the developments closely and are optimistic about many of the proposed changes. We believe the new framework has the potential to create a more supportive and holistic approach to school improvement.

Summary of key changes

Some of the key changes in the new Framework include:

  • No more ungraded inspections – all inspections will cover the full framework and result in a report card.
  • The outcomes from inspections have clearer labelling – not met, expected and strong, with urgent improvement and exceptional labels being available in extreme circumstances. 
  • Schools will be inspected across 6 areas:
    • Safeguarding
    • Inclusion
    • Curriculum and teaching
    • Achievement 
    • Attendance and behaviour 
    • Personal Development and Wellbeing 
  • Outcomes from inspections will be presented in a report card, designed to give a more detailed view of how the school has met the various categories and be accessible to a range of audiences, including parents. 
  • The inspection team visiting schools will include an additional person to enable more supportive conversations and more opportunity to sensitively follow lines of enquiry. 
  • Some categories of inspection will be carried out more frequently (EYFS will now been every 4 rather than 6 years) 
  • The fact that inspections can be halted for reasons of staff wellbeing, acknowledging the pressure that still exists around the inspection process.

What we welcome

  1. A Human-Centred Approach

We are encouraged by the move away from single-word judgments. The introduction of “report cards” with a five-point grading scale across different areas should provide a much more nuanced and detailed picture of a school’s performance. This aligns with our whole school approach at Life Lessons, acknowledging that very little in education works in isolation. 

The increased focus on personal development and well-being is another key positive. At Life Lessons, our entire curriculum is built around equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in all aspects of their lives. We’re pleased to see that OFSTED is now placing a greater emphasis on this crucial area of education, although we believe that the strong links between wellbeing and outcomes could be drawn on further. It is already clear that supporting wellbeing and a sense of belonging and inclusion fosters better long term academic outcomes, and this evidence is growing everyday by drawing on the complex links between wellbeing and belonging on behaviour, attendance, relationships (and more) that themselves have inverse effects on academic achievement.

  1. The focus on Inclusion

The new inclusion evaluation area is also a welcome addition, especially the clarity that inclusion covers not just young people with special additional needs, but also socioeconomically disadvantaged pupils, those known to social care and those facing any barriers to education.

We believe that all young people, regardless of their background or circumstances, deserve access to high-quality personal development education. Our student-led resources are specifically designed to be relatable and inclusive, and we’re delighted that the new framework recognizes the importance of this. The thoroughness of this area is welcome to deliver on this, but we are still conscious that this does not address some systemic issues around inclusion, namely access to high quality training and support for teachers and leaders. 

  1. Acknowledging the potential impacts of the inspection process

Finally, the commitment to a more collaborative and less adversarial inspection process is a step in the right direction. The well-being of school staff is paramount, and a more supportive inspection process will create a better environment for both teachers and students.

Areas for Further Consideration

Ensuring the Framework Fulfills its Potential

While we are optimistic about the new framework, we also believe there are some areas where further consideration is needed. The introduction of “inspection toolkits,” while intended to increase transparency, could inadvertently lead to a new form of “teaching to the test” if not implemented with care. It’s crucial that these toolkits are used to guide and support schools, rather than as a rigid checklist.

While we welcome the new framework’s commitment to taking a school’s context into account, hopefully helping schools with unique needs and challenges to be seen and supported rather than penalised, the success of this approach will depend heavily on the training and guidance provided to inspectors. It’s essential that they are equipped to understand how diverse school contexts can be, and how integral these contexts are to the challenges schools can face. 

Finally, while the new framework is a positive step, it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to alleviate the significant stress and anxiety that has long been associated with OFSTED inspections. We hope that the new, more collaborative approach will help to create a more positive and productive inspection experience for all involved, resulting in the desired outcome of equitable education for all, and the intention of a supervisory, supportive system that leaders can rely on to facilitate school improvement.

Our Commitment to Supporting Schools

At Life Lessons Education, we are committed to supporting schools as they navigate the new OFSTED framework. 

Our curriculum already delivers the following aspects of the ‘Personal Development and Wellbeing’ Outcome through high quality, evidence based approaches:

  • The personal development curriculum meets statutory requirements.
  • The curriculum and wider opportunities prepare pupils for life beyond school.
  • Pupils develop their ability to reflective about their own beliefs and perspectives on life.
  • Pupils gain a sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them. 
  • Pupils develop their ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong.
  • Pupils learn how to manage their own emotions and resolve conflict. 
  • Pupils are taught to recognise online and offline risks to their well-being. 
  • Pupils  know how to keep themselves safe and healthy. 
  • Pupils have an age appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. 
  • Pupils know how to discuss and debate issues and ideas in a considered way and how to engage with views, beliefs and opinions that differ from their own.

We are developing our resources to ensure schools are equipped to provide evidence around how, by working with Life Lessons, they are developing high quality cultures around the following outcomes:

  1. Safeguarding
  2. Inclusion
  3. Attendance and Behaviour 

Want to hear more about how Life Lessons can help your school, request a quote here.