Ofsted is taking a new approach to Early Years inspections – but is it enough to support practitioners and build trust in the system? Abigail Fleary shares her view…
For those of us who have experienced the dreaded words “Ofsted’s coming”, there is no comparable feeling of impending doom.
As a teacher in a single-form-entry school I was solely responsible for the entire early years provision, so I know it well.
I loved my job and I loved those children, so what was it about Ofsted that made me (and so many other teachers) feel so afraid? Was it that I was being judged, or simply the fear of being told that my best wasn’t good enough?
In my experience – and I was not alone – it was not a supportive process. It got me thinking: why are we putting teachers through this, and is it actually helping?
Four years on from my first inspection, Ofsted has started to evolve, sadly due in part to the tragic death of Ruth Perry. That was a stark reminder that something had to change and quickly.
But what does this new evolution of Ofsted look like? How is it going to support early years practitioners and build up our trust?
Imagine a day when you actually look forward to a visit. When you are confident in what the inspector is looking for, knowing they’re going to celebrate the wonderful things you do on a daily basis. When their feedback will help you to reflect on and improve the parts you haven’t done – yet.
Isn’t this the service we need to deliver the best outcomes for children? That’s exactly how Ofsted wants its new framework to operate, but has it succeeded?
In 2024, Ofsted launched the Big Listen, inviting professionals across the sector to feed back on their experiences.
In response, the inspectorate has brought out a new inspection toolkit, which came into effect in November 2025.
It also introduced a new operating guide and inspection information. These documents include changes that Ofsted hopes will make inspections more collaborative and supportive. Here, I want to consider four of them in particular:
Ofsted will conduct shared observations and increase ongoing professional dialogue with leaders throughout an inspection. Leaders will be allowed to accompany the inspector at all times, where they are able to do so.
Ofsted has put much more emphasis on ensuring its values of professionalism, empathy, courtesy and respect are demonstrated by inspectors.
It has also put in additional training for inspectors to ensure that there is a consistent approach across the sector.
Providers are encouraged to leave feedback on how their inspection was conducted and how they felt these values were shown.
As practitioners, this change gives us a voice. It allows us to provide context to observations and explain how and why our settings are run the way they are.
I know that during my own inspection experience, this change would have really helped me to feel that I was a valuable part of the process.
Crucially, inviting feedback provides the opportunity for practitioners to reflect on their experience and allows Ofsted to continue to improve its service. This ongoing reflective practice may be a key component in building trust.
Ofsted has acknowledged the massive impact an inspection can have on the mental health and wellbeing of practitioners, and has made the following changes.
The notification call will now be before 10 am. Leaders will send useful information via email, instead of giving it on the notification call.
A second planning phone call will take place later that day. This is an opportunity to discuss the curriculum overview as well as the strengths and priorities of the setting.
This will replace the learning walk, which previously took place on the day of inspection. Alongside this, inspectors now receive training on wellbeing and mental health to help them spot signs of stress and anxiety.
Ofsted has also introduced a policy designed to protect staff wellbeing, enabling senior inspectors to pause inspections in the event of an unforeseen incident.
In my opinion these changes could help to relieve the immediate pressure on leaders. It gives time for the words “Ofsted’s coming” to sink in and allows settings to prepare.
It’s reassuring to know that inspectors have acknowledged the stress an inspection can cause. I think this is a strong step in rebuilding the relationship between inspectors and practitioners.
Inclusion has become a distinct area in the new inspection toolkit. Inspectors will look at how settings make early and accurate assessment of needs and how these are reflected in planning.
These children may be selected in case sampling during the inspection, so inspectors can see what a typical day looks like for a child with additional needs.
Inspectors will also consider how settings build relationships with parents and carers, and how external providers are used to support inclusion.
They will consider whether settings have high expectations for all children and how barriers to learning are reduced.
In my experience, inclusion is one of the biggest challenges a setting can face. Issues around funding, staffing or early assessment can pose big barriers to getting the right help for vulnerable children.
However, this area gives practitioners a platform to explain their rationale behind their decisions and provides an opportunity to have professional dialogues about challenges and successes.
Historically, we’ve feared receiving poor feedback due to behavioural challenges or high SEN needs; hopefully this change can give us confidence in our professional judgement.
Ofsted realised that one overall judgement caused a lot of harm in some cases. Its response is to totally reframe the way inspectors grade a setting. Using the toolkit there is now a five-point grading scale:
For each area, a setting will receive an individual grading (this doesn’t apply to safeguarding, which is either Not met or Met).
The rationale behind this is to recognise all the great things a setting is doing. Inspectors are now expected to celebrate strengths, validate leaders’ priorities and highlight areas for improvement.
Although you are still being graded, I think this move reduces the high-stakes pressure of a single judgement.
The new system allows for a setting’s successes to be celebrated, while allowing areas for improvement to be highlighted. In essence, it turns inspection into a developmental tool, as opposed to a pass or fail.
It’s going to take time and consistency to rewrite the relationship between early years practitioners and inspectors. We do need to have a regulatory body, so we will always have a level of scrutiny within our roles.
I feel the toolkit offers greater transparency to inspections; hopefully the changes will help us to reflect, improve, and most of all feel valued for the amazing things we do.
If you would like to learn more about the changes, I very much recommend watching Ofsted’s webinars on YouTube, which go into much more detail.
Abigail Fleary is an Early Years lead.
