Improving the way Ofsted inspects education: supporting evidence base
Updated 11 June 2025
Applies to England
Introduction
The references below highlight the statutory guidance, non-statutory guidance, professional standards and a selection of the research papers that we have reviewed to inform and develop the design of the toolkits, the proposed inspection methodology and inspector training. The selection of research references that we have included here focus on recent papers and articles that build on existing evidence. This includes evidence that we published in our āEducation inspection framework: overview of researchā report.
Relevant statutory and non-statutory guidance and professional standards
ā16 to 19 study programmesā, Department for Education, July 2017.
āAcademy trust governance guideā, Department for Education, October 2024.
Alternative provisionā, Department for Education, June 2016.
āBehaviour in schoolsā, Department for Education, February 2024.
āCareers guidance and access for education and training providersā, Department for Education, January 2023.
āCyberbullyingā, Department for Education, July 2017.
āDevelopment mattersā, Department for Education, September 2023.
āEarly years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory frameworkā, Department for Education, November 2024.
āEarly years qualification requirements and standardsā, Department for Education, January 2024
āEducation for children with health needs who cannot attend schoolā, Department for Education, December 2023.
āEquality Act 2010: guidance for schoolsā, Department for Education, June 2018.
āHeadteachersā standards 2020ā, Department for Education, October 2020.
āIndependent school standardsā, Department for Education, August 2019.
āKeeping children safe in education 2024ā, Department for Education, September 2024.
āMaintained schools governance guideā, Department for Education, October 2024.
āNational curriculum in England: framework for key stages 1 to 4ā, Department for Education, December 2014.
āParticipation of young people: education, employment and trainingā, Department for Education, April 2024.
āPrevent duty guidanceā, Home Office, January 2024.
āPromoting children and young peopleās mental health and wellbeingā, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Department for Education, November 2023.
āUsing pupil premium: guidance for school leadersā, Department for Education, September 2024.
āRelationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health educationā, Department for Education, September 2021.
āSchool suspensions and permanent exclusionsā, Department for Education, August 2024.
āSpecial educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 yearsā, Department for Education and Department of Health, September 2024.
āTeachersā standardsā, Department for Education, December 2021.
āWorking together to improve school attendanceā, Department for Education, August 2024.
āWorking together to safeguard childrenā, Department for Education, February 2024.
Methodology and cross-framework
āEducation inspection framework: overview of researchā, Ofsted, January 2019.
A Colman, āSchool leadership, school inspection and the micropolitics of compliance and resistance: Examining the hyper-enactment of policy in an area of deprivationā, in āEducational Management Administration & Leadershipā, Volume 49, Issue 2, 2021.
āNational professional qualifications frameworksā, Department for Education, October 2020.
S Gardezi, G McNamara, M Brown and J OāHara, āExploring the multifaceted nature of school inspectorsā power dynamics: A comparative analysis of four quality assurance systemsā in āReview of Educationā, Volume 12, Issue 3, December 2024.
J Jerrim and A Jones, āThe strengths and limitations of using quantitative data to inform school inspectionsā, in āSchool Effectiveness and School Improvementā, Volume 35, Issue 2, 2004, pages 142 to 160.
G Leckie and H Goldstein, āThe importance of adjusting for pupil background in school value-added models: a study of Progress 8 and school accountability in Englandā, in āBritish Educational Research Journalā, Volume 45, Issue 3, 2019, pages 518 to 537.
T Leech and S Vitello, āWhat is a holistic judgement, anyway?ā in āResearch Papers in Educationā, Volume 39, Issue 6, 2024, pages 936 to 958.
M S C Thomas and Y Arslan, āWhy does the brain matter for education?ā, in āBritish Journal of Educational Psychologyā, Early View, 2024.
C Quesel, K Schweinberger, and G Mƶser, āResponses to positive and negative feedback on organizational aspects of school quality: teachersā and leadersā views on a Swiss traffic light approach to school inspectionā in āSchool Effectiveness and School Improvementā, Volume 32, Issue 3, 2021, pages 345 to 362.
R Simeonova, Y Parvanova, M Brown, G McNamara, S Gardezi, J OāHara, L del Castillo Blanco, Z Kechri and E Beniata, āA continuum of approaches to school inspections: cases from Europeā, in āPedagogyā, Volume 92, Number 4, 2020, pages 487 to 506.
Curriculum
āBest start in life: a research review for early yearsā, Ofsted, October 2024.
āCurriculum research: assessing intent, implementation and impactā, Ofsted, December 2018.
āCurriculum research reviews and subject reportsā, Ofsted, April 2024.
āHigh-quality curriculum and pedagogy in business education in further education and skillsā, Ofsted, October 2023.
āStrong foundations in the first years of schoolā, Ofsted, October 2024.
S de Almeida and J Viana, āTeachers as curriculum designers: what knowledge is needed?ā in āThe Curriculum Journalā, Volume 34, Issue 3, 2022, pages 357 to 374.
H Breadmore, E Vardy, A Cunningham, R K W Kwok and J M Carroll, āā, Education Endowment Fund, July 2019.
O Chen, F Paas and J Sweller, āSpacing and interleaving effects require distinct theoretical bases: a systematic review testing the cognitive load and discriminative-contrast hypothesesā, in āEducational Psychology Reviewā, Volume 33, 2021, pages 1499 to 1522.
M Carney and R Indrisano, āDisciplinary literacy and pedagogical content knowledgeā, in āJournal of Educationā, Volume 193, Issue 3, 2013.
Z Deng, āPowerful knowledge, educational potential and knowledge-rich curriculum: pushing the boundariesā, in āJournal of Curriculum Studiesā, Volume 54, Issue 5, 2022, pages 599 to 617.
āInitial teacher training and early career frameworkā, Department for Education, January 2024.
āā, Education Endowment Foundation, August 2021.
J Hodgen, N Barclay, C Foster, C Gilmore, R Marks and V Simms, āā, Education Endowment Fund, November 2020.
J Jerrim and A Vignoles, āThe link between East Asian āmasteryā teaching methods and English childrenās mathematics skillsā, in āEconomics of Education Reviewā, Volume 50, 2016, pages 29 to 44.
S Machin, S McNally and M Viarengo, āChanging how literacy is taught: evidence on synthetic phonicsā, in āAmerican Economic Journal: Economic Policyā, Volume 10 Issue 2, 2018, pages 217 to 241.
G Scerif, E Blakey, S Gattas, Z Hawes, S Howard, R Merkley, R OāConnor and V Simms, āMaking the executive āfunctionā for the foundations of mathematics: the need for explicit theories of change for early interventionsā, in āEducational Psychology Reviewā, Volume 35, 2023.
J S H Taylor, F J Duff, A M Woollams, P Monaghan and J Ricketts, āHow word meaning influences word readingā, in āCurrent Directions in Psychological Scienceā, Volume 24, Issue 4, 2015, pages 322 to 328.
E Turan and B De Smedt, āMathematical language and mathematical abilities in preschool: a systematic literature reviewā in āEducational Research Reviewā, Volume 36, 2022.
L Wheelahan, āNot just skills: what a focus on knowledge means for vocational educationā, in āJournal of Curriculum Studiesā, Volume 47, Issue 6, 2015, pages 750 to 762.
C Winch, āTowards a framework for professional curriculum designā, in āJournal of Education and Workā, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2015, pages 165 to 186.
V X Yan, F Sana and P F Carvalho, āNo simple solutions to complex problems: cognitive science principles can guide but not prescribe educational decisionsā, in āPolicy Insights from the Behavioural and Brain Sciencesā, Volume 11, Issue 1, 2023, pages 59 to 66.
Developing teaching
āHigh-quality curriculum and pedagogy in business education in further education and skillsā, Ofsted, October 2023.
āIndependent review of teachersā professional development in schoolsā, Ofsted, May 2024.
āInspecting education quality: lesson observation and workbook scrutinyā, Ofsted, June 2019.
āSix models of lesson observation: an international perspectiveā, Ofsted, May 2018.
R Allen and S Sims, āDo pupils from low-income families get low-quality teachers? Indirect evidence from English schoolsā, in āOxford Review of Educationā, Volume 44, Issue 4, 2018, pages 441 to 458.
R Bernhard, T McDermott, C Hasenhüttl, Katharine B and P Sammons, āA focus on quality of teaching in schools increases studentsā progress of attainment: evidence from English secondary schoolsā, in āSchool Effectiveness and School Improvementā, Early Access, October 2024.
S Blƶmeke, A Jentsch, N Ross, G Kaiser and J Kƶnig, āOpening up the black box: teacher competence, instructional quality, and studentsā learning progressā in āLearning and Instructionā, Volume 79, June 2022.
S Burgess, S Rawal, and E S Taylor, āTeacher peer observation and student test scores: evidence from a field experiment in English secondary schoolsā, in āJournal of Labor Economicsā, Volume 39, Issue 4, 2021, pages 1155 to 1186.
R Coe, C J Rauch, S Kime and D Singleton, āā, Evidence Based Education in partnership with Cambridge Assessment International Education, June 2020.
āInitial teacher training and early career frameworkā, Department for Education, January 2024.
K Dobinson, S Mathers, C Forrest, J Charlton and J Dockrell, āThe quality of universal language supporting provision in maintained nursery classrooms in economically disadvantaged areas of England: identifying strengths and areas for developmentā, in āChild Language Teaching and Therapyā, Volume 40, Issue 3, 2024, pages 238 to 255.
āNational professional qualification (NPQ): Leading teaching NPQ frameworkā, Department for Education, October 2020.
S Gibbons, V Scrutinio and S Telhaj, āTeacher turnover: effects, mechanisms and organisational responsesā in āLabour Economicsā, Volume 73, 2021.
D McLean, J Worth and A Smith, āā, National Foundation for Educational Research, March 2024.
M OāLeary, āRethinking teachersā professional learning through unseen observationā, in āProfessional Development in Educationā, Volume 50, Issue 6, 2024, pages 1162 to 1175.
S Sims, H Fletcher-Wood, A OāMara-Evers, S Cottingham, C Stansfield, J Van Herwegen and J Anders, āā, Education Endowment Foundation, October 2021.
K Skene, C M OāFarrelly, E M Byrne, N Kirby, E C Stevens and P G Ramchandani, āCan guidance during play enhance childrenās learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysisā, in āChild Developmentā, Volume 93, Issue 4, 2002, pages 1162 to 1180.
J Van de Pol, M Volman, F Oort, and J Beishuizen, āThe effects of scaffolding in the classroom: support contingency and student independent working time in relation to student achievement, task effort and appreciation of supportā, in āInstructional Scienceā, Volume 43, Issue, 2015, pages 615 to 641.
J R Warner, D L Plowman, D J Osman and D L Schallert, āThe influence of collective and individual sensemaking on how facilitators and teachers implement a professional development programā in āTeacher Developmentā, Volume 26, Issue 5, 2022, pages 706 to 726.
R Webster, āTeaching on the cheap? The extent and impact of teaching assistants covering classes and leading lessonsā, in āBritish Educational Research Journalā, Early Access, June 2024.
Leadership and governance
S Bonetti and J Blanden, āā, Nuffield Foundation, December 2020.
M Constantinides, āUnderstanding the complexity of system-levelĀ leadershipĀ in the English schooling landscapeā, Emerald Publishing, 2021.
L Culpin, and T Male, āExamining the competencies required forĀ leadershipĀ ofĀ multi-academyĀ trusts. Implications for a case studyĀ trustā, in āSchool Leadership and Managementā, Volume 42, 2022, pages 293 to 308.
āNational professional qualification (NPQ): early years leadership NPQ frameworkā, Department for Education, October 2020.
āNational professional qualification (NPQ): senior leadership NPQ frameworkā, Department for Education, October 2020.
D Feyisa, āThe impact of leadership and targeted interventions to close the achievement gap of disadvantaged pupils: a case studyā, in āEuropean Journal of Educational Managementā, Volume 4, 2022, pages 97 to 108.
K McChesney and J Cross, āHow school culture affects teachersā classroom implementation of learning from professional developmentā, in āLearning Environments Researchā, Volume 26, 2023, pages 785 to 801.
S McNally,Ā L Schmidt, andĀ A Valero, āDo management practices matter in further education?ā in āEconomicaā, Volume 91, 2024, pages 740 to 769.
M Mincu and P Davies, āThe governance of a school network and implications for initial teacher educationā, in āJournal of Education Policyā, Volume 36, 2021, pages 436 to 453.
D Moore, R Proctor, S Benham-Clarke, H Gains, G J Melendez-Torres, N Axford, M Rogers, R Anderson, D Hall, J Hawkins, V Berry, C Forbes and J Lloyd, āā, Education Endowment Foundation, April 2024.
S Read, A Parfitt, and M Macer, āBreaks in the chain: using theories of social practice to interrogate professionalsā experiences of administering Pupil Premium Plus to support looked after childrenā, in āOxford Review of Educationā, Volume 49, 2023, pages 604 to 619.
C Watson, et al, āProcesses and practices of governing in colleges of further education in the UK: uncovering the complexities of governingā, University of Stirling, 2021.
A West, D Wolfe, and B Yaghi, āGovernance of academies in England: the return of ācommand and controlā?ā in āBritish Journal of Educational Studiesā, Volume 72, 2024, pages 131 to 154.
D Woods, R Macfarlane, and D McBeath, āThe nine pillars of great school leadershipā, John Catt Educational Ltd, 2018.
Behaviour and attitudes
āBehaviour in schools: advice for headteachers and school staffā, Department for Education, February 2024.
āBest start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learningā, Ofsted, October 2024.
N Axford, V Berry, J Lloyd, D Moore, M Rogers, A Hurst, K Blockley, H Durkin and J Minton, āā, Education Endowment Foundation, 2019.
K L Lane, T Baldy, T Becker, C Bradshaw, V Dolan, A Dymnicki, B Freeman, L Holian, S Lemire, K McIntosh, S Moulton, R Nese, R Payno-Simmons, A Porowski and K Sutherland, āā, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, December 2024.
D Moore, S Benham-Clarke, R Kenchington, C Boyle, T Ford, R Hayes, M Rogers and J Minton, āā, Education Endowment Foundation, December 2019.
āNational professional qualification (NPQ): leading behaviour and culture frameworkā, Department for Education, October 2020.
S Valdebenito, M Eisner, D P Farrington, M M Ttofi and A Sutherland, āSchool-based interventions for reducing disciplinary school exclusion: a systematic reviewā Campbell Systematic Reviews, Volume 14, Issue 1, 2018, pages i to 216.
Attendance
āSecuring good attendance and tackling persistent absenceā, Ofsted, February 2022.
Z Claymore, āā, National Foundation for Educational Research, February 2019.
J Clifton-Sprigg and J James, āThe āFriday effectā: school attendance over the weekā, in āBritish Educational Research Journalā, Early Access, 2024.
āā, Education Endowment Foundation, March 2022.
āā, Education Policy Institute, August 2024.
āā, ImpactEd, July 2024.
S Kelly, T Symons, T Baker, H Elliott, A Porter and F OāReilly, āā, Nesta, January 2023.
M Klein, E Sosu, J DrƤger and V Casoni, āā, Nuffield Foundation, September 2024.
J ObrovskĆ”, M MajcĆk and J SimonovĆ”, āAchievement vs. engagement: providing support in socially disadvantaged schoolsā in āBritish Education Research Journalā, Early Access, January 2025.
Personal development and well-being
āBest start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learningā, Ofsted, November 2022.
āFindings from the children and young people strand of the Big Listenā, Ofsted, September 2024.
āIndependent review of careers guidance in schools and further education and skills providersā, Ofsted, September 2023.
A Clarke, M Sorgenfrei, J Mulcahy, P Davie, C Friedrich and T McBride, āā, Early Intervention Foundation, July 2021.
āState of the nation 2022: children and young peopleās wellbeingā, Department for Education, February 2023.
M Donnelly, P LažetiÄ, A Sandoval-Hernandez, K Kumar and S Whewall, āAn unequal playing field: extra-curricular activities, soft skills and social mobilityā, July 2019.
āā, Education Endowment Foundation, March 2024.
āā, The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, November 2024.
M Gedikoglu, āā, Education Policy Institute, November 2021.
L Gutman and I Schoon, ā, Education Endowment Foundation, 2013.
B Hoskins and J Janmaat, āEducational trajectories and inequalities of political engagement among adolescents in Englandā, in āSocial Science Researchā, Volume 56, 2016, pages 73 to 89.
D Hughes, A Mann, S Barnes, B Baldauf and R McKeown, āā, Education Endowment Foundation, July 2016.Ā
A Jarden and A Roache, āWhat Is Wellbeing?ā inĀ āInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Healthā,Ā Volume 20, Issue 6, 2023.
L Jerome, F Hyder, Y Hilal and B Kisby, āA systematic literature review of research examining the impact of citizenship education on active citizenship outcomesā, in āReview of Educationā, Volume 12, 2024.
R McLellan, āEnhancing wellbeing: the necessity and implications of a culturally-grounded interdisciplinary conceptualisation,ā inĀ āPsychology of Education Reviewā,Ā Volume 43, Issue 2, 2019, pages 37 to 47.
J Moote, L Archer, M Henderson, E Watson, J DeWitt, B Francis and H Holmegaard, āMore is more: exploring the relationship between young peopleās experiences of school-based career education, information, advice and guidance at age 14ā16 and wider adult outcomes at age 21ā22 in Englandā, in āResearch Papers in Educationā, Early View, 2024.
E Norris, T Steen, A Direito, and E Stamatakis, āPhysically active lessons in schools and their impact on physical activity, educational, health and cognition outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysisā in āBritish Journal of Sports Medicineā, Volume 54, 2019, pages 826 to 838.
D Robinson, āā, Education Policy Institute, February 2024.
K Ruggeri, E Garcia-Garzon, Ć Maguire, S Matz and F A Huppert, āWell-being is more than happiness and life satisfaction: a multidimensional analysis of 21 countriesā, inĀ āHealth and Quality of Life Outcomesā, Volume 18, Issue 192, 2020.
B Shulruf, āDo extra-curricular activities in schools improve educational outcomes? A critical review and meta-analysis of the literatureā, in āInternational Review of Educationā, Volume 56, 2011, pages 591 to 612.
Inclusion and belonging
K A Allen, C D Slaten, G Arslan, S Roffey, H Craig and D Vella-Brodrick, āSchool belonging: the importance of student and teacher relationships,ā in M L Kern and M L Wehmeyer (Eds.), āThe Palgrave handbook of positive educationā, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pages 525 to 550.
I Archambault, M Janosz and R Chouinard, āTeacher beliefs as predictors of adolescentsā cognitive engagement and achievement in mathematicsā, in āThe Journal of Educational Researchā, Volume 105, Issue 5, 2012, pages 319 to 328.
P Carneiro, S Cattan and N Ridpath, āā, Institute for Fiscal Studies, April 2024.
S Cattan, E Fitzsimons, A Goodman, A Phimister, G B Ploubidis and J Wertz, āEarly childhood inequalitiesā, in āOxford Open Economicsā, Volume 3, Issue Supplement 1, 2024, pages i711 to i740.
āā, The Centre for Social Justice, 2023.
C Crawford, L Macmillan and A Vignoles, āWhen and why do initially high-achieving poor children fall behind?ā, in āOxford Review of Educationā, Volume 43, Number 1, 2017, pages 88 to 108.
M A Cullen, G Lindsay, R Hastings, L Denne, C Stanford, L Beqiraq, F Elahi, E Gemegah, N Hayden, I Kander, F Lykomitrou and J Zander, ā Education Endowment Foundation, March 2020.
M Darmanin, āWhen students are failed: āloveā as an alternative education discourse?ā, in āInternational Studies in Sociology of Educationā, Volume 13, Issue, 2003, pages 141 to 170.
āNational Professional Qualification (NPQ): Special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) NPQ Frameworkā, Department for Education, October 2020.
J Fitzgerald and J Radford, āThe SENCO role in post-primary schools in Ireland: victims or agents of change?ā, in āEuropean Journal of Special Educational Needsā, Volume 32, Issue 3, 2017, pages 452 to 466.
S Gorard, āSegregation and the attainment gap for permanently disadvantaged pupils in Englandā in āEducational Reviewā, Volume 75, Issue 6, 2023, pages 1039 to 1062.
T Greany, J Pennacchia, J Graham and E Bernardes, āā, Teach First, February 2024.
S Griffiths, L Luca, D Gooch and C F Norbury, āSpecial educational needs provision and academic outcomes for children with teacher reported language difficulties at school entryā, in āJCPP Advancesā, Early View, 2024.
I La Valle, J Lewis, C Crawford, L Hodges, P Castellanos and L Outhwaite, āā, Nuffield Foundation, October 2024.
P J Kuttner, āThe right to belong in school: a critical, transdisciplinary conceptualization of school belongingā, in āAERA Openā, Volume 9, 2023.
R Morris and G Dobson, āSpending the pupil premium: what influences leadersā decision-making?ā in āEducational Management Administration & Leadershipā, Volume 49, Issue 2, 2021, pages 284 to 302.
M Schuelka, āImplementing inclusive educationā, Department for International Development, August 2018.
āā, Scottish Universities Inclusion Group, August 2022.
P K Smith and C Culbert, āā, National Childrenās Bureau, March 2024.
UNESCO, āA guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in educationā, UNESCO Digital Library, 2017.
Safeguarding
āReview of sexual abuse in schools and collegesā, Ofsted, June 2021.