Ofsted to restructure inspection teams in bid to boost consistency
Under the revised model, OIs will serve as team inspectors with their deployment more closely matched to their areas of expertise

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Ofsted has announced changes to its school and further education inspection teams aimed at improving consistency, following feedback from its Big Listen exercise and a consultation on inspection reform.
From November 2025, all school and further education inspections will be led by a serving His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) or an Ofsted inspector (OI) with recent HMI experience. The new structure will pair HMIs’ specialist inspection training with the sector-specific knowledge of contracted inspectors, who are often current practitioners.
Under the revised model, OIs will serve as team inspectors with their deployment more closely matched to their areas of expertise. This is intended to address concerns raised during the Big Listen that some inspectors lacked sufficient experience in the settings they reviewed, such as special schools or apprenticeship providers.
The move forms part of a broader effort by Ofsted to deliver inspections that are “more insightful” and “context-aware”, according to the regulator. It follows recent initiatives such as regular training sessions for HMIs and senior staff oversight of complex cases.
Sir Martyn Oliver, chief inspector of Ofsted, said: “We want to make sure our inspections are as consistent as possible, from Cornwall to Northumberland. We have already put stronger quality assurance measures in place, and utilising the expertise of our workforce as effectively as we can is another significant step forward.
“All inspection teams will have the right blend of inspection expertise and current sector insight. This will help us better understand the context of the schools and colleges we inspect, to provide a fair and accurate report for parents.”
Steve Rollett, deputy chief executive officer of the Confederation of School Trusts, added: “It is welcome that Ofsted are taking the issue of consistency seriously. Having the most experienced inspectors lead inspections should support consistency, which would be a positive step.
“We know Ofsted has also committed to making improvements to its proposed toolkits and methodology, and we hope these changes will provide further reassurance on consistency.”