Improving the way Ofsted inspects education: supporting evidence base
Updated 11 June 2025
Applies to England
漏 Crown copyright 2025
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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 鈥楨ducation inspection framework: overview of research鈥 report.
Relevant statutory and non-statutory guidance and professional standards
鈥16 to 19 study programmes鈥, Department for Education, July 2017.
鈥Academy trust governance guide鈥, Department for Education, October 2024.
Alternative provision鈥, Department for Education, June 2016.
鈥Behaviour in schools鈥, Department for Education, February 2024.
鈥Careers guidance and access for education and training providers鈥, Department for Education, January 2023.
鈥Cyberbullying鈥, Department for Education, July 2017.
鈥Development matters鈥, Department for Education, September 2023.
鈥Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework鈥, Department for Education, November 2024.
鈥Early years qualification requirements and standards鈥, Department for Education, January 2024
鈥Education for children with health needs who cannot attend school鈥, Department for Education, December 2023.
鈥Equality Act 2010: guidance for schools鈥, Department for Education, June 2018.
鈥Headteachers鈥 standards 2020鈥, Department for Education, October 2020.
鈥Independent school standards鈥, Department for Education, August 2019.
鈥Keeping children safe in education 2024鈥, Department for Education, September 2024.
鈥Maintained schools governance guide鈥, Department for Education, October 2024.
鈥National curriculum in England: framework for key stages 1 to 4鈥, Department for Education, December 2014.
鈥Participation of young people: education, employment and training鈥, Department for Education, April 2024.
鈥Prevent duty guidance鈥, Home Office, January 2024.
鈥Promoting children and young people鈥檚 mental health and wellbeing鈥, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Department for Education, November 2023.
鈥Using pupil premium: guidance for school leaders鈥, Department for Education, September 2024.
鈥Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education鈥, Department for Education, September 2021.
鈥School suspensions and permanent exclusions鈥, Department for Education, August 2024.
鈥Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years鈥, Department for Education and Department of Health, September 2024.
鈥Teachers鈥 standards鈥, Department for Education, December 2021.
鈥Working together to improve school attendance鈥, Department for Education, August 2024.
鈥Working together to safeguard children鈥, Department for Education, February 2024.
Methodology and cross-framework
鈥Education inspection framework: overview of research鈥, Ofsted, January 2019.
A Colman, 鈥楽chool leadership, school inspection and the micropolitics of compliance and resistance: Examining the hyper-enactment of policy in an area of deprivation鈥, in 鈥楨ducational Management Administration & Leadership鈥, Volume 49, Issue 2, 2021.
鈥National professional qualifications frameworks鈥, Department for Education, October 2020.
S Gardezi, G McNamara, M Brown and J O鈥橦ara, 鈥楨xploring the multifaceted nature of school inspectors鈥 power dynamics: A comparative analysis of four quality assurance systems鈥 in 鈥楻eview of Education鈥, Volume 12, Issue 3, December 2024.
J Jerrim and A Jones, 鈥楾he strengths and limitations of using quantitative data to inform school inspections鈥, in 鈥楽chool Effectiveness and School Improvement鈥, Volume 35, Issue 2, 2004, pages 142 to 160.
G Leckie and H Goldstein, 鈥楾he importance of adjusting for pupil background in school value-added models: a study of Progress 8 and school accountability in England鈥, in 鈥楤ritish Educational Research Journal鈥, Volume 45, Issue 3, 2019, pages 518 to 537.
T Leech and S Vitello, 鈥榃hat is a holistic judgement, anyway?鈥 in 鈥楻esearch Papers in Education鈥, Volume 39, Issue 6, 2024, pages 936 to 958.
M S C Thomas and Y Arslan, 鈥榃hy does the brain matter for education?鈥, in 鈥楤ritish Journal of Educational Psychology鈥, Early View, 2024.
C Quesel, K Schweinberger, and G M枚ser, 鈥楻esponses to positive and negative feedback on organizational aspects of school quality: teachers鈥 and leaders鈥 views on a Swiss traffic light approach to school inspection鈥 in 鈥楽chool Effectiveness and School Improvement鈥, Volume 32, Issue 3, 2021, pages 345 to 362.
R Simeonova, Y Parvanova, M Brown, G McNamara, S Gardezi, J O鈥橦ara, L del Castillo Blanco, Z Kechri and E Beniata, 鈥楢 continuum of approaches to school inspections: cases from Europe鈥, in 鈥楶edagogy鈥, Volume 92, Number 4, 2020, pages 487 to 506.
Curriculum
鈥Best start in life: a research review for early years鈥, Ofsted, October 2024.
鈥Curriculum research: assessing intent, implementation and impact鈥, Ofsted, December 2018.
鈥Curriculum research reviews and subject reports鈥, Ofsted, April 2024.
鈥High-quality curriculum and pedagogy in business education in further education and skills鈥, Ofsted, October 2023.
鈥Strong foundations in the first years of school鈥, Ofsted, October 2024.
S de Almeida and J Viana, 鈥楾eachers as curriculum designers: what knowledge is needed?鈥 in 鈥楾he Curriculum Journal鈥, Volume 34, Issue 3, 2022, pages 357 to 374.
H Breadmore, E Vardy, A Cunningham, R K W Kwok and J M Carroll, 鈥樷, Education Endowment Fund, July 2019.
O Chen, F Paas and J Sweller, 鈥楽pacing and interleaving effects require distinct theoretical bases: a systematic review testing the cognitive load and discriminative-contrast hypotheses鈥, in 鈥楨ducational Psychology Review鈥, Volume 33, 2021, pages 1499 to 1522.
M Carney and R Indrisano, 鈥楧isciplinary literacy and pedagogical content knowledge鈥, in 鈥楯ournal of Education鈥, Volume 193, Issue 3, 2013.
Z Deng, 鈥楶owerful knowledge, educational potential and knowledge-rich curriculum: pushing the boundaries鈥, in 鈥楯ournal of Curriculum Studies鈥, Volume 54, Issue 5, 2022, pages 599 to 617.
鈥Initial teacher training and early career framework鈥, Department for Education, January 2024.
鈥樷, Education Endowment Foundation, August 2021.
J Hodgen, N Barclay, C Foster, C Gilmore, R Marks and V Simms, 鈥樷, Education Endowment Fund, November 2020.
J Jerrim and A Vignoles, 鈥楾he link between East Asian 鈥渕astery鈥 teaching methods and English children鈥檚 mathematics skills鈥, in 鈥楨conomics of Education Review鈥, Volume 50, 2016, pages 29 to 44.
S Machin, S McNally and M Viarengo, 鈥楥hanging how literacy is taught: evidence on synthetic phonics鈥, in 鈥楢merican Economic Journal: Economic Policy鈥, Volume 10 Issue 2, 2018, pages 217 to 241.
G Scerif, E Blakey, S Gattas, Z Hawes, S Howard, R Merkley, R O鈥機onnor and V Simms, 鈥楳aking the executive 鈥榝unction鈥 for the foundations of mathematics: the need for explicit theories of change for early interventions鈥, in 鈥楨ducational Psychology Review鈥, Volume 35, 2023.
J S H Taylor, F J Duff, A M Woollams, P Monaghan and J Ricketts, 鈥楬ow word meaning influences word reading鈥, in 鈥楥urrent Directions in Psychological Science鈥, Volume 24, Issue 4, 2015, pages 322 to 328.
E Turan and B De Smedt, 鈥楳athematical language and mathematical abilities in preschool: a systematic literature review鈥 in 鈥楨ducational Research Review鈥, Volume 36, 2022.
L Wheelahan, 鈥楴ot just skills: what a focus on knowledge means for vocational education鈥, in 鈥楯ournal of Curriculum Studies鈥, Volume 47, Issue 6, 2015, pages 750 to 762.
C Winch, 鈥楾owards a framework for professional curriculum design鈥, in 鈥楯ournal of Education and Work鈥, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2015, pages 165 to 186.
V X Yan, F Sana and P F Carvalho, 鈥楴o simple solutions to complex problems: cognitive science principles can guide but not prescribe educational decisions鈥, in 鈥楶olicy Insights from the Behavioural and Brain Sciences鈥, Volume 11, Issue 1, 2023, pages 59 to 66.
Developing teaching
鈥High-quality curriculum and pedagogy in business education in further education and skills鈥, Ofsted, October 2023.
鈥Independent review of teachers鈥 professional development in schools鈥, Ofsted, May 2024.
鈥Inspecting education quality: lesson observation and workbook scrutiny鈥, Ofsted, June 2019.
鈥Six models of lesson observation: an international perspective鈥, Ofsted, May 2018.
R Allen and S Sims, 鈥楧o pupils from low-income families get low-quality teachers? Indirect evidence from English schools鈥, in 鈥極xford Review of Education鈥, Volume 44, Issue 4, 2018, pages 441 to 458.
R Bernhard, T McDermott, C Hasenh眉ttl, Katharine B and P Sammons, 鈥楢 focus on quality of teaching in schools increases students鈥 progress of attainment: evidence from English secondary schools鈥, in 鈥楽chool Effectiveness and School Improvement鈥, Early Access, October 2024.
S Bl枚meke, A Jentsch, N Ross, G Kaiser and J K枚nig, 鈥極pening up the black box: teacher competence, instructional quality, and students鈥 learning progress鈥 in 鈥楲earning and Instruction鈥, Volume 79, June 2022.
S Burgess, S Rawal, and E S Taylor, 鈥楾eacher peer observation and student test scores: evidence from a field experiment in English secondary schools鈥, in 鈥楯ournal of Labor Economics鈥, Volume 39, Issue 4, 2021, pages 1155 to 1186.
R Coe, C J Rauch, S Kime and D Singleton, 鈥樷, Evidence Based Education in partnership with Cambridge Assessment International Education, June 2020.
鈥Initial teacher training and early career framework鈥, Department for Education, January 2024.
K Dobinson, S Mathers, C Forrest, J Charlton and J Dockrell, 鈥楾he quality of universal language supporting provision in maintained nursery classrooms in economically disadvantaged areas of England: identifying strengths and areas for development鈥, in 鈥楥hild Language Teaching and Therapy鈥, Volume 40, Issue 3, 2024, pages 238 to 255.
鈥National professional qualification (NPQ): Leading teaching NPQ framework鈥, Department for Education, October 2020.
S Gibbons, V Scrutinio and S Telhaj, 鈥楾eacher turnover: effects, mechanisms and organisational responses鈥 in 鈥楲abour Economics鈥, Volume 73, 2021.
D McLean, J Worth and A Smith, 鈥樷, National Foundation for Educational Research, March 2024.
M O鈥橪eary, 鈥楻ethinking teachers鈥 professional learning through unseen observation鈥, in 鈥楶rofessional Development in Education鈥, Volume 50, Issue 6, 2024, pages 1162 to 1175.
S Sims, H Fletcher-Wood, A O鈥橫ara-Evers, S Cottingham, C Stansfield, J Van Herwegen and J Anders, 鈥樷, Education Endowment Foundation, October 2021.
K Skene, C M O鈥橣arrelly, E M Byrne, N Kirby, E C Stevens and P G Ramchandani, 鈥楥an guidance during play enhance children鈥檚 learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis鈥, in 鈥楥hild Development鈥, Volume 93, Issue 4, 2002, pages 1162 to 1180.
J Van de Pol, M Volman, F Oort, and J Beishuizen, 鈥楾he effects of scaffolding in the classroom: support contingency and student independent working time in relation to student achievement, task effort and appreciation of support鈥, in 鈥業nstructional Science鈥, Volume 43, Issue, 2015, pages 615 to 641.
J R Warner, D L Plowman, D J Osman and D L Schallert, 鈥楾he influence of collective and individual sensemaking on how facilitators and teachers implement a professional development program鈥 in 鈥楾eacher Development鈥, Volume 26, Issue 5, 2022, pages 706 to 726.
R Webster, 鈥楾eaching on the cheap? The extent and impact of teaching assistants covering classes and leading lessons鈥, in 鈥楤ritish Educational Research Journal鈥, Early Access, June 2024.
Leadership and governance
S Bonetti and J Blanden, 鈥樷, Nuffield Foundation, December 2020.
M Constantinides, 鈥楿nderstanding the complexity of system-level聽leadership聽in the English schooling landscape鈥, Emerald Publishing, 2021.
L Culpin, and T Male, 鈥楨xamining the competencies required for聽leadership聽of聽multi-academy聽trusts. Implications for a case study聽trust鈥, in 鈥楽chool Leadership and Management鈥, Volume 42, 2022, pages 293 to 308.
鈥National professional qualification (NPQ): early years leadership NPQ framework鈥, Department for Education, October 2020.
鈥National professional qualification (NPQ): senior leadership NPQ framework鈥, Department for Education, October 2020.
D Feyisa, 鈥楾he impact of leadership and targeted interventions to close the achievement gap of disadvantaged pupils: a case study鈥, in 鈥楨uropean Journal of Educational Management鈥, Volume 4, 2022, pages 97 to 108.
K McChesney and J Cross, 鈥楬ow school culture affects teachers鈥 classroom implementation of learning from professional development鈥, in 鈥楲earning Environments Research鈥, Volume 26, 2023, pages 785 to 801.
S McNally,聽L Schmidt, and聽A Valero, 鈥楧o management practices matter in further education?鈥 in 鈥楨conomica鈥, Volume 91, 2024, pages 740 to 769.
M Mincu and P Davies, 鈥楾he governance of a school network and implications for initial teacher education鈥, in 鈥楯ournal of Education Policy鈥, 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, 鈥樷, Education Endowment Foundation, April 2024.
S Read, A Parfitt, and M Macer, 鈥楤reaks in the chain: using theories of social practice to interrogate professionals鈥 experiences of administering Pupil Premium Plus to support looked after children鈥, in 鈥極xford Review of Education鈥, Volume 49, 2023, pages 604 to 619.
C Watson, et al, 鈥楶rocesses and practices of governing in colleges of further education in the UK: uncovering the complexities of governing鈥, University of Stirling, 2021.
A West, D Wolfe, and B Yaghi, 鈥楪overnance of academies in England: the return of 鈥渃ommand and control鈥?鈥 in 鈥楤ritish Journal of Educational Studies鈥, Volume 72, 2024, pages 131 to 154.
D Woods, R Macfarlane, and D McBeath, 鈥楾he nine pillars of great school leadership鈥, John Catt Educational Ltd, 2018.
Behaviour and attitudes
鈥Behaviour in schools: advice for headteachers and school staff鈥, Department for Education, February 2024.
鈥Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning鈥, Ofsted, October 2024.
N Axford, V Berry, J Lloyd, D Moore, M Rogers, A Hurst, K Blockley, H Durkin and J Minton, 鈥樷, 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, 鈥樷, 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, 鈥樷, Education Endowment Foundation, December 2019.
鈥National professional qualification (NPQ): leading behaviour and culture framework鈥, Department for Education, October 2020.
S Valdebenito, M Eisner, D P Farrington, M M Ttofi and A Sutherland, 鈥楽chool-based interventions for reducing disciplinary school exclusion: a systematic review鈥 Campbell Systematic Reviews, Volume 14, Issue 1, 2018, pages i to 216.
Attendance
鈥Securing good attendance and tackling persistent absence鈥, Ofsted, February 2022.
Z Claymore, 鈥樷, National Foundation for Educational Research, February 2019.
J Clifton-Sprigg and J James, 鈥楾he 鈥楩riday effect鈥: school attendance over the week鈥, in 鈥楤ritish Educational Research Journal鈥, Early Access, 2024.
鈥樷, Education Endowment Foundation, March 2022.
鈥樷, Education Policy Institute, August 2024.
鈥樷, ImpactEd, July 2024.
S Kelly, T Symons, T Baker, H Elliott, A Porter and F O鈥橰eilly, 鈥樷, Nesta, January 2023.
M Klein, E Sosu, J Dr盲ger and V Casoni, 鈥樷, Nuffield Foundation, September 2024.
J Obrovsk谩, M Majc铆k and J Simonov谩, 鈥楢chievement vs. engagement: providing support in socially disadvantaged schools鈥 in 鈥楤ritish Education Research Journal鈥, Early Access, January 2025.
Personal development and well-being
鈥Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning鈥, Ofsted, November 2022.
鈥Findings from the children and young people strand of the Big Listen鈥, Ofsted, September 2024.
鈥Independent review of careers guidance in schools and further education and skills providers鈥, Ofsted, September 2023.
A Clarke, M Sorgenfrei, J Mulcahy, P Davie, C Friedrich and T McBride, 鈥樷, Early Intervention Foundation, July 2021.
鈥State of the nation 2022: children and young people鈥檚 wellbeing鈥, Department for Education, February 2023.
M Donnelly, P La啪eti膰, A Sandoval-Hernandez, K Kumar and S Whewall, 鈥An unequal playing field: extra-curricular activities, soft skills and social mobility鈥, July 2019.
鈥樷, Education Endowment Foundation, March 2024.
鈥樷, The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, November 2024.
M Gedikoglu, 鈥樷, Education Policy Institute, November 2021.
L Gutman and I Schoon, 鈥, Education Endowment Foundation, 2013.
B Hoskins and J Janmaat, 鈥楨ducational trajectories and inequalities of political engagement among adolescents in England鈥, in 鈥楽ocial Science Research鈥, Volume 56, 2016, pages 73 to 89.
D Hughes, A Mann, S Barnes, B Baldauf and R McKeown, 鈥樷, Education Endowment Foundation, July 2016.聽
A Jarden and A Roache, 鈥榃hat Is Wellbeing?鈥 in聽鈥業nternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health鈥,聽Volume 20, Issue 6, 2023.
L Jerome, F Hyder, Y Hilal and B Kisby, 鈥楢 systematic literature review of research examining the impact of citizenship education on active citizenship outcomes鈥, in 鈥楻eview of Education鈥, Volume 12, 2024.
R McLellan, 鈥楨nhancing wellbeing: the necessity and implications of a culturally-grounded interdisciplinary conceptualisation,鈥 in聽鈥楶sychology of Education Review鈥,聽Volume 43, Issue 2, 2019, pages 37 to 47.
J Moote, L Archer, M Henderson, E Watson, J DeWitt, B Francis and H Holmegaard, 鈥楳ore is more: exploring the relationship between young people鈥檚 experiences of school-based career education, information, advice and guidance at age 14鈥16 and wider adult outcomes at age 21鈥22 in England鈥, in 鈥楻esearch Papers in Education鈥, Early View, 2024.
E Norris, T Steen, A Direito, and E Stamatakis, 鈥楶hysically active lessons in schools and their impact on physical activity, educational, health and cognition outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis鈥 in 鈥楤ritish Journal of Sports Medicine鈥, Volume 54, 2019, pages 826 to 838.
D Robinson, 鈥樷, Education Policy Institute, February 2024.
K Ruggeri, E Garcia-Garzon, 脕 Maguire, S Matz and F A Huppert, 鈥榃ell-being is more than happiness and life satisfaction: a multidimensional analysis of 21 countries鈥, in聽鈥楬ealth and Quality of Life Outcomes鈥, Volume 18, Issue 192, 2020.
B Shulruf, 鈥楧o extra-curricular activities in schools improve educational outcomes? A critical review and meta-analysis of the literature鈥, in 鈥業nternational Review of Education鈥, 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, 鈥楽chool belonging: the importance of student and teacher relationships,鈥 in M L Kern and M L Wehmeyer (Eds.), 鈥楾he Palgrave handbook of positive education鈥, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pages 525 to 550.
I Archambault, M Janosz and R Chouinard, 鈥楾eacher beliefs as predictors of adolescents鈥 cognitive engagement and achievement in mathematics鈥, in 鈥楾he Journal of Educational Research鈥, Volume 105, Issue 5, 2012, pages 319 to 328.
P Carneiro, S Cattan and N Ridpath, 鈥樷, Institute for Fiscal Studies, April 2024.
S Cattan, E Fitzsimons, A Goodman, A Phimister, G B Ploubidis and J Wertz, 鈥楨arly childhood inequalities鈥, in 鈥極xford Open Economics鈥, Volume 3, Issue Supplement 1, 2024, pages i711 to i740.
鈥樷, The Centre for Social Justice, 2023.
C Crawford, L Macmillan and A Vignoles, 鈥榃hen and why do initially high-achieving poor children fall behind?鈥, in 鈥極xford Review of Education鈥, 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, 鈥 Education Endowment Foundation, March 2020.
M Darmanin, 鈥榃hen students are failed: 鈥榣ove鈥 as an alternative education discourse?鈥, in 鈥業nternational Studies in Sociology of Education鈥, Volume 13, Issue, 2003, pages 141 to 170.
鈥National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) NPQ Framework鈥, Department for Education, October 2020.
J Fitzgerald and J Radford, 鈥楾he SENCO role in post-primary schools in Ireland: victims or agents of change?鈥, in 鈥楨uropean Journal of Special Educational Needs鈥, Volume 32, Issue 3, 2017, pages 452 to 466.
S Gorard, 鈥楽egregation and the attainment gap for permanently disadvantaged pupils in England鈥 in 鈥楨ducational Review鈥, Volume 75, Issue 6, 2023, pages 1039 to 1062.
T Greany, J Pennacchia, J Graham and E Bernardes, 鈥樷, Teach First, February 2024.
S Griffiths, L Luca, D Gooch and C F Norbury, 鈥楽pecial educational needs provision and academic outcomes for children with teacher reported language difficulties at school entry鈥, in 鈥楯CPP Advances鈥, Early View, 2024.
I La Valle, J Lewis, C Crawford, L Hodges, P Castellanos and L Outhwaite, 鈥樷, Nuffield Foundation, October 2024.
P J Kuttner, 鈥楾he right to belong in school: a critical, transdisciplinary conceptualization of school belonging鈥, in 鈥楢ERA Open鈥, Volume 9, 2023.
R Morris and G Dobson, 鈥楽pending the pupil premium: what influences leaders鈥 decision-making?鈥 in 鈥楨ducational Management Administration & Leadership鈥, Volume 49, Issue 2, 2021, pages 284 to 302.
M Schuelka, 鈥Implementing inclusive education鈥, Department for International Development, August 2018.
鈥樷, Scottish Universities Inclusion Group, August 2022.
P K Smith and C Culbert, 鈥樷, National Children鈥檚 Bureau, March 2024.
UNESCO, 鈥楢 guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education鈥, UNESCO Digital Library, 2017.
Safeguarding
鈥Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges鈥, Ofsted, June 2021.