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Guidance

Education inspection framework (EIF)

This framework sets out Ofsted's inspection principles and the grades that inspectors give.

Updates to this page

From:
Ofsted
Published:
14 May 2019
Last updated:
18 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated to include inspection of education, skills and work activities in prisons and young offender institutions.

  2. The renewed education inspection framework has been published and will replace the current framework from November 2025.

  3. See 'Summary of changes'.

  4. See 'Summary of changes' for details.

  5. Updated to link to the ‘Conduct during Ofsted Inspections’ guidance, which sets out the expectations for inspectors and providers on inspection. To avoid repetition, we have removed from this guidance the 2 paragraphs about expectations for inspectors and providers.

  6. Minor amends to set out an expectation that inspectors will agree safety protocols to ensure the inspection is completed in a COVID-19-secure way, and to highlight that inspection remit handbooks have been updated to reflect the context of the pandemic.

  7. The EIF came into effect on 2 September 2019.

  8. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Education inspection framework 2025

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Education inspection framework 2019

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Summary of changes

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Details

The education inspection framework sets out how Ofsted will inspect state schools, further education and skills providers, non-association independent schools and registered early years settings in England.

The education inspection framework 2019 is currently used for inspections of initial training for the Armed Forces and inspections in Guernsey and Jersey.

We ran a consultation on a renewed framework between February and April 2025.

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