Corporate report

Ofsted Board minutes: 29 April 2026

Updated 1 July 2026

Applies to England

Present

Dame Christine Gilbert (Chair)

Jo Coburn

Felicity Gillespie

Lucy Heller

David Meyer

Jo Moran

Sir Martyn Oliver (HMCI)

Martin Spencer

Frances Wadsworth

Sir Alan Wood

Baroness Laura Wyld

Jon Yates

Executive attendance

Owen Davies (Deputy Director, Legal Services) (item 3)

Louise Grainger (Chief Financial and Operating Officer)

Neil Greenwood (National Director, Delivery and Operations)

Rory Gribbell (Director, Strategy and Engagement)

Lee Owston (National Director, Education)

Yvette Stanley (National Director, Regulation and Social Care)

Principal Private Secretary to HMCI, Head of Private Office

Department for Education Observer

Julia Kinniburgh (Director General, Schools Group, Department for Education) (items 1 to 6)

Executive support

Strategic Priorities Lead

Executive Personal Assistant to the National Director, Delivery

Status

Approved at the board meeting on 24 June 2026.

1. Welcome, apologies and declarations of interest

The chair opened the meeting and noted no apologies for this meeting. The board confirmed there were no new declarations of interest.

2. Agree minutes, consider matters arising and action tracker

The minutes of the last meeting were approved as a correct record, subject to a minor correction from Laura Wyld on the description of her declaration of interest.

The chair raised the open actions from the action tracker. She noted the helpful glossary that had been produced which was useful for board meetings and for work more generally across Ofsted too. It is likely that the glossary will continue to grow. The board agreed to close the actions in the tracker labelled as ‘propose to close’.

3. HMCI update

The board welcomed Owen Davies (Deputy Director, Legal Services), who joined HMCI to give a legal update. HMCI noted the threshold at which the board is informed of individual cases, including the point at which they would generally be sighted formally for awareness and views.

In addition, the board discussed the legal process for individual complaints and also noted the separate wider work the chair is doing to enhance the external oversight of complaints against Ofsted school inspections.

HMCI provided the board with a review of his annual strategic objectives. HMCI noted the ongoing work regarding cross-organisational metrics, which had been paused alongside the work on the strategy, and agreed to sight the board with a draft version. The chair noted the importance of tying the strategy and the accompanying organisational metrics to organisational, team and staff objectives. The chair noted that it was important for staff to understand how their work feeds into the strategy and wider organisation’s planning.

Key updates included the closure of 6 expert reference groups which had been helpful in strengthening Ofsted’s development, and also the completion of the social care inspection programme for 2025–26.

HMCI further updated the board on early years including the change in the inspection window from a 6-year to 4-year cycle, and first visit post registration from 30 to 18 months. This transition will take place between now and 2030. HMCI then discussed ongoing serious cases and the system upgrades being planned with the spending review settlement which will strengthen regulatory work.

HMCI updated the board on plans, agreed with the Department for Education (DfE), for the continuation of arrangements for the inspection of initial teacher training.

The board discussed the extensive work underway with the DfE, to ensure that Ofsted systems were dealing with the demand and supply of children’s residential care. HMCI noted his main concern was children with complex needs/SEND and noted ongoing positive work with DfE.

HMCI gave an update on the large amount of inspection management information due to be released in May 2026. HMCI noted this was later than planned due to the requirement for pre-election silence. The board discussed the data, including the sample sizes, and feedback from the sector.

HMCI also gave an update on volumes of complaints over the preceding 6 months, both about Ofsted and about schools. He also updated on plans for the 2025/26 Annual Report and associated timelines for review and publication.

4. Children’s social care policy

The board received an update from Yvette Stanley, National Director, Regulation and Social Care. The board was asked to note the changes made to the updated inspection frameworks for 2026 and provide any initial comments on the proposals set out for consultation which will support the development of the renewed inspection frameworks for 2027.

The board discussed the proposed reforms to the inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS) and the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) to be implemented in 2027 and 2028. A special briefing on the draft consultation would be arranged for the board in May and a further report would be brought to the June meeting.

The board received an update on the team’s work to ensure consistency and read across between these frameworks, and noted that the consultation documents would reflect learning from the government’s recent reform work.

The board discussed the importance of discouraging the use of illegal children’s homes. Discussion included the collaborative role government, local authorities and children’s social care providers should take to ensure that there are sufficient places in registered provision for all looked after children, including those with the most complex needs.

The board considered the recent powers granted by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act (which received Royal Assent on 29 April) and noted ongoing engagement with the DfE on the children’s home registration. The board considered the local government reorganisation happening in May 2026 and the impact this would have on the number of local authorities and the volume of providers who would have to re-register regulated provision.

The board discussed the role of Ofsted as a regulator in this system, the public’s often poor understanding of that, and the role of providers in considering public safety within the ILACS consultation.

5. Safeguarding Group update

The board was asked to note the report and the key activities and current priorities of the Safeguarding Group. The chair noted the key activities and priorities of the Safeguarding Group and that updated terms of reference for the Safeguarding Group will be considered at the June meeting together with a proposal for an updated learning reviews dashboard.

6. Education inspection improvement update

The board received an update from Lee Owston, National Director, Education. The board was asked to note the emerging grade profiles for provision inspected under the renewed education inspection framework (EIF), the planned updates to the renewed EIF inspection materials in June 2026 (for use from September 2026), and the remaining inspection frameworks that will be updated over the next phase of education inspection reform.

Following HMCI’s update, the board considered the upcoming publication of management information in May in greater detail. The data shows the grades which have been issued to providers inspected under the revised inspection framework.

The board discussed the ‘exceptional’ grade and provided some feedback from the sector. The board considered that the aim of this grade is to recognise providers who show consistency across all areas of evaluation, and have observable practice that could be used and passed on to other providers to support system-level improvement. Lee Owston noted that board member observations were exactly aligned to the considerations his team were giving to making this grade clearer to the sector.

7. Finance update

The board received an update from Louise Grainger, Chief Financial and Operating Officer. The board was asked to note the provisional outturn for 2025–26, an update on the 2026–27 budget, and an update on the medium-term financial plan. The board noted the upcoming Annual Report and Accounts that will be submitted for their review at the June meeting, where the 2025–26 financial position will be set out in detail.

Louise Grainger outlined Ofsted’s approach to forecasting income and expenditure, and the factors affecting the 2026–27 financial position, including the pay award which will take account of Cabinet Office guidance expected to be published in May. The board noted that there have been efficiency targets set for each department as part of the Spending Review settlement, and an item on these metrics would be brought to a future board meeting.

[Removed due to legal sensitivity.]

8. Big Listen action monitoring (BLAM) report update

The board received an update from Rory Gribbell, Director of Strategy and Engagement. The board was asked to consider Big Listen action monitoring (BLAM) report number 8 and approve it for publication. He outlined the draft BLAM report and actions which have been agreed since the board last reviewed it. He noted that the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill being passed will mean a number of actions will be completed at the next publication. He also expected that a large number of actions would be completed when the upcoming changes to the ILACS and SCCIF frameworks are announced.

The board approved the draft BLAM report for publication.

9. Update from Audit Risk and Assurance Committee (ARAC)

The chair of the ARAC, Martin Spencer, updated the board on activity at the 12 March ARAC meeting.

The board was asked to note the feedback from the strategic risk discussion at the March ARAC and to agree to the proposed changes outlined in the paper. The board discussed the changes to strategic risks and approved all changes recommended in the paper.

10. Chair and board member update

The chair provided an update on the work underway on reviewing policies related to complaints about Ofsted and invited feedback either at the meeting or outside as this was still work in progress. The executive committee would consider the issue at its meeting in May and there would be further discussions with the DfE before bringing a report back to the board in June. The board noted the need for good communication about the different elements of the complaints process, including the changes introduced in 2024 and their impact.

The chair reported that considerable progress had been made on the strategy following the development sessions, but there had been insufficient time for discussion at this meeting. She was therefore organising 2 additional sessions outside the meeting to finalise and agree the strategy.

11. Review of actions agreed at this meeting

The board agreed the summary of actions.

12. Any other business

No other business was raised.