School Improvement SIG

This group is for colleagues interested in school improvement. Unlike our communities, our special interest groups are intended for self-study. They are aimed at those with a responsibility or an interest in this aspect of education. Please look out for one-off events that support this SIG.

• Policy: State-Funded School Inspection Toolkit (Ofsted, 2025)

• Policy: School inspection operating guide for inspectors (Ofsted, 2025)

• Policy: School monitoring operating guide for inspectors (Ofsted, 2025)

• Policy: Inspection information for state-funded schools (Ofsted, 2025)

• Policy: An updated Ofsted Code of Conduct

• Policy: A new policy on pausing school inspections 

• Report: Independent review of careers guidance in schools and further education and skills providers (Ofsted, 2023)

• Report: Improving Schools (NAHT, 2020)

• Report: The Principles of Effective School-to-school Peer Review (NAHT, 2019)

• Report: School improvement: effective school partnerships (DfE, 2015)

• Peer Learning models: Peer Learning Visit (PLV) | School Study Visit (SSV) | Peer Review (PR)

• Report: The CQC report on workplace cultures (CQC, 2022) NB: not specifically for education

• Report: An investigation into how to assess the quality of education... (Ofsted, 2018)

• Guidance Report: Working with Parents to Improve Children's Learning (EEF, 2021)

• Article: Capabilities required for leading improvement (Robinson, 2017)

• Article: Trust, But Verify (Berliner, 2015)

• Article: The Change Leader (Fullan, 2002)

• Article: Successful school leadership (Day & Sammons, 2014)

• Video: A School's Guide to Implementation (EEF, 2024)

• Video: Introducing the new EEF Guidance Report A Schools Guide to Implementation (St Matthew's Research School, 2024)

• Video: School Websites (Newham Learning, 2022)

• Video: Implementation (Newham Learning, 2022)

• Video: Deep Dives - 3 perspectives (Newham Learning, 2022)

• Video: A School’s Guide to Implementation (EEF, 2019) NB - guidance has been update since

Ofsted subject-specific reading and videos:

• Computing: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document

• English: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document

• Geography: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document, Ofsted Curriculum Insights Video

• History: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document, Ofsted Curriculum Insights Video

• Languages: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document

• Maths: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document

• Music: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document, Ofsted Curriculum Insights Video

• Physical Education: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document, Ofsted Curriculum Insights Video

• Personal Development: Ofsted Curriculum Insights

• Religious Education: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document 

• Science: Ofsted Curriculum Research Document

Ofsted playlists:

• Ofsted: Alternative Provision

• Ofsted: SEND

Inspector training videos

Safeguarding:

• Safeguarding - The fundamentals (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

SEND & Inclusion:

• Supporting pupils with SEND in mainstream settings (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• SEN units and specially resourced provision (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• An overview of special schools (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Update on the new alternative provision AP guidance (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• Alternative provision - The fundamentals (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• The Equality Act 2010 - Refresher of key fundamentals (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• Inclusion - The fundamentals (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• A refresher on reasonable adjustments (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• Different types of schools: Key reminders (Ofsted, Dec 2025)

• Flexi-schooling and different approaches to education (Ofsted, Dec 2025)

• Pupil premium: An overview (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

Behaviour & Attendance:

• Inspecting attendance: Schools (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Restrictive intervention in schools (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

Achievement:

• Inspection Data Summary Report IDSR in the renewed (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Achievement and the IDSR (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

Curriculum & Teaching:

• Strong Foundations 1 - Why early education is so important (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 2 - A curriculum by design not chance (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 3 - The importance of childrens language development (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 4 - Inspecting nursery provision in schools (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 5 - SEND (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 6 - Early reading (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 7 - Early writing matters (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 8 - Early mathematics (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 9 - Physical development (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Strong Foundations 10 - Foundational knowledge and older pupils (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

Early Years:

• EYFS 1: The prime areas of learning and development in the EYFS - refresher (Ofsted, Apr 2022)

• EYFS 2: Child development and the curriculum (Ofsted, Apr 2022)

• EYFS 3: Evaluating the impact of the curriculum (Ofsted, Apr 2022)

• EYFS 4: The importance of recent research on child development (Ofsted, Apr 2022)

• EYFS 5: Making it as easy as possible for children to learn (Ofsted, Apr 2022)

• EYFS 6: Evaluating impact of provision with a focus on vulnerable children (Ofsted, Apr 2022)

Leadership & Governance:

• Trusts and federations (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

Inspection methodology:

• Case sampling in schools (Ofsted, Dec 2025)

• Working with a nominee on a school inspection (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Speaking with children / pupils / learners on inspection (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Getting the most from preparation time: Refresher inspection fundamentals (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Giving and receiving feedback: Refresher of inspection fundamentals (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• The research that underpins the framework (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Managing difficult conversations: Refresher of inspection fundamentals (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Time management: Refresher of inspection fundamentals (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Professional curiosity as inspectors: Refresher inspection fundamentals (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Responding and learning through change (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Getting our terminology right (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• The importance of wellbeing: managing stress and anxiety (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• Gathering and recording high-quality evidence (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• Placing a school in a category of concern (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Learning walks on a school inspection (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Engaging with stakeholders on inspection (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Inspecting school-based nursery provision on school inspections (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• What you need to know about the sixth form (Ofsted, Jan 2026)

• Schools toolkit familiarisation webinar (Ofsted, Nov 2025)

• Equalities - Cultural sensitivity (Ofsted, Feb 2026)

• Education inspection framework training for schools: Pre-learning (Ofsted, Nov 2025)

• Team inspector training 2025 - day 1 (Ofsted, Nov 2025)

• Team inspector training 2025 - day 2 (Ofsted, Nov 2025)

• Lead inspector training 2025 - day 1 (Ofsted, Nov 2025)

• Lead inspector training 2025 - day 2 (Ofsted, Nov 2025)

(coming soon)

Guidance Documents

• Putting Evidence to Work (Implementation Guidance) (EEF, 2024)

Videos

• A schools' guide to Implementation - Animation (EEF, 2024)

• Newham Learning: Implementation (Newham Learning, 2022)

Templates

• Action plan template (pdf)

• Action plan template (docx)

• Case study template (pdf)

• Case study template (pptx)

• Darren Williams, CPD Schools Federation

• GCSE disadvantage gaps widens again (Schools Week, 19 Oct 2023)  

• Best headteachers add two GCSE grades, landmark study finds (Schools Week, 18 Oct 2023) 

• Statistical commentary on school inspection data 2022-3 (Ofsted) 

• Demystifying Disciplinary Literacy (EEF)