OFSTED FRAMEWORK UPDATE

The Ofsted Framework Has Changed – But Safeguarding Is Still About Children, Not Paperwork

Ofsted’s updated school inspection materials are now in use. Inevitably, that brings another collection of documents for school leaders and DSLs to read at the beginning of an already busy term.

There are some important changes.

The updated toolkit provides greater clarity about:

• the responsibility of leaders and governors for an effective whole-school approach to safeguarding;
• support for pupils with medical conditions and allergy safety;
• inclusion strategies and support for vulnerable pupils;
• mobile phone policies;
• records relating to volunteers undertaking regulated activity;
• bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation;
• the roles of the DSL, SENCo and other leaders with responsibility for inclusion.

Inspectors may also review safeguarding audits, although Ofsted expressly states that schools are not required to provide one. Schools will need to make their Single Central Record and certain other safer-recruitment information available, including relevant information about volunteers undertaking regulated activity.

The full [Ofsted inspection toolkit and supporting documents](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information) are available on GOV.UK, together with Ofsted’s helpful [summary of the September 2026 changes](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-toolkit-operating-guide-and-information/summary-of-changes).

What does this mean in practice?

It does not mean that schools should spend the coming weeks manufacturing evidence for inspection.

It means making sure that safeguarding arrangements are current, understood and consistently applied—and that leaders can demonstrate the difference those arrangements make for children.

Some useful questions for leaders and governors might be:

• Can staff explain what they would do if they were worried about a child?
• Do records show what was known, what action was taken and why?
• Are the experiences of vulnerable pupils properly understood?
• Are children’s voices genuinely heard, including those who communicate without speech?
• Do governors understand both the strengths and the areas requiring further attention?
• Can leaders show how they know their safeguarding arrangements are effective?

A policy may be compliant without being embedded. A system may exist without being used well. A safeguarding audit may look impressive without telling us what life actually feels like for a child in that school.

That is why culture matters.

Strong safeguarding is visible in the way people listen, record, question, challenge and respond. It is found in whether staff notice the small things, whether concerns are followed through and whether children experience adults as safe and dependable.

The framework has changed, and schools should understand the changes. But the central question remains reassuringly familiar:

Do our safeguarding arrangements make children safer—and can we show that they do?

Schools that can answer that question honestly and confidently should not need to approach inspection with fear. They should be able to demonstrate their practice with quiet confidence.

"Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience. You need to experience to gain wisdom."

Albert Einstein