Secondary schools will be able to request deferral of Ofsted inspections if they will clash with vaccinations for pupils, the government has said. The Department for Education has today written to school leaders to state the “vaccine rollout should take priority”. “We have confirmed with Ofsted that, in order to support the 12-15 vaccine rollout in schools, any school that has been notified of an Ofsted inspection at the same time as administering the vaccine can request a deferral.” In-person inspections resumed this term after being suspended for much of the Covid-19 pandemic. Vaccinations were rolled out to 12 to 15-year-olds last month, and most are being administered in schools. Ofsted has an existing policy on deferrals, and the inspectorate has said it will use this to handle requests relating to vaccinations.