Ofsted inspections of national professional qualifications and the new early career teacher entitlement are being paused for an extra year to allow the watchdog more time to develop a new inspection framework. The inspectorate paused routine inspections of NPQ providers last November, “to align with the Department for Education’s NPQ review and the launch of the ECTE”. The government announced in January 2025 it would be reviewing NPQ frameworks. Meanwhile the ECTE launched in September 2025, replacing the former early career framework (ECF) as the programme supporting teachers starting out in the profession. Inspections of schools and initial teacher education providers were also paused while Ofsted introduced new “report card” inspections. New school inspections launched last November, followed by ITE inspections in January. NPQ and ECTE inspections were expected to resume this academic year, but Ofsted has confirmed today they will be paused for the rest of the 2026-27 academic year, following a request from schools minister Georgia Gould. “This extended pause is to allow Ofsted to continue developing a renewed inspection framework that aligns our inspections of NPQ and ECTP providers with the current approach to inspecting other education remits,” said Ofsted. “During this time, we will engage with the sector on the new inspection toolkit, operating guide and report card for NPQ and or ECTP providers.” The Department for Education said the extended pause is not related to the wider evaluation of the Ofsted framework, which is understood to be underway. Education secretary Lucy Powell is expected to make changes to the way Ofsted inspects schools “within months”. Routine inspections of NPQs and ECTPs will resume in the 2027-28 academic year, said Ofsted. NPQ report next year Meanwhile, the DfE’s final report on its review of NPQs will no longer be published this year. The DfE launched its NPQ review in March 2025 with a call for evidence. The department said at the time the review was expected to take approximately 18 months, which would have taken it to September 2026. The DfE’s consultation outcome webpage previously said a final report detailing evidence submitted “will be published towards the end of the NPQ review in 2026”. But the department updated the page last week, to say the final report will now “not be published in 2026”. Asked why, the department told Schools Week the review “has received extensive feedback”, adding: “We want to ensure that we take that on board and complete the review to the highest of standards. “We expect the review to end in spring 2027.” The department received 159 responses to its call for evidence, comprising “200+ different insights, which included a range of evidence studies and other sources of information”.