Special schools will need to raise their game – and so will inspectors

Ofsted’s new education inspection framework (EIF) marks a significant shift for the whole sector. It is clear and, in many ways, consistent with previous versions, providing some continuity and reassurance. But not all continuity is welcome, and nowhere is this truer than in special schools.

Like its predecessors, the new EIF is clearly written with mainstream schools in mind, raising some concerns for specialist settings like ours.

The special school sector is incredibly diverse, from settings for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties to those supporting complex social, emotional, and mental health needs.

This diversity makes it critical that inspectors are properly equipped with up-to-date, sector-specific knowledge to inspect special schools with both confidence and credibility.

Without meaningful preparation or ongoing training for inspectors on the nuances of specialist provision, there’s a risk of applying a mainstream lens to settings that, for good reasons, operate very differently.

Unfortunately, this has been a long-standing gap in the inspection process, leaving many in the special school sector to wonder how the new inspections will play out in our schools.

Inclusion

The fact that inclusion now stands alone as a core inspection area is a long-overdue recognition of its central importance. But for special schools, where inclusion is something we ‘just do by design’, there is a risk of complacency.

During inspections, SEND settings can expect inspectors to look beyond the assumption that inclusive practice is a given. Instead, they will likely probe how inclusion is strategically prioritised by leadership, embedded in classroom practice, and systematically monitored and reviewed.

This additional accountability will be welcome provided inspectors are able to avoid interpreting inclusion through a mainstream lens, potentially favouring models that prioritise integration over specialised provision.

If not, this will put undue pressure on settings where inclusion looks different by necessity.

Personalised progress

One of the most promising aspects of the new framework is its departure from standardised attainment measures as the primary marker of success. Instead, inspectors will look more closely at the progress each pupil makes from their own starting point.

This is a welcome shift for SEND schools, and one that better aligns with our pupils’ lived experiences. We know that progress doesn’t always look like national expectations, but we must not fall into the trap of assuming inspectors will simply understand this.

So the new framework provides us with an opportunity to tell a richer, more human story of progress, and we must be ready to tell it well.

Here is a chance for us to evidence exemplary practice with respect to personalised outcomes, broader developmental gains and the shared understanding of success among our staff, pupils and parents. But will inspectors know how to recognise it as such?

Safeguarding

Finally, the new standalone safeguarding (marked as either ‘met’ or ‘not met’) raises the stakes for special schools.

Inspectors will expect to see how risks are identified and managed, but they’ll also be looking for evidence that pupils feel safe, know how to seek help and trust that their concerns will be taken seriously.

In many specialist settings, those indicators may look very different from mainstream and may be harder to capture.

Here too, the onus will fall on schools to provide not just compliance but clear, contextualised evidence that safeguarding is a lived, everyday practice.

Given the diverse communication styles, learning differences and complex behaviours present in our settings, inspectors will need to be particularly attentive as to whether and how safeguarding approaches are adapted thoughtfully andsensitively to meet these needs.

The direction Ofsted is taking suggests a more contextualised and learner-focused approach, which is undoubtedly a positive move for the special sector.

This demands that we become more intentional, more evidence-driven and more reflective in how we present our work – all of which adds up to a genuine chance to shine.

But all of this hinges on inspectors who truly understand the unique context of special schools.

In recent webinars, Ofsted have assured the sector that they will deliver the level of rigour and insight we expect. We’ll soon find out whether they have the capacity to fulfil this promise.