There are few words capable of changing the atmosphere in a school quite like Ofsted.
When our Principal emailed staff to say that inspectors would be arriving the following morning, the mood shifted instantly. Lesson plans and seating plans were double checked, books straightened up, conversations turned to memories of deep dives and everyone wondered what the next two days might bring.
Having experienced inspections under both the previous and the new frameworks, I expected something similar to before: a heavy emphasis on departments, curriculum leaders and classroom observations.
Instead, I left with a very different impression.
Here are the five biggest lessons I took away from my experience as a middle leader.
1. The inspection wasn’t just about departments
Before the inspection, we were told that History would be one of the departments visited.
Naturally, my focus was on ensuring everything was ready. My department checked that seating plans were up to date, included relevant pupil information and were easily accessible in every classroom. We really wanted to ‘show off’ the fantastic practice that happens everyday within the department.
Over the two days, however, it became clear that inspectors weren’t simply evaluating History in isolation.
There was a much stronger emphasis on pupils’ experiences across multiple subjects. Rather than viewing departments as separate entities, inspectors frequently considered how subjects worked together within faculties and how individual pupils experienced the curriculum across the school.
Inclusion appeared to sit at the heart of many conversations.
This reflected the published inspection report, which placed considerable emphasis on effective adaptations, ensuring pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils could access the curriculum and creating an inclusive culture across the school.
For middle leaders, that was reassuring.
It felt less like defending an individual department and more like demonstrating how your subject contributes to the wider educational experience of pupils.
2. Know your curriculum and know why
I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of four middle leaders invited to meet directly with an inspector on the second day.
The discussion covered far more than my subject.
We spoke about:
– curriculum design
– teaching and learning
– behaviour
– attendance
– parental engagement
– professional development
– consistency across the school
– our vision for education
Yet throughout the conversation, one theme kept returning: curriculum.
Not simply what we teach.
Why we teach it.
Why topics are sequenced in a particular order.
Why certain knowledge is prioritised.
Why particular pedagogical approaches have been chosen.
The report itself reflects this emphasis, praising the school’s ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum and consistent lesson structure across subjects.
My advice to any middle leader would therefore be simple:
Know your curriculum well enough that you can explain the thinking behind every major decision.
3. Inclusion is demonstrated, not documented
One of the strongest messages I took away concerned inclusion.
Schools rightly invest significant time producing pupil passports, SEND profiles and EHCP information.
But documentation alone is not enough.
Inspectors appeared interested in whether those adjustments were actually visible in everyday classroom practice.
If a passport states that a pupil should sit near the front, are they actually sitting there?
If additional processing time has been identified, can it be seen in the lesson?
If scaffolding is required, is it genuinely being provided?
The report recognises effective adaptations while also encouraging leaders to continue strengthening how these are monitored.
That reminded me that inclusion is not evidenced by paperwork. It is evidenced by what happens every lesson.
4. Exercise books still tell an important story
Although much has changed under the new framework, exercise books remain an important source of evidence.
Inspectors spent time looking through pupils’ work, particularly as part of the pupil case studies.
However, they did not appear to be searching for beautifully presented books or excessive written marking.
Instead, they were looking for evidence that teaching had been responsive.
– Could teachers identify misconceptions?
– Were pupils improving over time?
– Was feedback purposeful?
– Could adaptations be seen?
– Were barriers to learning being addressed?
Books became another way of understanding whether pupils were genuinely accessing the curriculum rather than simply attending lessons.
5. The biggest pressure now seems to sit with whole-school leadership
This was perhaps my biggest takeaway.
Under previous inspection frameworks, I often felt that much of the pressure rested directly on departments, middle leaders and individual classroom teachers.
This inspection felt different.
Of course, middle leaders still needed to know their curriculum inside out.
But many of the discussions repeatedly returned to whole-school systems:
– professional development
– behaviour
– attendance
– belonging
– leadership
– inclusion
– consistency
Reading the published report afterwards reinforced that impression. It repeatedly highlights leadership systems, professional learning, staff wellbeing, consistency and school improvement as central strengths.
That isn’t to say middle leaders become less important.
Far from it.
Rather, it felt as though inspectors were increasingly interested in whether strong systems existed across the school rather than whether isolated departments were performing well.
Final reflections
Every inspection is different, and no two schools will have exactly the same experience.
These observations are simply reflections from one middle leader who has experienced the new framework first-hand.
If I were offering advice to another middle leader preparing for inspection, it would be this:
Know your curriculum inside out.
Ensure inclusive practice is visible every day, not just written in documents.
Support your ECTs and reassure them about the process.
Trust the systems your school has built.
Most importantly, remember that inspections are no longer just conversations about individual subjects. Increasingly, they are conversations about how an entire school enables every pupil to belong, participate and succeed.
In many ways, that feels like a healthier place for the profession to be.
©️ Teachers’ Lyceum 2026.