The work of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted)

Status / emerging findings

• Ofsted completed all 28 coroner's prevention-of-future-deaths actions and 68 of 132 total recommended actions; 88 more expected soon
• New inspection framework (November 2024) separates safeguarding as standalone 'met/not met' evaluation, removes grades from vulnerable groups assessments
• All inspectors trained on recognising distress signs by March 2024; 95% of reports now published within 30-day target
• Chair Dame Christine Gilbert admitted initial response to Perry's death was 'defensive and complacent'; committee pressed on embedding cultural change across the organisation
• Centralised complaints hub introduced with real-time feedback during inspections rather than post-announcement; internal process still defended by Sir Martyn Oliver despite questions on independence

Why it matters

Ofsted's inspection culture directly shapes how schools treat vulnerable children and staff wellbeing; if reforms fail, children at risk could be missed and teachers remain under unsustainable pressure.

Tone arc

First session (January 2025) technical and procedural, focused on implementation metrics. October 2025 session shifted to scrutiny of whether cultural change is genuine—Dame Gilbert's admission of initial defensiveness and unresolved external perception problems marked a more critical turn.

Key witnesses

Sir Martyn Oliver (Chief Inspector), Dame Christine Gilbert (Chair, Ofsted), Lee Owston (National Director for Education), Yvette Stanley (National Director for Early Years Regulation and Social Care), Ruth Perry (named in coroner's report; catalyst for inquiry), Mental Health First Aid England (delivered inspector training)