Introduction

The references below highlight the statutory guidance, non-statutory guidance, professional standards and a selection of the research papers that we have reviewed to inform and develop the design of the toolkits, the proposed inspection methodology and inspector training. The selection of research references that we have included here focus on recent papers and articles that build on existing evidence. This includes evidence that we published in our ‘Education inspection framework: overview of research’ report.

Relevant statutory and non-statutory guidance and professional standards

‘16 to 19 study programmes’, Department for Education, July 2017.

‘Academy trust governance guide’, Department for Education, October 2024.

Alternative provision’, Department for Education, June 2016.

‘Behaviour in schools’, Department for Education, February 2024.

‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers’, Department for Education, January 2023.

‘Cyberbullying’, Department for Education, July 2017.

‘Development matters’, Department for Education, September 2023.

‘Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework’, Department for Education, November 2024.

‘Early years qualification requirements and standards’, Department for Education, January 2024

‘Education for children with health needs who cannot attend school’, Department for Education, December 2023.

‘Equality Act 2010: guidance for schools’, Department for Education, June 2018.

‘Headteachers’ standards 2020’, Department for Education, October 2020.

‘Independent school standards’, Department for Education, August 2019.

‘Keeping children safe in education 2024’, Department for Education, September 2024.

‘Maintained schools governance guide’, Department for Education, October 2024.

‘National curriculum in England: framework for key stages 1 to 4’, Department for Education, December 2014.

‘Participation of young people: education, employment and training’, Department for Education, April 2024.

‘Prevent duty guidance’, Home Office, January 2024.

‘Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing’, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Department for Education, November 2023.

‘Using pupil premium: guidance for school leaders’, Department for Education, September 2024.

‘Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education’, Department for Education, September 2021.

‘School suspensions and permanent exclusions’, Department for Education, August 2024.

‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’, Department for Education and Department of Health, September 2024.

‘Teachers’ standards’, Department for Education, December 2021.

‘Working together to improve school attendance’, Department for Education, August 2024.

‘Working together to safeguard children’, Department for Education, February 2024.

Methodology and cross-framework

‘Education inspection framework: overview of research’, Ofsted, January 2019.

A Colman, ‘School leadership, school inspection and the micropolitics of compliance and resistance: Examining the hyper-enactment of policy in an area of deprivation’, in ‘Educational Management Administration & Leadership’, Volume 49, Issue 2, 2021.

‘National professional qualifications frameworks’, Department for Education, October 2020.

S Gardezi, G McNamara, M Brown and J O’Hara, ‘Exploring the multifaceted nature of school inspectors’ power dynamics: A comparative analysis of four quality assurance systems’ in ‘Review of Education’, Volume 12, Issue 3, December 2024.

J Jerrim and A Jones, ‘The strengths and limitations of using quantitative data to inform school inspections’, in ‘School Effectiveness and School Improvement’, Volume 35, Issue 2, 2004, pages 142 to 160.

G Leckie and H Goldstein, ‘The importance of adjusting for pupil background in school value-added models: a study of Progress 8 and school accountability in England’, in ‘British Educational Research Journal’, Volume 45, Issue 3, 2019, pages 518 to 537.

T Leech and S Vitello, ‘What is a holistic judgement, anyway?’ in ‘Research Papers in Education’, Volume 39, Issue 6, 2024, pages 936 to 958.

M S C Thomas and Y Arslan, ‘Why does the brain matter for education?’, in ‘British Journal of Educational Psychology’, Early View, 2024.

C Quesel, K Schweinberger, and G Möser, ‘Responses to positive and negative feedback on organizational aspects of school quality: teachers’ and leaders’ views on a Swiss traffic light approach to school inspection’ in ‘School Effectiveness and School Improvement’, Volume 32, Issue 3, 2021, pages 345 to 362.

R Simeonova, Y Parvanova, M Brown, G McNamara, S Gardezi, J O’Hara, L del Castillo Blanco, Z Kechri and E Beniata, ‘A continuum of approaches to school inspections: cases from Europe’, in ‘Pedagogy’, Volume 92, Number 4, 2020, pages 487 to 506.

Curriculum

‘Best start in life: a research review for early years’, Ofsted, October 2024.

‘Curriculum research: assessing intent, implementation and impact’, Ofsted, December 2018.

‘Curriculum research reviews and subject reports’, Ofsted, April 2024.

‘High-quality curriculum and pedagogy in business education in further education and skills’, Ofsted, October 2023.

‘Strong foundations in the first years of school’, Ofsted, October 2024.

S de Almeida and J Viana, ‘Teachers as curriculum designers: what knowledge is needed?’ in ‘The Curriculum Journal’, Volume 34, Issue 3, 2022, pages 357 to 374.

H Breadmore, E Vardy, A Cunningham, R K W Kwok and J M Carroll, ‘Literacy development: evidence review’, Education Endowment Fund, July 2019.

O Chen, F Paas and J Sweller, ‘Spacing and interleaving effects require distinct theoretical bases: a systematic review testing the cognitive load and discriminative-contrast hypotheses’, in ‘Educational Psychology Review’, Volume 33, 2021, pages 1499 to 1522.

M Carney and R Indrisano, ‘Disciplinary literacy and pedagogical content knowledge’, in ‘Journal of Education’, Volume 193, Issue 3, 2013.

Z Deng, ‘Powerful knowledge, educational potential and knowledge-rich curriculum: pushing the boundaries’, in ‘Journal of Curriculum Studies’, Volume 54, Issue 5, 2022, pages 599 to 617.

‘Initial teacher training and early career framework’, Department for Education, January 2024.

‘Cognitive science approaches in the classroom’, Education Endowment Foundation, August 2021.

J Hodgen, N Barclay, C Foster, C Gilmore, R Marks and V Simms, ‘Early years and key stage 1 mathematics teaching: evidence review’, Education Endowment Fund, November 2020.

J Jerrim and A Vignoles, ‘The link between East Asian “mastery” teaching methods and English children’s mathematics skills’, in ‘Economics of Education Review’, Volume 50, 2016, pages 29 to 44.

S Machin, S McNally and M Viarengo, ‘Changing how literacy is taught: evidence on synthetic phonics’, in ‘American Economic Journal: Economic Policy’, Volume 10 Issue 2, 2018, pages 217 to 241.

G Scerif, E Blakey, S Gattas, Z Hawes, S Howard, R Merkley, R O’Connor and V Simms, ‘Making the executive ‘function’ for the foundations of mathematics: the need for explicit theories of change for early interventions’, in ‘Educational Psychology Review’, Volume 35, 2023.

J S H Taylor, F J Duff, A M Woollams, P Monaghan and J Ricketts, ‘How word meaning influences word reading’, in ‘Current Directions in Psychological Science’, Volume 24, Issue 4, 2015, pages 322 to 328.

E Turan and B De Smedt, ‘Mathematical language and mathematical abilities in preschool: a systematic literature review’ in ‘Educational Research Review’, Volume 36, 2022.

L Wheelahan, ‘Not just skills: what a focus on knowledge means for vocational education’, in ‘Journal of Curriculum Studies’, Volume 47, Issue 6, 2015, pages 750 to 762.

C Winch, ‘Towards a framework for professional curriculum design’, in ‘Journal of Education and Work’, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2015, pages 165 to 186.

V X Yan, F Sana and P F Carvalho, ‘No simple solutions to complex problems: cognitive science principles can guide but not prescribe educational decisions’, in ‘Policy Insights from the Behavioural and Brain Sciences’, Volume 11, Issue 1, 2023, pages 59 to 66.

Developing teaching

‘High-quality curriculum and pedagogy in business education in further education and skills’, Ofsted, October 2023.

‘Independent review of teachers’ professional development in schools’, Ofsted, May 2024.

‘Inspecting education quality: lesson observation and workbook scrutiny’, Ofsted, June 2019.

‘Six models of lesson observation: an international perspective’, Ofsted, May 2018.

R Allen and S Sims, ‘Do pupils from low-income families get low-quality teachers? Indirect evidence from English schools’, in ‘Oxford Review of Education’, Volume 44, Issue 4, 2018, pages 441 to 458.

R Bernhard, T McDermott, C Hasenhüttl, Katharine B and P Sammons, ‘A focus on quality of teaching in schools increases students’ progress of attainment: evidence from English secondary schools’, in ‘School Effectiveness and School Improvement’, Early Access, October 2024.

S Blömeke, A Jentsch, N Ross, G Kaiser and J König, ‘Opening up the black box: teacher competence, instructional quality, and students’ learning progress’ in ‘Learning and Instruction’, Volume 79, June 2022.

S Burgess, S Rawal, and E S Taylor, ‘Teacher peer observation and student test scores: evidence from a field experiment in English secondary schools’, in ‘Journal of Labor Economics’, Volume 39, Issue 4, 2021, pages 1155 to 1186.

R Coe, C J Rauch, S Kime and D Singleton, ‘The great teaching toolkit: evidence review’, Evidence Based Education in partnership with Cambridge Assessment International Education, June 2020.

‘Initial teacher training and early career framework’, Department for Education, January 2024.

K Dobinson, S Mathers, C Forrest, J Charlton and J Dockrell, ‘The quality of universal language supporting provision in maintained nursery classrooms in economically disadvantaged areas of England: identifying strengths and areas for development’, in ‘Child Language Teaching and Therapy’, Volume 40, Issue 3, 2024, pages 238 to 255.

‘National professional qualification (NPQ): Leading teaching NPQ framework’, Department for Education, October 2020.

S Gibbons, V Scrutinio and S Telhaj, ‘Teacher turnover: effects, mechanisms and organisational responses’ in ‘Labour Economics’, Volume 73, 2021.

D McLean, J Worth and A Smith, ‘Teacher labour market in England: annual report 2024’, National Foundation for Educational Research, March 2024.

M O’Leary, ‘Rethinking teachers’ professional learning through unseen observation’, in ‘Professional Development in Education’, Volume 50, Issue 6, 2024, pages 1162 to 1175.

S Sims, H Fletcher-Wood, A O’Mara-Evers, S Cottingham, C Stansfield, J Van Herwegen and J Anders, ‘What are the characteristics of effective teacher professional development? A systematic review and meta-analysis’, Education Endowment Foundation, October 2021.

K Skene, C M O’Farrelly, E M Byrne, N Kirby, E C Stevens and P G Ramchandani, ‘Can guidance during play enhance children’s learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis’, in ‘Child Development’, Volume 93, Issue 4, 2002, pages 1162 to 1180.

J Van de Pol, M Volman, F Oort, and J Beishuizen, ‘The effects of scaffolding in the classroom: support contingency and student independent working time in relation to student achievement, task effort and appreciation of support’, in ‘Instructional Science’, Volume 43, Issue, 2015, pages 615 to 641.

J R Warner, D L Plowman, D J Osman and D L Schallert, ‘The influence of collective and individual sensemaking on how facilitators and teachers implement a professional development program’ in ‘Teacher Development’, Volume 26, Issue 5, 2022, pages 706 to 726.

R Webster, ‘Teaching on the cheap? The extent and impact of teaching assistants covering classes and leading lessons’, in ‘British Educational Research Journal’, Early Access, June 2024.

Leadership and governance

S Bonetti and J Blanden, ‘Early years workforce qualifications and children’s outcomes’, Nuffield Foundation, December 2020.

M Constantinides, ‘Understanding the complexity of system-level leadership in the English schooling landscape’, Emerald Publishing, 2021.

L Culpin, and T Male, ‘Examining the competencies required for leadership of multi-academy trusts. Implications for a case study trust’, in ‘School Leadership and Management’, Volume 42, 2022, pages 293 to 308.

‘National professional qualification (NPQ): early years leadership NPQ framework’, Department for Education, October 2020.

‘National professional qualification (NPQ): senior leadership NPQ framework’, Department for Education, October 2020.

D Feyisa, ‘The impact of leadership and targeted interventions to close the achievement gap of disadvantaged pupils: a case study’, in ‘European Journal of Educational Management’, Volume 4, 2022, pages 97 to 108.

K McChesney and J Cross, ‘How school culture affects teachers’ classroom implementation of learning from professional development’, in ‘Learning Environments Research’, Volume 26, 2023, pages 785 to 801.

S McNally, L Schmidt, and A Valero, ‘Do management practices matter in further education?’ in ‘Economica’, Volume 91, 2024, pages 740 to 769.

M Mincu and P Davies, ‘The governance of a school network and implications for initial teacher education’, in ‘Journal of Education Policy’, Volume 36, 2021, pages 436 to 453.

D Moore, R Proctor, S Benham-Clarke, H Gains, G J Melendez-Torres, N Axford, M Rogers, R Anderson, D Hall, J Hawkins, V Berry, C Forbes and J Lloyd, ‘Review of evidence on implementation in education’, Education Endowment Foundation, April 2024.

S Read, A Parfitt, and M Macer, ‘Breaks in the chain: using theories of social practice to interrogate professionals’ experiences of administering Pupil Premium Plus to support looked after children’, in ‘Oxford Review of Education’, Volume 49, 2023, pages 604 to 619.

C Watson, et al, ‘Processes and practices of governing in colleges of further education in the UK: uncovering the complexities of governing’, University of Stirling, 2021.

A West, D Wolfe, and B Yaghi, ‘Governance of academies in England: the return of “command and control”?’ in ‘British Journal of Educational Studies’, Volume 72, 2024, pages 131 to 154.

D Woods, R Macfarlane, and D McBeath, ‘The nine pillars of great school leadership’, John Catt Educational Ltd, 2018.

Behaviour and attitudes

‘Behaviour in schools: advice for headteachers and school staff’, Department for Education, February 2024.

‘Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning’, Ofsted, October 2024.

N Axford, V Berry, J Lloyd, D Moore, M Rogers, A Hurst, K Blockley, H Durkin and J Minton, ‘How can schools support parents’ engagement in their children’s learning? Evidence from research and practice’, Education Endowment Foundation, 2019.

K L Lane, T Baldy, T Becker, C Bradshaw, V Dolan, A Dymnicki, B Freeman, L Holian, S Lemire, K McIntosh, S Moulton, R Nese, R Payno-Simmons, A Porowski and K Sutherland, ‘Teacher-delivered behavioral interventions in grades K–5’, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, December 2024.

D Moore, S Benham-Clarke, R Kenchington, C Boyle, T Ford, R Hayes, M Rogers and J Minton, ‘Improving behaviour in schools: evidence review’, Education Endowment Foundation, December 2019.

‘National professional qualification (NPQ): leading behaviour and culture framework’, Department for Education, October 2020.

S Valdebenito, M Eisner, D P Farrington, M M Ttofi and A Sutherland, ‘School-based interventions for reducing disciplinary school exclusion: a systematic review’ Campbell Systematic Reviews, Volume 14, Issue 1, 2018, pages i to 216.

Attendance

‘Securing good attendance and tackling persistent absence’, Ofsted, February 2022.

Z Claymore, ‘Being present: the power of attendance and stability for disadvantaged pupils’, National Foundation for Educational Research, February 2019.

J Clifton-Sprigg and J James, ‘The ‘Friday effect’: school attendance over the week’, in ‘British Educational Research Journal’, Early Access, 2024.

‘Attendance interventions rapid evidence assessment’, Education Endowment Foundation, March 2022.

‘Examining post-pandemic absences in England (3)’, Education Policy Institute, August 2024.

‘Understanding attendance: implementing strategies with impact’, ImpactEd, July 2024.

S Kelly, T Symons, T Baker, H Elliott, A Porter and F O’Reilly, ‘45 million lost hours? Understanding usage of the two-year-old free childcare offer’, Nesta, January 2023.

M Klein, E Sosu, J Dräger and V Casoni, ‘Understanding school attendance, educational attainment, and labour market outcomes’, Nuffield Foundation, September 2024.

J Obrovská, M Majcík and J Simonová, ‘Achievement vs. engagement: providing support in socially disadvantaged schools’ in ‘British Education Research Journal’, Early Access, January 2025.

Personal development and well-being

‘Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning’, Ofsted, November 2022.

‘Findings from the children and young people strand of the Big Listen’, Ofsted, September 2024.

‘Independent review of careers guidance in schools and further education and skills providers’, Ofsted, September 2023.

A Clarke, M Sorgenfrei, J Mulcahy, P Davie, C Friedrich and T McBride, ‘Adolescent mental health: a systematic review on the effectiveness of school-based interventions’, Early Intervention Foundation, July 2021.

‘State of the nation 2022: children and young people’s wellbeing’, Department for Education, February 2023.

M Donnelly, P Lažetić, A Sandoval-Hernandez, K Kumar and S Whewall, ‘An unequal playing field: extra-curricular activities, soft skills and social mobility’, July 2019.

‘Personal, social and emotional development: approaches and practices to support personal, social and emotional development in the early years’, Education Endowment Foundation, March 2024.

‘Good career guidance: the next ten years’, The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, November 2024.

M Gedikoglu, ‘Social and emotional learning: an evidence review and synthesis of key issues’, Education Policy Institute, November 2021.

L Gutman and I Schoon, ‘The impact of non-cognitive skills on outcomes for young people, Education Endowment Foundation, 2013.

B Hoskins and J Janmaat, ‘Educational trajectories and inequalities of political engagement among adolescents in England’, in ‘Social Science Research’, Volume 56, 2016, pages 73 to 89.

D Hughes, A Mann, S Barnes, B Baldauf and R McKeown, ‘Careers education: international literature review’, Education Endowment Foundation, July 2016. 

A Jarden and A Roache, ‘What Is Wellbeing?’ in ‘International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health’, Volume 20, Issue 6, 2023.

L Jerome, F Hyder, Y Hilal and B Kisby, ‘A systematic literature review of research examining the impact of citizenship education on active citizenship outcomes’, in ‘Review of Education’, Volume 12, 2024.

R McLellan, ‘Enhancing wellbeing: the necessity and implications of a culturally-grounded interdisciplinary conceptualisation,’ in ‘Psychology of Education Review’, Volume 43, Issue 2, 2019, pages 37 to 47.

J Moote, L Archer, M Henderson, E Watson, J DeWitt, B Francis and H Holmegaard, ‘More is more: exploring the relationship between young people’s experiences of school-based career education, information, advice and guidance at age 14–16 and wider adult outcomes at age 21–22 in England’, in ‘Research Papers in Education’, Early View, 2024.

E Norris, T Steen, A Direito, and E Stamatakis, ‘Physically active lessons in schools and their impact on physical activity, educational, health and cognition outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis’ in ‘British Journal of Sports Medicine’, Volume 54, 2019, pages 826 to 838.

D Robinson, ‘Access to extra-curricular provision and the association with outcomes’, Education Policy Institute, February 2024.

K Ruggeri, E Garcia-Garzon, Á Maguire, S Matz and F A Huppert, ‘Well-being is more than happiness and life satisfaction: a multidimensional analysis of 21 countries’, in ‘Health and Quality of Life Outcomes’, Volume 18, Issue 192, 2020.

B Shulruf, ‘Do extra-curricular activities in schools improve educational outcomes? A critical review and meta-analysis of the literature’, in ‘International Review of Education’, Volume 56, 2011, pages 591 to 612.

Inclusion and belonging

K A Allen, C D Slaten, G Arslan, S Roffey, H Craig and D Vella-Brodrick, ‘School belonging: the importance of student and teacher relationships,’ in M L Kern and M L Wehmeyer (Eds.), ‘The Palgrave handbook of positive education’, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pages 525 to 550.

I Archambault, M Janosz and R Chouinard, ‘Teacher beliefs as predictors of adolescents’ cognitive engagement and achievement in mathematics’, in ‘The Journal of Educational Research’, Volume 105, Issue 5, 2012, pages 319 to 328.

P Carneiro, S Cattan and N Ridpath, ‘The short-and medium-term impact of Sure Start on educational outcomes’, Institute for Fiscal Studies, April 2024.

S Cattan, E Fitzsimons, A Goodman, A Phimister, G B Ploubidis and J Wertz, ‘Early childhood inequalities’, in ‘Oxford Open Economics’, Volume 3, Issue Supplement 1, 2024, pages i711 to i740.

‘Cracks in our foundations’, The Centre for Social Justice, 2023.

C Crawford, L Macmillan and A Vignoles, ‘When and why do initially high-achieving poor children fall behind?’, in ‘Oxford Review of Education’, Volume 43, Number 1, 2017, pages 88 to 108.

M A Cullen, G Lindsay, R Hastings, L Denne, C Stanford, L Beqiraq, F Elahi, E Gemegah, N Hayden, I Kander, F Lykomitrou and J Zander, ‘Special educational needs in mainstream schools: evidence review’, Education Endowment Foundation, March 2020.

M Darmanin, ‘When students are failed: ‘love’ as an alternative education discourse?’, in ‘International Studies in Sociology of Education’, Volume 13, Issue, 2003, pages 141 to 170.

‘National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) NPQ Framework’, Department for Education, October 2020.

J Fitzgerald and J Radford, ‘The SENCO role in post-primary schools in Ireland: victims or agents of change?’, in ‘European Journal of Special Educational Needs’, Volume 32, Issue 3, 2017, pages 452 to 466.

S Gorard, ‘Segregation and the attainment gap for permanently disadvantaged pupils in England’ in ‘Educational Review’, Volume 75, Issue 6, 2023, pages 1039 to 1062.

T Greany, J Pennacchia, J Graham and E Bernardes, ‘Belonging schools’, Teach First, February 2024.

S Griffiths, L Luca, D Gooch and C F Norbury, ‘Special educational needs provision and academic outcomes for children with teacher reported language difficulties at school entry’, in ‘JCPP Advances’, Early View, 2024.

I La Valle, J Lewis, C Crawford, L Hodges, P Castellanos and L Outhwaite, ‘Early education for disadvantaged children: how local action can support take-up of the 15 hours entitlement’, Nuffield Foundation, October 2024.

P J Kuttner, ‘The right to belong in school: a critical, transdisciplinary conceptualization of school belonging’, in ‘AERA Open’, Volume 9, 2023.

R Morris and G Dobson, ‘Spending the pupil premium: what influences leaders’ decision-making?’ in ‘Educational Management Administration & Leadership’, Volume 49, Issue 2, 2021, pages 284 to 302.

M Schuelka, ‘Implementing inclusive education’, Department for International Development, August 2018.

‘National Framework for Inclusion (Third Edition)’, Scottish Universities Inclusion Group, August 2022.

P K Smith and C Culbert, ‘School belonging: a literature review’, National Children’s Bureau, March 2024.

UNESCO, ‘A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education’, UNESCO Digital Library, 2017.

Safeguarding

‘Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges’, Ofsted, June 2021.