It follows concerns by school leaders and inspectors over the practicalities of the current model when a short inspection is converted into a full inspection, requiring the inspection to be completed within 48 hours.
Short inspections were introduced by Ofsted in September 2015, under the new common inspection framework, for schools previously rated good, and maintained nursery schools rated good or outstanding, to reduce the burden of a full inspection. They last for one day and begin with the assumption that the setting will retain the same judgement.
While Ofsted says that most schools inspected in this way keep the same grade, currently one third of short inspections are converted to full inspections when the lead inspector decides there is insufficient evidence to confirm the school or setting should retain its previous rating, or thinks the school may now be outstanding. A team of inspectors then arrive at the school or setting within 48 hours to gather more evidence and reach a final judgement.
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