Ofsted Inspection Date
Ofsted
Date of most recent Ofsted inspection
Understanding Ofsted Inspection Date
The Ofsted Inspection Date shows when the school was last formally inspected. The recency of an inspection affects how relevant the rating is to the school’s current performance.
Why Inspection Date Matters
Recent inspections (within 2-3 years): - Reflect current school quality - Account for recent leadership or staff changes - Use the current inspection framework
Older inspections (4+ years ago): - May not reflect current reality - School could have improved or declined since - May use an outdated framework
Inspection Frequency
Schools are inspected at different intervals: - Outstanding schools: Were exempt until 2020, now inspected within 5 years - Good schools: Typically every 4 years (Section 8 inspection) - Requires Improvement: Reinspected within 30 months - Inadequate: Frequent monitoring and full reinspection
Context for Interpretation
A school with an older inspection date and a “Good” rating may currently be better or worse than that grade suggests. Check the date and consider whether significant changes have occurred since.
Technical Details
- Column Name
- ofsted_inspection_date
- Data Source
- Ofsted
Coverage by School Phase
How many schools have data available for this field.
This field does not contribute to the performance score calculation.