Curriculum quality improved in schools since education inspection framework introduced

6 Mar 2025 01:09 PM

Ofsted has today published an evaluation assessing the role that the current education inspection framework (EIF) has played in improving curriculum quality in schools.

The evaluation found that curriculum quality has improved in schools, and that the education inspection framework (EIF) played a part in influencing these improvements. However, the improvements were fundamentally driven by school leaders and staff.

Ofsted carried out curriculum research in 64 schools in 2018, and revisited 20 of those schools in 2024 to compare curriculum quality before and after the introduction of the EIF.

The evaluation found that, in the schools revisited:

• overall curriculum quality had improved
• the intent, implementation and impact structure of the EIF had influenced school leaders’ thinking about the curriculum
• the curriculum was more likely to be ambitious across all subjects
• while the quality of reading was high in the initial study, school leaders had further prioritised reading
• leaders reported that, under the EIF, subject leaders had greater levels of ownership and responsibility
• the curriculum was more purposefully sequenced and mapped​

Ofsted is currently consulting on a renewed framework, which will incorporate the best of the EIF, including the clear focus on curriculum quality.

Education professionals, parents, carers and learners are all encouraged to give their views on the consultation before it closes on 28 April 2025.