Tips, Ideas, Guidance and Advice for School Leaders

Prepare for Ofsted's Leadership and Governance evaluation starting November 2025. Essential tips and preparation steps to ensure your setting is ready.

Prepare for Ofsted's combined Attendance and Behaviour evaluation area starting November 2025, including top tips and supporting resources.

Everything school leaders need to know about Ofsted's new Achievement evaluation area from November 2025. Includes grading criteria, evidence needed & preparation steps.

Prepare for Ofsted's November 2025 Curriculum and Teaching changes. Learn key evaluation criteria, expected standards and actionable steps to achieve success in your next inspection.

Discover everything about Ofsted's new safeguarding evaluation area in the 2025 framework. Get expert guidance, preparation tips and essential resources including audit tools to help your school succeed under the new 5-point grading system starting November 2025.

Discover everything about Ofsted's new Inclusion evaluation area in the 2025 framework. Get expert guidance, preparation tips and essential resources including audit tools to help your school succeed under the new 5-point grading system starting November 2025.

Discover everything about Ofsted's new Personal Development and Wellbeing evaluation area in the 2025 framework. Get expert guidance, preparation tips, and essential resources including audit tools to help your school succeed under the new 5-point grading system starting November 2025.

Everything school leaders need to know about Ofsted planning calls in 2026. Questions to expect, preparation strategies, and expert tips for a successful inspection conversation

Discover everything about Ofsted's 2025 framework changes for school leaders. New report cards replace single grades, inspections resume November 2025.

Discover how school leaders can address rising behaviour challenges by building strong, inclusive relationships and positive school culture. Practical insights from the latest research and national data.

Learn what the 2025 Writing Framework means for school leaders. Explore key changes and how to prepare your school for the updated assessment criteria.

Explore the key changes in the 2025 RSHE guidance for secondary schools, including new content on misogyny, incel culture, consent, online safety and ethical relationships. Stay updated on what pupils will now be taught.

Discover what's new in the EYFS 2025 statutory framework update for group and school-based providers. Learn about changes to safeguarding, safer recruitment, allergy protocols, and staff training requirements, all effective from September 2025.

The 2025 Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) updates you need to know, including FREE staff update PowerPoint.

Ofsted’s new toolkit is delayed until September 2025, with inspections from November. Discover what has changed in Ofsted inspections 2025 and how to prepare effectively despite the delay.

Planning your first CPD session as a subject leader? This guide shares clear, realistic advice to help you lead staff training with confidence.

Before using AI in school, explore the risks, benefits and leadership decisions that matter. Five prompts to support clear, confident reflection.

This blog helps school leaders make sense of how to approach AI in education. With informal AI use already happening across classrooms and admin teams, and new DfE guidance published in June 2025, the need for clear, thoughtful leadership has never been greater. We explore what responsible AI use looks like in schools, where the risks lie, and how leaders can shape a school-wide stance that reflects their values, workload pressures and safeguarding responsibilities. Includes a link to Honeyguide’s AI Use and Ethics Toolkit Pack to support deeper reflection and strategic planning.

Many school leaders have been asking: What has changed in Ofsted inspections 2025? and When will the new Ofsted framework be published? Until recently, it was expected that the updated Ofsted inspection framework 2025 — including new inspection areas and methodology — would be released before the end of the summer term. Instead, the publication was delayed until September 2025, with inspections under the new approach beginning in November. Why was the Ofsted toolkit delayed? According to Ofsted’s consultation response, the delay was due to the sheer volume and depth of sector feedback. Over 6,500 people responded, and more than 200 test visits were carried out. The 2025 Ofsted Framework changes include: New inspection areas and streamlined evaluation criteria A report card format to replace current inspection reports Adjustments to how grade boundaries are defined Ofsted has stated that the extra time was needed to refine the final approach, improve clarity and continue testing the methodology. Their public line is that the consultation was meaningful and that the changes will benefit both professionals and pupils. So if you’ve been wondering Why did Ofsted delay the new framework?, this is your answer. It’s about taking the time to get it right. When is the new Ofsted toolkit coming out? The new Ofsted toolkit 2025 — including report card guidance and revised inspection materials — was released in September 2025. Routine inspections under the new approach will not begin until November 2025. In other words, Ofsted inspections have been postponed from September 2025 to November 2025 to give schools time to engage with the new framework. Alongside the publication, Ofsted will: Hold professional briefings for schools in early autumn Invite every provider to nominate a staff member to attend training Share inspector training materials publicly Continue hosting sector-facing webinars To summarise, if you’re asking What date does the new Ofsted framework start?, the answer is: Inspections under the revised approach begin November 2025, but the documents and training will appear in September. Are Ofsted inspections changing in 2025? Yes — significantly. The Ofsted September 2025 changes mark a shift in both structure and tone. Some of the biggest changes in the Ofsted inspection framework 2025 update include: Fewer evaluation areas, based on concerns about manageability Clearer grade boundaries, with improved definitions of what each judgement means New Ofsted inspection areas for 2025, reflecting different aspects of school life A report card format designed to be simpler and more accessible for parents Leaders have also asked: How is Ofsted changing in 2025? and Are Ofsted inspections changing in 2025? Yes, and you can read more about those changes here. Summary of Ofsted consultation 2025: What feedback said If you’re looking for a summary of the 2025 Ofsted consultation, here’s the short version: Parents were strongly in favour of the new report cards (nearly 70% preferred them) Leaders raised concerns about clarity, the number of areas being inspected and workload Ofsted is now refining the framework based on that feedback from the 2025  consultation An independent assessment of the impact on professional wellbeing will also be published It’s worth noting that Ofsted has already confirmed that some of the toolkit proposals will be revised before the September release. How Honeyguide will help If you’d like support once the 2025 Ofsted toolkit is released, we’ll be ready. We’re preparing a full set of updated resources to help you respond quickly, calmly and clearly without needing to start from scratch. What we’re offering: Revised Ofsted audit packs, one for each inspection area, aligned to the final toolkit A full inspection preparation pack, including templates and prompts to help document your response Toolkit update briefing slides, so you can explain the changes clearly to staff Deep-dive CPD packs, supporting reflection and development in each area We’ll also refresh our free checklists, summaries and guidance tools so you have what you need, when you need it. Whether you want to plan ahead now or wait until the September release, Honeyguide will be here to help you navigate the changes with confidence.  

An update to this blog can be found here. At the time of writing, the 2025 edition of Keeping Children Safe in Education hasn’t yet been published. Usually, schools can expect a draft version of KCSIE by late May. This gives DSLs and headteachers time to understand any changes, update policies and shape INSET content before September. That hasn’t happened this year and while there’s no official delay that we know of, the silence is noticeable. So what’s going on? What might be coming? And how can we prepare now without rewriting everything twice? Why hasn’t KCSIE 2025 been published yet? There’s been no formal explanation but here’s what we know: A 12-week government Call for Evidence on safeguarding practice closed in June 2024. Many expected it to inform a significant revision of KCSIE 2025, but the findings were never published. The 2024 General Election likely paused or reset several DfE timelines. It’s not yet clear how the new government intends to handle the previous consultation, or whether they’ll refocus on different priorities. Two major pieces of legislation — the Crime and Policing Bill and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill — are still working through Parliament. Both contain measures that would affect KCSIE if passed. Rather than pushing out a draft too soon, the DfE may be waiting to align the guidance with legislative progress. Or we may see a short-term administrative update followed by a fuller revision later. At this point, it’s impossible to say. What changes might be coming? Here’s what’s been discussed or proposed over the past year, though none of it is confirmed at this point. 1. Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse The Crime and Policing Bill includes a statutory duty for people working in regulated activity to report known or suspected sexual abuse. This would be a significant change in safeguarding culture and procedure and we’d expect KCSIE to reflect it across Parts 1, 2 and 4. If this becomes law, schools will need to review: ✓ how staff are trained to recognise and report concerns ✓ how leaders record, triage and act on those concerns ✓ how this new duty interacts with existing LADO and allegations procedures 2. Increased references to AI and digital safeguarding The same Bill also tackles emerging risks from AI-generated child abuse imagery and online exploitation. If included in KCSIE, it’s likely to appear in safeguarding risks, staff training content and the wider online safety curriculum. 3. Stronger multi-agency requirements and local oversight The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill could bring in clearer expectations around: schools' roles in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements child protection teams and local decision-making registers of children not in school It also links to wider changes around data sharing, elective home education and early help — any of which may need reflecting in school policies or procedures. 4. Potential shift in the DSL role The 2024 Call for Evidence flagged concerns about the scale and complexity of the DSL role. While no concrete proposals have been shared, it’s possible that: the scope or structure of the role could change greater emphasis might be placed on shared safeguarding leadership workload, governance or training requirements may shift Again, nothing is certain but it’s a space to watch. What can we do now? Even without the final guidance, schools can take practical steps: Keep your INSET plans flexible — build time in early September for safeguarding updates, even if the details aren’t yet final Review your current policies — a light-touch audit now can save stress later Hold back on publishing new safeguarding documents until the confirmed KCSIE 2025 text is available If you’re a DSL, it’s not unreasonable to hold off on your full staff training pack but it is worth getting prepared. How Honeyguide will support you As soon as Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 is released, we’ll move quickly to get everything you need in one place, including: A free KCSIE 2025 information briefing summary outlining what’s changed A full KCSIE 2025 Annual Safeguarding Refresher Training pack, containing everything you need to deliver full safeguarding refresher training during INSET A new full-year safeguarding pack with revised scenarios and termly content Clear, practical commentary so you know what matters and what’s noise We’ll also send out a bulletin to let you know the moment the new guidance lands — sign up here if you’re not already on the list. Final thought There’s no need to panic but there is a need to stay alert. Whenever the final KCSIE 2025 guidance appears, it’s likely to include some key updates that DSLs and school leaders will need to act on quickly. We’ll be here to help you do that with calm, practical tools and no waffle.