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What this deferral policy applies to

This deferral policy applies to inspections of/visits to:

• maintained schools and academies (and other types of school inspected under sections 5 and 8 of the Education Act 2005)
• independent schools inspected by Ofsted (under sections 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008 and under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002)
• providers of further education and skills under part 8 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006
• area special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) services for children and young people under section 20 of the Children Act 2004
• local areas, inspected as part of our joint targeted area inspections (JTAIs) carried out under section 20 of the Children Act 2004
• providers of initial teacher education under section 18B of the Education Act 1994 and part 8 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006
• local authority childrens services (ILACS) and secure training centres (under the Education and Inspections Act 2006)
• residential special schools, some boarding schools, and residential provision for 16 and 17 year olds in further education colleges and independent specialist colleges (under section 87 of the Children Act 1989)
• early years and childcare provision under sections 49, 60 and 77(2)(b) of the Childcare Act 2006
• childminder agencies under sections 51D and 61E of the Childcare Act 2006
• childrens homes, including secure childrens homes, adoption support agencies, voluntary adoption agencies, independent fostering agencies, residential family centres, and residential holiday schemes for disabled children (under the Care Standards Act 2000)
• early career framework (ECF) and national professional qualifications (NPQ) lead providers under part 8 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006

We refer collectively to those we inspect or regulate as providers of education or care.

Requesting a deferral

If you are a provider considering making a request to defer your inspection or visit, you should study the criteria in this policy carefully before making the request.

You should make the request, at the earliest opportunity, to the inspection support administrator or inspector who notifies you of the inspection or visit. You should confirm this in writing (preferably by email to them) so that we can consider it promptly.

We will continue to make arrangements for the inspection or visit while considering the request for deferral.

If an inspection or visit has started but has to be paused due to a public health or other concern, we may take steps to complete it at a later date. Please refer to our guidance on gathering additional evidence to secure an incomplete inspection.

Circumstances for deferring Ofsted inspections and visits

There are a limited number of circumstances when we may decide that an inspection or visit should not go ahead on the planned dates. The examples in this policy are indicative of situations where we may grant a request for a deferral and are not exhaustive. They also do not provide automatic grounds for a deferral. We will consider each case separately and on its own merits.

Normally, we will only defer an inspection or visit if:

• the headteacher, centre manager, childcare provider, nominated individual, registered manager and/or registered provider or similar authority, or a member of the providers senior management team is subject to a current police investigation or serious concern from another agency that would be compromised by an inspection of, or visit to, the provider
• the provider has experienced a recent major incident, such as: a fatality involving a pupil, child, service user, trainee, training participant or a member of staff; serious injury or serious/infectious illness at a provider; death of a member of a household where the childcare takes place; or a serious incident when the presence of an inspector would have an adverse impact on the safety and well-being of children, young people or adults
• the provision is confirmed as being due to merge, close or move and it is decided that no useful purpose will be served by inspecting it
• concerns in a local area mean that an inspection or visit would be inappropriate (such as a security incident or other major incident that means the police are focused on public safety)
• the relevant setting is closed to all users for example, owing to a staff training day or adverse weather conditions that make access difficult or dangerous for at least half of the time for which the inspection or visit has been scheduled (this does not apply to pre-registration inspections of independent schools, or when substantial numbers of pupils are not on site, but continue to be educated through remote or blended learning)
• at least three quarters of the users will not be at the providers setting or with their employer for example, owing to a school trip, holiday or a religious festival for at least half of the period for which the inspection or visit has been scheduled (this does not apply to inspections of registered childcare settings or pre-registration inspections of independent schools, or when substantial numbers of pupils are not on site, but continue to be educated through remote or blended learning)
• a school has very recently converted to become an academy; in these circumstances, Her Majestys Chief Inspector (HMCI) reserves the right to go ahead with the inspection or visit if they deem it necessary, or to schedule the academys first inspection or visit for a later date
• a further education and skills provider or an ECF or NPQ lead provider is no longer in receipt of relevant public funding
• a childminder agency no longer has childminders registered with it
• there are other exceptional circumstances that the relevant Ofsted regional director decides are grounds for a deferral

Further information on deferrals

Ofsted puts the interest of children and learners first. It is only in exceptional circumstances, such as those set out in the previous section, that we would consider granting a deferral. Anyone requesting a deferral should explain fully the nature of the circumstances in their request.

In the case of a deferral request made due to the absence or illness of the headteacher, centre manager, childcare provider, nominated individual, registered manager and/or registered provider, or similar authority, the relevant Ofsted regional director will determine whether the inspection or visit will take place.

Building and/or refurbishment work is not a reason for deferral if users are still on site.

Inspections of, or visits to, providers may still go ahead when all, or substantial numbers of, pupils are not on site, but continue to be educated through remote or blended learning.

When a deferral is requested, we will consider whether the timing of any rescheduled inspection or visit would cause this to fall outside of any prescribed intervals or windows. For regulated early years and social care settings, we will also carry out a risk assessment to determine whether any other regulatory responses would be appropriate.

In exceptional circumstances, it may prove difficult for the inspection coordinator to contact the provider. In these cases, the inspection coordinator will contact a designated inspector to discuss the situation. For independent school inspections, the designated inspector will check that the 