Martyn Oliver at the SEND and Inclusion Conference: getting it right for everyone
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-12)

Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, spoke at the 2025 National SEND and Inclusion Conference in Nottingham.

If you get it right, as we’ve just heard, for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, you get it right for everyone.

Now, let me say that again.

If you get it right for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, you get it right for everyone.

I’m not just saying that because I’m here at the SEND and Inclusion Conference:
- I also said it at the ASCL, I said it at NAHT union conferences.
- I said it at the association conferences for colleges, for special schools, and for sixth-form colleges.
- I said it at the National Children and Adult Services Conference.
- I said it at the Nursery World Summit.
- I said it to the Education Select Committee in January.
- I said it in our annual report to parliament.
- I said it when we launched the Big Listen, and when we responded to it.
- And I’ve said it on almost every stage I’ve been on and in almost every media appearance that I’ve made.
In fact, I’ve probably said it every day since I became Chief Inspector, and I’m saying it here again today. Because it’s not just a phrase to me. It’s something that I truly believe.

I truly believe that if:
- any school, any nursery, any college
- any skills provider, any childminder, any children’s home
- any local authority, any adoption or fostering agency, any provider of education
If any of them are getting it right for their most disadvantaged children, their vulnerable children, their children with SEND, they will be getting it right for all of their children and learners.

And conversely, I do not believe that there is a single provider who is getting it right for the most disadvantaged, at the expense of their other children and learners.

It’s not an either/or, it’s not a trade-off, or a quid-pro-quo. It’s just about getting it right for everyone.

But as I said, it’s more than just words to me. And that’s why I am proud that Ofsted is putting inclusion at the very heart of its renewed approach to education inspections.

Our new approach

If you don’t already know, we’re consulting on that approach right now. You can go on our website (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education) and find it today. It’s open until 28th April, and I hope that you will all in this room take part by then.

Because what we’re proposing is significant.

There’s been a lot of noise about our new report cards, you may have seen some of it in the media.

We’ve seen strong support from parents, we’ve seen some helpful and thoughtful suggestions, and, of course, we’ve seen challenge.

And the report cards are important. It’s vital that we get them right.

I do believe that they will give parents and families a clearer and more detailed understanding of the things that really matter to their children’s education.

And I believe they will give a more rounded and fairer evaluation of a provider’s strengths and areas for improvement.

But the report cards are just one part of what we’re proposing. They’re part of a whole new approach to the way that we inspect education in England.

That approach will help families make better and more informed decisions about their children’s education.

It will help providers celebrate what they do well and focus on where they can do better.

It will help alleviate the pressure on practitioners and let them get on with the vital work that they, you, do every day.

But it will also put a laser-like focus on inclusion.

On supporting the most disadvantaged, the vulnerable, and those with SEND.

It will do this more than Ofsted has ever done before, possibly more than any inspectorate anywhere has ever done before.

Shifting the dial

We’re doing that because we believe it’s right.

We’re doing it because children believe it’s right – they ranked support for pupils with SEND among their top 5 priorities in response to our Big Listen.

We’re doing it because, while England’s education system compares positively to many others around the world, it continues to not work for all children.

And we’re doing it because, by openly and proudly putting the most disadvantaged children at the heart of what we do, I believe we can really shift the dial nationally.

When Ofsted put curriculum front and centre in our approach, the dial shifted. We saw schools and other providers really prioritising substance. Making sure they always had a clear idea of what children should know and by when.

The importance of curriculum remains, we must not lose sight of that.

But I now want to do the same for inclusion. To make sure every provider across the country is thinking really hard about what they are doing, and what they could be doing, for disadvantaged and vulnerable children, and those with SEND.

Anecdotally, we’re already seeing this starting to happen. I’ve been in this job for a little over a year, and I’ve been banging on this drum for that whole time, and indeed for my whole career in education before that. And we are hearing reports already of the system responding.

For example, I recently met Solace’s Susan Parsonage. She told me about her area of Wokingham and the strengthened focus across the education partnership on inclusion. This local effort, combined with the increase in national attention that we and others are driving, is resulting in real and tangible benefits for children.

The education partnership there has established 2 SEND resource bases within the primary sector just last year. And they are working to establish a further 5 across primary and secondary by 2026/27.

This is just one example, but it’s indicative of a wider shift.

And I hope, as we talk about inclusion more…

as we do more to put it at the centre of everything we do, that Ofsted does…

as we provide a consistent and constructive challenge on what more could be done…

we will see more support, more focus, and more action.

We can do more, and we will do more.

Our focus on inclusion

So, for the first time ever, we are proposing the introduction of a new evaluation specifically on inclusion.

We will report on how every single education provider we inspect supports disadvantaged children, vulnerable children, children with SEND.

We want to fully understand what leaders are doing to create a culture in which every child feels welcomed, safe and valued.

But inclusion is not an add-on or separate from everything else a provider should be doing. We want to bring a real focus to it through its own evaluation area.

But it will also be threaded through every other inspection area. Everything we look at will include a consideration of how it works for disadvantaged and vulnerable children.

After all, can a curriculum be of a high standard if it isn’t accessible to every child?

Can teaching be of a high standard if teachers aren’t trained to work with all children in their class?

Can leadership be of a high standard if inclusion isn’t ingrained in the culture?

Can children’s welfare and wellbeing be of a high standard if some children are left behind or fall victim to the soft bigotry of low expectations?

Can you have high standards for behaviour if you are lowering your expectations for young people with SEND, or failing to meet their needs?

Can a provider be serving their community if they engage in off-rolling? Or if they never on-roll disadvantaged or vulnerable children?

Can you really have high standards for attendance, if you aren’t making sure your setting is a welcoming and inclusive environment for all children?

No, no, no. No to all of those questions. Because you need to get it right for everyone. And you can do that by getting it right for the most disadvantaged!

I hope all of you today agree with me on that. I’m sure you do, that’s the very nature of your role and your work every single day.

Recognising uniqueness

So, we’re going to do everything we can to recognise when providers are doing everything they can for every child and learner.

We’re going to do more to recognise the context you’re operating in and the unique challenges that you’re facing.

And we’re going to do that without lowering the rightly high expectations we have for every child.

And we’re going to make sure our inspectors have the specialisms and recognise the uniqueness of what you’re doing.

Incidentally, I hope that some of you listening today will consider joining us – I know some of you actually do inspect, I’ve seen quite a few of you already – joining us to do just that and lend us your expertise. Ofsted is of the system, by the system, and for children and parents.

We are at our best when we reflect the sectors that we inspect.

On that note, I’m delighted to announce that Mark Vickers, our compere this morning, will be joining us as our external adviser on inclusion.

Having been a huge help in our developments and proposals, Mark will now be supporting us implementing our reforms, improving our training, and refreshing our strategy. Thank you for the challenge, Mark. I really appreciate your help and support.

Our consultation

But, I need all of your help too. I need your help to not just make sure we rightly put that focus on the most disadvantaged. But to make sure we do it in the right way.

So please, please, please take part in our consultation (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education).

In the consultation you will find a working definition for inclusion. We’ve developed it with the sector and with our external reference group, ably chaired by Mark. But could the definition be better? Have we missed something? Could we be clearer?

Take part and let us know.

In the consultation we have standards for inclusion in our inspection toolkits for every type of inspection and education provision. Are they looking at the right things? Will leaders be able to easily understand them? Do they go far enough?

Take part and let me know.

And in the consultation, you will be able to see the thread of inclusion through everything else we inspect against. Do they meet the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children and those with SEND? Do they make sure standards are appropriately high for every single child? Do they consider the right context and offer a fair standard?

Again take part and let us know.

This isn’t a hollow exercise or a PR stunt. It’s a genuine consultation.

I want your views, your expertise, and your careful consideration.

I want this to be the best inspection approach for parents and families.

The best inspection approach for you – leaders and practitioners.

And the best inspection approach for children, and especially for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.

After all, as I said, if you get it right for them, you get it right for everyone!

Thank you! I’m looking forward to taking some questions.

Respond to the consultation (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education)