Ofsted has said that its visits to schools this term will not provide any evidence or lines of enquiry for future inspections of these schools.

The inspectorate has updated its guidance on the visits - which are due to start from today - to say that its findings will not be used in future when inspectors return to formally inspect schools.

This commitment has been welcomed by the Confederation of School Trusts, which said this means that future inspection teams will not have access to the evidence collected about a school during these interim visits.

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Ofsted plans to carry out more than 1,000 visits to schools during this term to check on how pupils are being supported in their return to full-time education following the disruption caused by Covid-19.

The visits are not inspections and will not result in a graded judgement.

However, there has been opposition to its plan to publish a letter about each school it visits to allow parents to understand what is happening inside their child’s school.

Headteachers’ unions and the National Governance Association have warned that this will make the process feel like an inspection and have urged Ofsted to rethink its plans.

Ofsted has also said previously that these new visits can be converted into an inspection if it has major concerns about safeguarding or leadership.

However, today it has clarified that “these visits will not provide any evidence or lines of enquiry for later inspection events, once routine inspection resumes”.

The CST’s deputy chief executive Steve Rollett said: “Ofsted tells us the next time a routine inspection takes place at a school, months or years later, the inspection team won’t have access to the evidence base from that school’s autumn term interim visit.

“Setting aside other debates about the format of the letter that will be published, we have also been keen to get a commitment from Ofsted that the evidence base from these autumn visits won’t routinely flow into ‘normal’ inspection activity, and we have felt reassured about this.” 

Ofsted is set to return to formal inspection in January of next year but this date is being kept under review.

It has faced calls to push this date back amid ongoing concern about the increased transmission of Covid-19 in the country.

Ofsted will publish a national report following its visits to schools this term. It is also set to provide monthly updates this year about its initial findings on how schools are supporting pupils to catch up.