Marell Consulting Limited

Last week I shared some reflections on the new Operational guidance for additional inspections of independent schools.

As promised, I have now compiled a table of changes.

When Ofsted published its summary, it consisted of four bullet points. Having already started annotating my printed copy, I knew there was more in there than four bullets suggested.

So I went ahead and mapped the changes I found.

The table sets out:
✅ what has changed

✅ where to find it in the new guidance

✅ what it means in practice

✅ and (where relevant) actions for leaders and proprietors

As always, don’t take my interpretation as gospel, read the guidance for yourself as well. But if this saves you some time navigating the new structure, I’m glad.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nekyN9HW8R2x16wCD1LVQKx9wrYJzFLL?usp=sharing

P.S. This is exactly the kind of work Non-association Independent Schools Alliance - NAISA will be doing for members. We will have dedicated oversight of changes in guidance and legislation - not just flagging that something has changed, but mapping what it means in practice for non-association independent schools. There will be a defined policy and compliance lead monitoring developments so updates are identified early, analysed properly and communicated promptly.

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When we shared that tickets for the NAISA inaugural conference were available, we forgot to mention the usual “book early” part.

So… here it is 😄

There’s an Early Bird discount available if you book before 1 March 2026.

And...

The first 25 bookings will also receive a complimentary copy of Because of You, This Is Me by our keynote speaker, Jaz Ampaw-Farr.

Many of you have already told us you’re definitely coming so if you’re planning to join us, booking now comes with a double benefit:

✅ a reduced ticket price

✅ a best-selling book that speaks directly to the work you do every day.

Hope to see you there.

Tickets here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1982142446415?aff=oddtdtcreator

Up until recently, the changes in Ofsted’s inspection framework were aimed at only one of the five types of inspections that they carry out in independent schools.

On the 19th of January, the "Operating guide for additional inspections of non-association independent schools..." replaced the "Handbook for additional inspections of independent schools."

As usual, I carefully started reading through the new guidance to identify what had changed. At that point, the summary of changes had not yet been published.

I was just about to start compiling a table of changes from my annotated printed copy when Ofsted published the summary of changes. Phew! I thought. All I need to do now is signpost school leaders to the summary.

Then I looked at it. It wasn’t the usual paragraph-by-paragraph list of changes we’ve seen in the past. It was four bullet points. I read the bullet points, looked back at my notes and thought… really? That’s it?

So, I am going to go ahead and compile my table of changes anyway. As always, I encourage you to read the guidance for yourselves here - https://tinyurl.com/463579yu,

and the summary of changes - https://tinyurl.com/yh35k2hj

For now, I'll highlight one of the changes, important to note if you are expecting a pre-registration inspection.

Before this update, if during a pre-registration inspection the inspector judged that, the number of pupils you proposed is higher than what they judge can be accommodated in your premises - as long as the rest of the standards were judged as likely to be met, the school would receive an overall “standards likely to be met” judgement, with a recommended reduced number of pupils.

This has changed. If the same situation arises, the overall outcome will now be “unlikely to meet the standards” even if the rest of the standards are judged as likely to be met.

Given that this is a judgement about likelihood to meet a standard, isn’t it essentially a “best informed guess”?

As the proprietor proposing the school, you think carefully about the ages and needs of your pupils, look at the space available, consider published area guidelines for different types of provision, and take into account the number of staff likely to be in the room (where 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 provision is required) - you then make your best-informed guess.

If the inspector happens to arrive at a different number - even if all the other standards are judged as likely to be met - the overall outcome will now be “unlikely to be met”

What next? Go back to the drawing board? Well, not really.

You submit the same application again with one change - pupil numbers.

You go through the whole process again.

And at the end, you pay another £2,500.

I applaud inspectors for their previous practice. It was reasonable and very much in the spirit of supporting proprietors and leaders of proposed schools.

This new guidance - and this change specifically, what is it in aid of?

As promised, tickets for the NAISA Inaugural Conference went live today.

This conference is for headteachers and proprietors of non-association independent schools who want clarity, connection, and practical support in 2026.

We’re delighted that our final keynote will be delivered by multi-award winning international speaker Jaz Ampaw-Farr.

What to expect on the day:

✅ Opening keynote: The State of Non-Association Independent Schools in 2026

✅ Panel discussion: AI in schools – reducing workload, raising ambition and keeping pupils safe

✅ Extended whole-group practical workshop (2 hours): The New Inspection Framework: What Schools Can Expect

✅ Breakout sessions on inspection-readiness on a shoestring, SEND/AP & high-needs learners, and virtual vs online provision

✅ Spotlight case studies: Small Schools Doing Big Things

✅ Closing plenary: Independent does not mean isolated

As advertised, a complimentary copy of 📕Because of You, This Is Me by Jaz Ampaw-Farr is available to the first 25 ticket holders. Confirmation will be sent by email within 24 hours where applicable.

Birmingham, UK
13 April 2026
Registration from 08:30 (coffee + networking)

Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1982142446415?aff=oddtdtcreator

We’re excited to share the NAISA landing page ahead of its official launch.

NAISA, the Non-association Independent Schools Alliance, has been established to support and represent independent schools that are not members of the Independent Schools Council associations.

NAISA will be formally launched on 13 April at a national conference in Birmingham, but you can explore the landing page now.

From the site, you can:

✅ Learn more about the purpose and vision behind NAISA

✅ Download brochures and overview documents

✅ Express an interest in NAISA and the conference

This is just the beginning, and we’re looking forward to sharing more very soon.

A look at the week ahead 📅

I find it helpful to map the week out visually — it keeps me grounded in what’s coming and where the focus needs to be.

Monday
Home, Birmingham
Dedicated writing time to work through three outstanding reports.

Tuesday
Office, Birmingham
Continuing with report writing, including two reports carried over from last week. Also updating a resource after spotting something that needs correcting, and sending the revised version to clients who’ve already downloaded it.

Wednesday
Partington
A SIP visit to a school supporting pupils with autism and complex needs — time for professional discussion, reflection, and thinking carefully about what best supports pupils.

Thursday
Birmingham
A commissioned quality assurance visit at a secondary school. First visit, focused on understanding the context, strengths, and priorities for development.

Friday
Office, Birmingham
Catch-up meetings and writing time, pulling together notes, actions, and follow-ups from across the week.

Saturday
Birmingham
NAISA work with Michelle — opening a bank account and visiting potential venues as we put practical foundations in place.

Sunday
Rest, reset, and a slower pace — making space to recharge before the week begins again.

Week one of the new year already reflects the range of work Marell Consulting supports across the sector.

This week includes:

✅ An on-site coaching and curriculum workshop with a school in Shropshire

✅ Material Change work supporting school sustainability and growth

✅ A leadership support visit with a Birmingham school

✅ Professional supervision with a Headteacher

✅ Checking progress in preparation for a Pre-registration inspection

✅ Ongoing NAISA development work, shaping sector collaboration and future priorities

Different settings. Different challenges. A consistent focus on practical, context-aware support for leaders working in complex educational environments.

As the year gets underway, this week feels like a good snapshot of the work ahead.

As we start a new year, we’ve been reflecting on the work completed in 2025 and on the conversations that have shaped what comes next.

Many of those conversations came from leaders working in non-association independent schools, SEND-heavy provision, AP and vocational settings, who shared both what’s working and what still feels missing.

Over time, those shared experiences have informed the development of the Non-association Independent Schools Alliance (NAISA).

As we move towards launch, NAISA is being developed thoughtfully and collaboratively, in response to real sector experience.

If you’d like to stay connected to that process or help shape future priorities you can register your interest here:
https://forms.gle/gJuBvoZcQvEudDG3A

Thank you to everyone who contributed insight, challenge and honesty in 2025.
We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation.

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉

A heartfelt thank you to everyone we've collaborated with, whether through:

✅ School Improvement Partner Support

☑️ Quality Assurance Support

✅ Independent School Registration Support

☑️ Professional Supervision

✅ Quality of Education Audits

☑️ Governance Support

✅ Leadership Coaching

☑️ Compliance Audits

✅ Training Workshops

☑️ Providing Templates and Resources

Thank you for choosing to work with us.

Wishing you a prosperous 2026! 🌟

It's here! The video comparing Ofsted’s 2019 and 2025 inspection frameworks (specifically for independent schools) is now available and it’s free to watch.

This isn’t analysis or commentary, I’m not an Ofsted inspector and have no inside insight. I’ve simply read, compared, and pulled together what’s different between the two frameworks, so you don’t have to start from scratch.

If you lead, teach in, or support an independent school, I hope this helps you start thinking ahead to January when the new framework comes into play.

It’s already been shared with our 27 newsletter subscribers today, but you can still access it (and the November newsletter it’s part of) by subscribing here:
👉 https://www.marellconsulting.co.uk/contact-7

(P.S. Thank you again to everyone who’s joined the subscriber list — we’ve almost doubled in number since September!)

I’m recording a video highlighting the differences between Ofsted’s 2019 and 2025 inspection frameworks, specifically for independent schools.

I’d planned to share it on 31 October, but I’m now releasing it on 5 November, alongside my next newsletter. That feels like a more natural fit: one update, all in one place.

✅ The video will be free to access.

It isn’t an analysis or commentary. I’m not an Ofsted inspector, and I don’t have any inside insight. I’m simply identifying and explaining the key differences between the two frameworks based on what I’ve read (and I’ve had time to read and properly engage with the documentation).

Another reason I’m doing this is that I attended the Ofsted webinar which I’d encouraged everyone to join so we could hear it “from the horse’s mouth.” Unfortunately, the horse said very little! At least, very little of what I’d want to know and what I imagine you might too.

So, I’m recording this video so you don’t have to start from scratch if you haven’t yet had time to engage fully with the new documentation.

If you’d like the video (and the newsletter it’ll appear in), you can subscribe here:
👉 https://www.marellconsulting.co.uk/contact-7

Curious what the newsletter’s like? Here’s October’s edition:
https://tinyurl.com/y5477zf3

(P.S. Newsletter subscribers have almost doubled this month from a humble 15 to a mighty 24! 😊 Thank you to everyone who’s joined so far.)

New for 2025: Independent School Self-Evaluation Package

When the Ofsted 2025 inspection framework was announced, I knew it was time to update my original self-evaluation package, first created for independent schools under the 2019 framework.

This new edition builds on that foundation: refined, expanded and fully aligned with the 2025 framework to support leaders in evaluating their provision with confidence, clarity, and evidence.

The Independent School Self-Evaluation Package (2025 Edition) is a complete toolkit designed for non-association independent schools, helping leaders reflect deeply, evidence impact, and lay the foundations for future improvement planning.

The package includes:
✅ A detailed Self-Evaluation Template aligned with Ofsted’s 2025 framework
✅ A concise Summary Template for capturing overall judgements and priorities
✅ A plain-English reference guide, “What Each ISS Is About,” to support accurate cross-referencing

It enables schools to evaluate both educational quality and regulatory compliance, and to reflect on how effectively their mission, vision, ethos, aims and values are embedded in daily practice.

It’s clear, practical, and ready to use - helping schools prepare for inspection without the guesswork.

Now available via my website and TES shop.