Welcome to Ofsted Insights, a data-led analysis of inspection findings across further education, skills and apprenticeship provision under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF). These reports help providers make practical use of Ofsted inspection evidence through clear, accessible analysis.
This edition explores the relationship between leadership and governance, professional development, and the quality of curriculum and teaching. It examines what distinguishes providers where investment in staff development translates into stronger teaching and learning outcomes from those where it does not.
The analysis draws on 238 Ofsted inspection reports spanning inspections conducted primarily between late 2025 and mid-2026. The dataset includes:
- Independent training providers (188)
- Employer providers (20)
- General FE colleges (14)
- Adult and community learning providers (10)
- Universities delivering apprenticeship or skills provision (6)
Several consistent patterns emerged from the analysis. The clearest relationship identified is between Leadership and Governance and curriculum quality. Providers with a Strong grade in leadership and governance achieved Strong or above for curriculum and teaching in 87% of cases, while no provider with Needs Attention for Leadership and Governance achieved a Strong curriculum outcome.
Providers with higher graded curriculum and teaching are also more likely to demonstrate targeted staff development, structured coaching and peer learning, up-to-date subject expertise, and clear evidence that professional development has resulted in improved practice.
These providers are not simply delivering more staff development. They are diagnosing needs accurately, targeting support effectively, embedding coaching and collaboration, and measuring whether professional learning is improving teaching quality and learner outcomes.
Download the report to explore the full analysis, benchmark data, provider-level findings, and practical recommendations for strengthening professional development and improving curriculum and teaching quality.
This report is a companion to the Ofsted Inclusion Analysis Report and Professional Development and Teaching Quality report, which each take a deep, theme-limited look at this dataset. This report asks a different question: across the whole dataset, with no theme filter applied, what patterns would help a nominee plan for their own provider’s inspection?
Read the Nominee planning analysis here