OFSTED | ABQM-UK

OFSTED

ANTI-BULLYING QUALITY MARK-UK

Securing Safety, Mental Health and Wellbeing for All

Equality duties on education inspection

Extracts from guidance published 05 November 2025):

Ofsted works in the interests of children, learners, apprentices, trainees, early career teachers (ECTs) and national professional qualification (NPQ) participants...

As part of this, inspectors must consider whether providers are meeting their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 during inspection...

Failure to notice and challenge bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation will usually affect a provider’s grade for ‘leadership and governance’ (or ‘leadership’). The impact on other evaluation areas depends on the education remit and how the act is applied through other legislation, frameworks, and both statutory and non-statutory guidance...

(Full guidance can be accessed via this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-duties-on-education-inspection)

State-funded school inspection toolkit:

Extracts from the toolkit, published 05 November 2025, that reference bullying:

Gathering evidence about safeguarding - page 7

In gathering evidence about child-on-child violence, inspectors evaluate the extent to which leaders:

fulfil their responsibilities* in relation to child-on-child violence, which includes (but is not limited to) bullying, physical abuse (including physical assault and harm, or the threat of harm, with a weapon), sexual violence and harassment, and domestic abuse in pupils’ own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse.

(* these responsibilities include ensuring staff can: recognise signs of students becoming involved in violence; can intervene at an early stage quickly and effectively; support the 'victim', 'perpetrator(s)' and others involved; understand how sexual violence and harassment can occur; engage with clear and effective systems for reporting incidents of sexual violence and harassment)

Grading safeguarding – pages 8-9

The safeguarding standards have been developed from the requirements of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ and ‘Working together to safeguard children’. Safeguarding is likely to be ‘not met’ when the following applies regarding bullying:

leaders do not fulfil their responsibilities in relation to child-on-child violence. This includes (but is not limited to) bullying, physical abuse (including physical assault and harm (or the threat of harm) with a weapon), sexual violence and harassment, and domestic abuse in pupils’ own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse). Leaders do not handle allegations of abuse swiftly and appropriately. This is likely to lead to pupils being put at risk of significant harm.

The safeguarding standards have been developed from the requirements of ‘Keeping children safe in education’ and ‘Working together to safeguard children’. Safeguarding is ‘met’ when the following applies regarding bullying:

leaders fulfil their responsibilities in relation to child-on-child violence. This includes (but is not limited to) bullying, physical abuse (including physical assault and harm (or the threat of harm) with a weapon), sexual violence and harassment, and domestic abuse in pupils’ own intimate relationships (teenage relationship abuse).

Attendance and behaviour – page 35

Inspectors focus on gathering evidence relating to the factors that statutory and non-statutory guidance, research and inspection evidence indicate contribute most strongly to pupils’ positive attendance, behaviour and attitudes. These factors include:

creating an environment in which pupils feel safe, and in which bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), victimisation, physical and sexual abuse and/or violence and emotional abuse – online or offline – are not accepted and are dealt with quickly, consistently and effectively.

Strategic leadership of attendance and behaviour – page 37

In gathering evidence about the strategic leadership of attendance and behaviour, inspectors consider the extent to which leaders:

have an informed and accurate understanding of what is working well and where improvement is needed, including through using day-to-day processes and detailed data analysis to identify, anticipate, prevent and improve poor attendance and behaviour, including bullying.

Behaviour, including bullying – pages 38-39

In gathering evidence about behaviour, including bullying, inspectors consider the extent to which:

leaders and staff establish appropriate routines and explicitly teach and model the behaviour they expect from pupils, so that these are well understood
approaches are adapted to meet pupils’ individual needs as necessary
leaders train and support teaching and non-teaching staff to challenge poor behaviour, including low-level disruption that prevents learning, and they agree on consequences for poor behaviour and apply these confidently and consistently
poor behaviour is prevented from disrupting lessons or the school’s day-to-day life
relationships between pupils and staff show kindness, courtesy, empathy and respect, reflecting a positive culture
leaders and staff create a positive environment in which bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment, including sexual harassment, victimisation, physical and/or sexual violence and derogatory language are not tolerated
leaders recognise that bullying takes various forms, and is often motivated by prejudice against particular groups, for example on grounds of race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, SEND, or because a pupil is adopted, in care or has caring responsibilities; it might be motivated by actual differences between pupils, or perceived differences
leaders ensure that the school has a culture in which staff are trained and empowered to deal with child-on-child violence; they assume it happens in the community and, potentially, in school, even in the absence of specific reports, so establish a whole-school approach to tackle it
pupils feel confident reporting incidents of bullying, aggression, unlawful discrimination or derogatory language when these occur, and leaders deal with them quickly and effectively so that they are not allowed to spread
leaders and staff support pupils who are affected by bullying, aggression, unlawful discrimination or derogatory language so that they feel safe and confident at school
sanctions, including isolation, suspension and permanent exclusion, are used proportionately and appropriately to tackle behaviour that does not reflect leaders’ high expectations
leaders reintegrate suspended pupils and those returning from off-site direction and alternative provision carefully on their return to school and manage their behaviour effectively
leaders work with pupils and parents to communicate expectations about behaviour and to foster partnerships between home and school
leaders work with the local authority, other agencies and partners, where necessary, to support effective and continuing improvements to behaviour.

Grading attendance and behaviour – pages 40-42

Expected standard:

leaders and staff usually ensure that incidents of bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation, physical and/or sexual violence and derogatory language are dealt with quickly and effectively.

Urgent improvement:

Incidents of bullying and/or prejudiced and discriminatory behaviour, both direct and indirect, are frequent and/or tolerated.
Leaders do not take pupils’ concerns seriously. Problems escalate because leaders act too slowly. Pupils have little confidence in the school’s ability to tackle bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation, violence and/or discriminatory behaviour.

Inclusive development and well-being – page 49

In gathering evidence about inclusive personal development and well-being, including pupils’ SMSC development, inspectors consider the extent to which:

pupils respect the different protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010 and do not tolerate bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

Staff well-being and workload – page 75

In gathering evidence about staff well-being and workload, inspectors consider the extent to which:

leaders have effective systems in place to protect staff from bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

Grading leadership and governance – pages 78-79