Question group

Participation and pathways

Questions in this group:

Participation and pathways 1.3f. How effectively do government policies (for example early education offers for working parents) support equitable access and engagement for disadvantaged families? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.3e. How can providers effectively engage families of vulnerable groups, such as refugees, asylum seekers, or those with limited understanding of the education system, to identify risks of off-rolling and ensure continuity of education? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.3d. How does parental involvement with the setting influence attendance, behaviour and attainment, particularly for disadvantaged pupils or pupils with SEND? What strategies work best to strengthen this relationship? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.3c. What interventions or communication strategies are most effective in helping parents understand the importance of early education and safeguarding practices? How can these be scaled across different communities? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.3b. What are the challenges and enablers to effective parental engagement in education? How do these differ for socioeconomically disadvantaged families, families of children who have SEND, and those accessing early years provision? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.3a. How does the information that Ofsted publishes influence the decisions that parents, carers, young people and learners take about future care, education, training and employment pathways? What factors shape how different groups interpret and use this information? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.2e. Which interventions or strategies successfully support pupils at risk of exclusion or disengagement without disrupting their education? How can these be scaled and shared across the sector? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.2d. To what extent and in what ways are certain vulnerable children, young people and learners disproportionately affected by non-school-based education and off-rolling? What patterns emerge across different contexts? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.2c. What pressures or incentives (for example accountability measures, performance data or resource constraints) influence schools’ decisions to use off-rolling, part-time timetables, or isolation units? How do these drivers vary by context? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.2b. What systemic, education and family-level factors contribute to non-school-based education pathways? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.2a. How do non-school-based education experiences, including off-rolling, affect academic progress, wellbeing and long-term outcomes (for example employment or further education), particularly for children, young people and learners experiencing vulnerability? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.1g. What contextual patterns are evident in behaviour and attendance challenges? What local factors are related to both risk and improvement? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.1f. What factors are influencing delayed entry to reception? How does this affect short and long-term attendance patterns for different groups of children? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.1e. How have attendance patterns changed for vulnerable groups since COVID-19? How do these patterns differ between school-age and post-16 learners? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.1d. How can early years providers and family hubs work with parents to establish strong attendance‑related routines from the earliest stages? How can they identify and address barriers that may affect later engagement in education? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.1c. How is poor attendance related to exclusion, suspension or eventual disengagement from education? This may include transitions into post-16 pathways and the risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET). Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.1b. How can schools and post-16 settings address attendance challenges for vulnerable groups? What approaches work best across different phases? Ofsted, 2026

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Participation and pathways 1.1a. What interventions are most effective in improving attendance across all education settings? Ofsted, 2026

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