In Ofsted’s response to the Big Listen, there is an ambition to increase Ofsted’s focus on how providers are meeting the needs of vulnerable children, learners and young people.

As part of this, Ofsted will be introducing a new inspection criterion on inclusion in order to help direct attention and resources to those with the highest need.  

Ofsted has commissioned research on vulnerability and inclusion. Research in Practice, part of the National Children’s Bureau, is leading a project which aims to help Ofsted develop an evidence-informed conceptualisation of vulnerability and inclusion, for consideration in their inspection and regulatory work in education and children’s social care.

Your views matter

We know that professionals across education and social care work tirelessly to address the needs of vulnerable children and families – and their understanding of vulnerability and inclusion is nuanced and expansive.

Therefore, in addition to reviewing the published literature, we also want to speak to professionals across the early years, education (including further education) and social care sectors. We would particularly welcome participation from professionals who identify as being from a minoritised group. 

Invitation to join an online focus group

As part of this project, we held a series of online focus groups between October-November 2024 to hear from professionals across social care and education about how they understood ‘vulnerability’ in their contexts.  

We’re excited to invite you to join us for our next round of focus groups. In these sessions, we’ll share what we’ve learned so far from the sector, test the ‘working definition’ of vulnerability, and talk together about practical and inclusive ways to identify and measure the impact of supporting ‘vulnerable’ children, young people and learners. 

We are running a series of online focus groups, organised by sector. We want to hear from professionals at all levels, across the education and social care sectors.

Before requesting a place, please review the participant information and Ofsted’s Terms of Reference for this project. 

The dates are below.

Workshop dates and regions

How can Ofsted conceptualise ‘vulnerability’ in its work within the education and social care sectors? New dates added | Research in Practice

To request your place, please complete this expression of interest form using the link below.

You will then be sent a consent form to sign and return. For any clarification or questions, please email [email protected].