Ofsted will telephone schools just hours before an inspection team is due to arrive under new arrangements unveiled this month.
The chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw had proposed to introduce no-notice inspections for all schools from September, but after an outcry from headteachers has been forced to back down.
However, the current notice period of two days is still to be scrapped and instead schools will now receive a telephone call on the afternoon before inspectors arrive.An Ofsted statement said: “Under the new arrangements, schools will receive almost no notice of an inspection with inspectors calling headteachers the afternoon before an inspection takes place.
“Calling the working day before an inspection will enable headteachers to make any necessary logistical arrangements including notifying parents and governors of the inspections."
The new approach is part of a package of changes to the inspection framework that have been confirmed after a public consultation.
The changes, which will come into effect from September this year, also include Ofsted's plans to scrap the “satisfactory" rating and replace it with “requires improvement".
Schools found to be in the new category for two consecutive inspections are “likely" to be found inadequate at the third, the inspectorate said. It added: “This means (the school) will be placed in special measures unless there are exceptional circumstances. Ofsted will therefore expect schools to improve to good within four years."
Ofsted has also said it will take a similar approach to schools in “requires improvement" as it does with those judged inadequate, including monitoring and quicker re-inspections – within two years.
Elsewhere, Ofsted has stressed that “inspectors' evaluation of the progress made by pupils and learners will be central to their judgement on whether a school is providing a good education".
It added: “This means if pupils are making good progress, a school can be found good or better even where attainment is below average."
Sir Michael has also repeated his recent comments that inspectors will not be looking for one style of teaching, but instead will look for “what works" (see page 4). The statement said: “Inspectors will continue to focus on the quality of teaching but Ofsted will be clear that it does not expect to see a particular teaching methodology."
It has also been confirmed that from September, only schools with “outstanding" teaching will be able to be judged “outstanding" overall. Ofsted said: “It does not mean that every lesson seen during an inspection needs to be outstanding. It does, however, mean that over time teaching is enabling almost all pupils to make rapid and sustained progress."
The National Association of Head Teachers has reiterated concerns about the “variable quality" of inspection teams and their interpretation of the data.
General secretary Russell Hobby said: “If Ofsted is to re-inspect a school after two years, it must improve its record in considering school-generated data on pupil progress, rather than relying on crude external measures.
“The clarification that 'requires improvement' does not automatically create eligibility for intervention is reassuring; as is the sense there is some discretion on the three strikes and you're out policy. We wait with interest to find out what Ofsted's plans to offer more support to schools will actually mean in practice."
A full summary of the consultation responses has been published by Ofsted.
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