DfE Action Plan Support

Finding out that some of the Independent School Standards have not been met is one of the hardest moments in school leadership. It’s understandable to feel worried, frustrated, or even unfairly judged. Many leaders tell us the report lands at the same time as everything else still needs doing.

Then the letter from the Department for Education arrives, asking for an action plan by a set date. The deadline is short, the language is formal, and it’s not always clear what a “good” plan looks like.

You don’t have to work it out alone. We help proprietors and leaders write clear, realistic DfE action plans, and we independently check progress once a plan is underway. Our aim is simple: help you meet the standards securely, so the improvements last and your children and young people feel the difference.

We support both stages:

• Writing your DfE action plan, so it’s complete, practical and ready to submit on time.
• Reviewing your plan and your progress, so you know honestly where you stand before a progress monitoring inspection.

What is a DfE action plan?

A DfE action plan is the document a proprietor sends to the Department for Education to show how the school will meet any Independent School Standards (or Early Years Foundation Stage requirements) that have not been met.

The DfE asks for it through a formal notice, often called a section 114 notice. The notice lists the standards that are not met and gives a date for the plan to be submitted.

By law, the plan must set out the steps you will take to meet each unmet standard, and the date by which each step will happen. The DfE’s Independent School Action Plan Guidance also recommends including:

• the objective for each standard
• the person responsible for each step
• the money or resources you will use
• clear success criteria, so everyone can see when the standard is met
• any other information that helps explain your approach

Why does the DfE ask for an action plan?

The standards exist for one reason: to make sure children are safe, well taught and well cared for. When a standard is not met, the action plan is the DfE’s way of giving the school a clear, fair chance to put things right.

It’s worth seeing it that way. A good plan is not just a compliance document. It is a practical roadmap that helps leaders, staff and proprietors focus on the changes that matter most for pupils.

Why leadership and management is almost always included

One of the most common challenges we see is a plan that fixes the individual issues but says little about leadership. The DfE guidance is clear that unmet standards usually link to Part 8, the leadership and management standard, because leaders are responsible for making sure all standards are met consistently.

A strong plan therefore explains how oversight will improve. That might include training, clearer roles, stronger governance, or more independent checking. Schools that recover well usually treat this as an opportunity to strengthen how the school is run, not just to close a list of gaps.

What happens when independent school standards are not met?

Every school’s circumstances are different, but the process usually follows the same steps. Knowing what comes next helps leaders plan calmly rather than react.

1. The inspection report. Ofsted or ISI reports which standards are not met. This is your starting point, along with any oral feedback given at the end of the inspection.
2. The DfE notice. The DfE sends a formal notice asking for an action plan. The deadline is normally one month, and sometimes shorter where safety is involved.
3. You write and submit the plan. The DfE generally expects all steps to be completed within three months of the notice. A longer timescale can be accepted for things like curriculum change, extensive staff training or building work, as long as you explain why.
4. The inspectorate evaluates it. The plan goes to Ofsted or ISI, often to the original lead inspector. They check it is complete, realistic and likely to lead to the standards being met. This normally takes up to a month.
5. The DfE decides. The plan is approved, approved with modifications, or rejected. You receive the inspectorate’s evaluation either way.
6. The progress monitoring inspection. Inspectors return to check whether the previously unmet standards are now met. Where a plan has been approved, they check your progress against it.

How long do you have to submit a DfE action plan?

The notice will give you a date, normally within one month. If there is a genuine reason you cannot produce a useful plan in time, you can ask the DfE for longer. Requests with good reasons are usually granted, although holidays are not seen as a reason to pause.

The most important point is this: you do not need to wait for the notice, or for a decision on your plan, before you start improving. Schools that begin straight after the inspection are in a much stronger position by the time inspectors return.

What happens if a DfE action plan is rejected?

Plans are most often rejected when the steps or timescales are not good enough, or when it would be impossible to tell whether the actions will lead to the standards being met. A rejection is serious, but it is rarely the end of the road. The inspectorate’s evaluation explains what was missing, and the DfE will usually arrange an early monitoring inspection.

This is exactly why getting the plan right first time matters so much. The DfE itself recommends that proprietors seek external support and have their plan quality assured by a third party before submitting it.

What happens after the progress monitoring inspection?

If inspectors find the standards are now met, the school usually returns to its normal cycle of inspection. If good progress has been made but some issues remain, a further action plan may be requested.

Where progress is limited, the DfE can take enforcement action. This might mean stopping new admissions, closing part of the provision, or in the most serious cases removing the school from the register. We mention this not to worry you, but because a clear, well delivered plan is the best way to make sure it never comes to that.

Help writing your DfE action plan

We work alongside the proprietor and senior leaders to produce a plan that is clear, realistic and ready to submit on time. The plan remains yours. Our role is to bring experience, structure and an honest outside view.

We start with the inspection report and the DfE notice, then look at what is really happening in school. That way the plan tackles the root causes, not just the symptoms the inspector wrote down.

What our DfE action plan writing service includes

• Understanding the findings. We unpick each unmet standard, how it links to others, and what the inspector needed to see.
• Getting to the root cause. We help you work out why the gap happened, so the same issue doesn’t return.
• Clear, specific actions. Every step is practical and sequenced, with a named person responsible and a realistic date.
• Measurable success criteria. We help you describe exactly what “met” will look like, and what evidence will prove it.
• Leadership and governance actions. We make sure Part 8 is properly addressed, including how proprietors will check progress.
• Realistic timescales. We help you meet the DfE’s expectations and explain clearly where longer is genuinely needed.
• Evidence to submit alongside the plan. Where actions are already complete, we help you gather and present the evidence.
• A final quality check. Before you submit, we review the plan as an inspector would evaluate it.

Who this is for

Proprietors, headteachers, principals, governors and senior leaders of independent schools, independent special schools and alternative provision, whether inspected by Ofsted or ISI. We also support schools with boarding or early years provision where those requirements are not met.

Independent review of your DfE action plan

Some schools have already written their plan and simply want a second pair of eyes before it goes to the DfE. Others have an approved plan and want to know, honestly, whether they are on track.

We offer two types of review.

Review before you submit

The DfE recommends having your plan quality assured by a third party before submission. We read your draft the way the inspectorate will evaluate it, checking whether it is complete, realistic, and likely to lead to every standard being met.

You receive clear, practical feedback on gaps, weak success criteria, unrealistic dates, and anything missing on leadership and governance. Most reviews can be turned around quickly to fit your deadline.

Independent review of progress against your action plan

Once your plan is approved, the focus shifts to delivery. This is where we often see schools lose momentum, especially when a small team is carrying the work alongside the day job.

An independent progress review checks each action and each unmet standard. We look beyond the paperwork to see whether changes are embedded in daily practice, understood by staff, and making a difference for pupils.

A progress review tells you:

• which actions are complete and securely embedded
• which are complete on paper but not yet consistent in practice
• which are behind, and what would help
• whether each previously unmet standard is now likely to be met
• what evidence inspectors are likely to ask for at the progress monitoring inspection

Many schools book one review midway through the plan and another shortly before the expected monitoring inspection. Proprietors and governors tell us this gives them real assurance, rather than relying on updates from within the school.

How our DfE action plan support works

1. A quick first conversation. We talk through your report, your notice and your deadline, and agree the right support.
2. A clear proposal. We send a short proposal setting out scope, timescales and cost. Once it is signed, we start straight away.
3. Review of documents and evidence. We look at the report, the notice, and your policies, records and current position.
4. Time in school. Where needed, we visit to speak with leaders, staff and pupils and see practice in action.
5. Writing or reviewing the plan. We draft the plan with you, or give detailed feedback on yours, ready for submission.
6. Ongoing progress checks. If you choose, we return to review progress and help you prepare for the monitoring inspection.

What you get

• A complete DfE action plan, or detailed written feedback on your draft
• Measurable success criteria and an evidence list for every unmet standard
• A concise progress review report, with a clear view on whether each standard is likely to be met
• Practical next steps that leaders and proprietors can act on straight away
• Confidence that your plan and your progress would stand up to an inspector’s scrutiny

From Our Experience

We often see plans that are full of activity but light on impact. “Update the safeguarding policy” is an action. “All staff can explain the updated procedure, and records show concerns are logged and followed up within 24 hours” is a success criterion an inspector can test.

Many leaders tell us the hardest part is not knowing what to do, but finding the time to do it well while still running the school. An experienced, independent view helps to focus energy on the actions that will make the biggest difference for pupils.

Good Practice

In the strongest plans we see:

• every action links directly to an unmet standard and its root cause
• each step has one named owner, not a team or a job title shared by several people
• success criteria describe what will be seen in practice, not just what will be written
• proprietors and governors have a clear, regular way to check progress
• the plan includes how the school will stay compliant after the inspection, such as periodic safeguarding or governance audits

Common Misconception

“Once the plan is approved, the hard part is done.”

Approval means the DfE is satisfied with your plan, not that the standards are met. At the monitoring inspection, inspectors check whether the standards are met in practice and whether you did what the plan said you would. Compliance with the plan and meeting the standards are closely linked, but they are not the same thing. That is why regular, honest progress checks matter.

DfE action plan FAQs

Can we write the action plan ourselves? Yes. The plan belongs to the proprietor and many schools write their own. External support helps you get it right first time, and the DfE actively encourages it.

Do we have to use the DfE action plan template? No, but it is a sensible starting point. If your plan covers the same headings with enough detail, it will meet the legal requirements and be easier to evaluate.

Does using a consultant guarantee our plan will be approved? No one can guarantee approval. What we can do is make sure your plan is complete, realistic and clearly linked to every unmet standard, which are the things the inspectorate looks for.

Can you help if our plan has already been rejected? Yes. We use the inspectorate’s evaluation to understand what was missing and help you strengthen both the plan and the practice behind it.

Do you support schools inspected by both Ofsted and ISI? Yes. We support non-association schools inspected by Ofsted and association schools inspected by ISI, as well as independent special schools and alternative provision.

How quickly can you start? We know DfE deadlines are tight. Get in touch as soon as the report arrives, and we will do our best to start within days.

Questions for Leaders

• Do we understand why each standard was not met, not just what the report says?
• Would every member of staff be able to describe what has changed?
• How will our proprietor or governors know, independently, that actions are working?
• If inspectors arrived tomorrow, what evidence would show each standard is now met?
• What will keep us compliant once the monitoring inspection is over?

Why choose Jarvis Education for DfE action plan support?

Our founder is a former His Majesty’s Inspector, with two decades as a teacher, school leader and HMI. We have more than 50 education experts in our network, many with leadership and inspection experience in independent schools, independent special schools and alternative provision.

We understand the Independent School Standards, both inspection frameworks, and the pressures proprietors and leaders face. Above all, we sit alongside you as an experienced, independent reviewer: helping, not judging, and always keeping children and young people at the centre.

How can Jarvis Education help?

Whether you have just received your notice, have a draft plan ready to check, or want an honest view of your progress, we can help.

• Speak to Shaun, our Founder & CEO. Tell us where you are and when your deadline is.
• Receive a clear proposal. We set out exactly what we will do, by when, and the cost.
• Get started. Once the proposal is signed, we begin straight away and work to your timescale.

A “not met” judgement is a difficult moment, but it does not define your school. With the right plan and the right support, it can be the start of a stronger, more confident school for your children and young people.