Sheila Mckenzie-
Schools in England will be judged on new enrichment benchmarks as part of their “personal development and well-being” Ofsted inspection category. The Department for Education (DfE) will publish an official set of benchmarks, but the core expectation is that schools provide an entitlement to activities across five key categories for all pupils.
The government said it expects schools to provide access to activities covering the following areas: Civic engagement, Arts and culture , Nature, outdoor and adventure, Sport and physical activities. Ofsted inspectors will consider how schools are meeting these expectations as part of their routine inspections. The assessment will primarily fall under the “personal development and well-being” judgement area (which, from November 2025, is graded on a 5-point scale from ‘urgent improvement’ to ‘exemplary’).
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Inspectors say they will evaluate the thoughtfulness and planning behind the school’s enrichment programme, not just the existence of activities.
Accessibility and Inclusion: A crucial element is ensuring that enrichment opportunities are genuinely available to all pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with SEND, or at risk of missing out, and not just those whose families can afford them.
What is surprising is how enrichment benchmark can substitute for real academic achievement, unless the enrichment benchmarks will be merged with academic standards
Inspectors said it will gather evidence through conversations with pupils, staff, and parents to understand if the activities successfully help children discover interests, develop talents, build character (resilience, confidence, independence), and prepare for life in modern Britain.
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The programme should be linked to wider school goals, such as improving attendance, behaviour, and overall wellbeing.
Use of External Partners: Schools are encouraged to work with external providers (e.g., The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, local sports clubs, museums) to enhance and broaden their offer.
The programme should respond to the interests of pupils and staff, with input from the whole school community.
Information about a school’s enrichment offer and how it meets these benchmarks will be made available to parents through a new “school profiles” information service, which will be fully launched in the 2026/27 academic year. The new benchmarks are said to be aimed at ensuring that a broad range of experiences beyond the academic curriculum is a fundamental part of every child’s education.
Speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts conference last month, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said extra-curricular activities have been “optional extras for too long” and “must become a fundamental part of the education of every child”.
The benchmarks were not recommended by Francis’ curriculum and assessment review, published today.
Francis did recommend the government strengthen expectations of the enrichment offer for 16-19 study programmes. But the review did not mention schools.
Francis said the benchmarks were “outside our purview” and her review “made no recommendations about the nature” of extra curricular activities.
Natalie Perera, chief executive of the EPI, said enrichment “provides longer-lasting benefits to young people through the development of soft skills, improved health, cognitive development, and through establishing new friendships.”
But she added government “will need to set out how disadvantaged young people are fully able to access such activities, as they oft
The benchmarks were not recommended by Francis’ curriculum and assessment review, published today.
Natalie Perera, chief executive of the EPI, said enrichment “provides longer-lasting benefits to young people through the development of soft skills, improved health, cognitive development, and through establishing new friendships.”
But she added government “will need to set out how disadvantaged young people are fully able to access such activities, as they oft
“The sports teams, the debate clubs, the visits to museums, the trips to the theatre,” Phillipson said, “they don’t take away from academic achievement, they add to it”.
The DfE said Ofsted will “consider as part of routine inspection how this expectation is being met”.
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