Under the current system, separate reports are published on education, safeguarding and welfare. Ofsted now wants to scrap this approach and replace it with a single inspection.
The children's services watchdog hopes the move will make the inspection process easier for schools and parents to understand. Ofsted said the change would improve outcomes for children since teachers and other staff will spend less time dealing with inspections.
The draft plans, which Ofsted is consulting on, also apply to boarding schools and residential special schools, and include proposals to change the notice period for inspections.
Boarding schools and residential special schools will no longer have a pre-inspection visit; instead they will get two days' notice, the same as state day schools. Children's homes that provide education will continue to be subject to inspections with no notice.
