His Majesty in Council has appointed fifteen individuals as His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) of Education, Children’s Services and Skills through Statutory Instrument 2025 No. 1185. The Inspectors of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (No. 4) Order 2025 was made at Buckingham Palace on 12 November 2025 and comes into force on 13 November 2025.
Appointments are made under section 114(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (c.40), which permits the Sovereign, by Order in Council, to appoint additional inspectors to assist the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The Order was signed by Richard Tilbrook, Clerk of the Privy Council.
HM Inspectors are senior officials within Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They lead inspection teams, undertake quality assurance, and support the Chief Inspector across schools, further education and skills, early years, and children’s social care in England, as provided for in the 2006 Act and related regulations.
The Schedule to the Order names the following appointees: Nikki Heron; Daniel Philip Owen; Sally Robinson; Alison Regan; Perveen Akhtar Hussain; Martin John Davis; Matthew Benjamin Seex; Stephen Graham Lowe; Louise Philippa McArdle; Richard David Light; Jane Samantha Ayres; Mark Simon Scanlon; Penelope Anike Mosunmola Ademuyiwa; Gemma Louise McNevin; and Victoria Louise Brown.
As the fourth such Order issued in 2025, this instrument continues the routine mechanism for maintaining the HMI cohort. It expands the pool of inspectors who may exercise functions on behalf of the Chief Inspector, sustaining Ofsted’s capacity to deliver inspection and regulatory activity within statutory timeframes.
For local authorities, maintained schools, academy trusts, further education colleges and registered social care providers in England, the practical effect is to support timely inspections and regulatory work mandated by the 2006 Act. The Order does not change inspection frameworks, methodology, or provider obligations.
Appointments take effect on 13 November 2025. Once appointed, HMI may be authorised by the Chief Inspector to lead inspections, contribute to national quality assurance, and support statutory reporting within Ofsted’s remit.
Organisations engaging with Ofsted can cite the Inspectors of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (No. 4) Order 2025 (SI 2025/1185) as the legal basis for these appointments. The authority derives from section 114 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and the Order in Council made on 12 November 2025.