orli.health · How Orli maps to Ofsted and DfE guidance · Quotes checked against GOV.UK on 19 October 2026
How Orli maps to Ofsted and DfE guidance
Orli supports work you’re already doing on inclusion, behaviour and wellbeing. Here’s where it fits, in the guidance’s own words, and what’s ready today.
Every quote checked against GOV.UK on
Where Orli fits
Eight areas from Ofsted’s inspection toolkit and DfE guidance. Open a row for the detail and the source.
- Live
- in Orli Schools today
Ofsted inspection
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Toolkit, page 11
What the guidance asks
“a continuous cycle of planning, actions and review in order to reduce barriers to pupils’ learning and/or wellbeing”
How Orli helps
Short, regular sessions help staff notice early which children find it hard to manage how they feel, and offer simple support before things build up.
- Live: sessions
From the guidance
Inspectors also look for “embedding a culture in which early and accurate assessment of pupils’ needs is prioritised”.
Ofsted, State-funded school inspection toolkit, Inclusion, page 11
In Orli Schools today
- Orli Bites of about five minutes, and longer story Adventures
- Use them with a class, a small group or one child
- A facilitator guide beside every session
What we don’t claim: Orli doesn’t assess needs or identify SEND, and it doesn’t replace your SENCO’s assessment.
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Toolkit, page 35
What the guidance asks
“a calm, orderly, respectful, supportive and positive environment in which pupils can thrive”
How Orli helps
A calm, shared routine for settling the room, and small-group sessions for children who need more help with regulation.
- Live
From the guidance
For pupils with SEND, inspectors “bear in mind that some pupils may need additional support to help them manage their behaviour and emotional regulation”.
Ofsted, State-funded school inspection toolkit, Attendance and behaviour, pages 35 and 36
In Orli Schools today
- A room check-in: “How does the room feel right now?”
- Orli Bites to settle the room in about five minutes
- Small-group sessions, with the guide beside you
What we don’t claim: we don’t say Orli improves attendance, and it doesn’t replace your behaviour policy.
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Toolkit, page 47
What the guidance asks
“pupils learn how to manage their own emotions and resolve conflict with others”
How Orli helps
Story Adventures and short Bites give children words for their feelings and simple ways to settle them.
- Live
From the guidance
Inspectors also consider whether “pupils feel welcome, valued and respected and that they belong within the school community”. What we mean by belonging.
Ofsted, State-funded school inspection toolkit, Personal development and wellbeing, pages 47 and 49
In Orli Schools today
- Three story Adventures in each of six Orli worlds
- Orli Bites of about five minutes
- A shared scrapbook for the group
What we don’t claim: Orli isn’t a personal development programme. It’s one part of yours.
Department for Education
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IMF conditions of grant
Due
What the guidance asks
“All individual schools are required to publish an inclusion strategy statement for the academic year 2026 to 2027 and must do so by 31 December 2026.”
How Orli helps
Orli’s sessions fit best under the principle of “a safe and respectful culture fostering belonging, attendance, and participation in learning”. Whether they belong in your strategy is your call.
- Live: sessions
From the guidance
The fund must be spent on activity in line with seven principles of inclusion. Schools don’t have to cover every one, and DfE has published a template to help you write the statement.
DfE, Inclusive mainstream fund for schools: conditions of grant 2026 to 2027, updated 1 July 2026
The seven principles of inclusion
- ambitious leadership and governance that embeds inclusion
- evidence-based support prioritising early intervention
- high quality adaptive teaching with curriculum designed for all learners
- enriching provision beyond the classroom that all children can access
- a safe and respectful culture fostering belonging, attendance, and participation in learning Where Orli fits best
- strong partnerships with families and wider services
- inclusive environments with continuous improvements to accessibility
In the words of DfE’s Inclusive mainstream fund: support for school leaders, updated 7 August 2026. The conditions of grant word the fifth more briefly: “fostering belonging and attendance”.
What we don’t claim: we don’t say Orli can be paid for from the fund. Check the conditions of grant.
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White paper, page 61
What the guidance asks
“Every school should be a safe, calm, and caring place where every child feels they belong and are seen.”
How Orli helps
Luna’s Adventures in The Village are about welcoming others. The pupil check-in we’re building includes belonging.
- Live: Adventures
From the guidance
The white paper also says: “By 2029, we expect every school to monitor children’s sense of belonging and engagement.”
DfE, Every child achieving and thriving, schools white paper, February 2026 (correction slip April 2026), pages 11 and 61
In Orli Schools today
- Luna’s three Adventures in The Village
What we don’t claim: the check-in isn’t live yet, and we don’t say it meets any DfE measure.
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RSHE guidance, page 21
What the guidance asks
To cover by the end of primary
“How to recognise feelings and use varied vocabulary to talk about their own and others’ feelings.”
How Orli helps
Each Orli carries a feeling, so the class shares words for feelings. Everyday worry and frustration are treated as normal.
- Live
From the guidance
Pupils should understand that worrying and feeling down “are normal, affect everyone at different times, and are not in themselves a sign of a mental health condition”.
DfE, Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, statutory guidance, July 2025, in effect from 1 September 2026, page 21
In Orli Schools today
- The Orlis, each with a feeling of its own
- Story Adventures and Orli Bites
What we don’t claim: Orli isn’t an RSHE scheme, and we haven’t mapped it to RSHE units.
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SEND code, paragraph 6.44
What the guidance asks
“This SEN support should take the form of a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised”
How Orli helps
Any activity can run with a small group or one child, as part of the support you plan and review for social, emotional and mental health needs.
- Live: sessions
From the guidance
The code calls this cycle the graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties are one of its four broad areas of need.
DfE and DHSC, SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years, statutory guidance, January 2015, paragraphs 6.32 and 6.44
In Orli Schools today
- Sessions for a small group or one child
- Private notes for staff after a 1:1
What we don’t claim: Orli doesn’t replace SEN support, your SENCO or specialist advice.
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Whole school approach, principle 4
What the guidance asks
“curriculum teaching and learning to promote resilience and support social and emotional learning”
How Orli helps
A practical tool your senior mental health lead can use across the school. A guide sits beside every session, so there’s little to prepare.
- Live
From the guidance
It’s one of eight principles of a whole school approach. DfE’s 2018 advice on mental health and behaviour adds: “Early intervention to identify issues and provide effective support is crucial.”
DfE, Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges, updated 28 April 2026
DfE advice, Mental health and behaviour in schools, November 2018, paragraph 1.2
In Orli Schools today
- Bites and Adventures any member of staff can run
- A facilitator guide beside every session
- “My learning”, to track your own professional learning
What we don’t claim: Orli isn’t a therapy or a mental health service.
What we mean by belonging
A child feels welcome, valued and respected at school, and knows there’s someone they can talk to.
This follows Ofsted’s toolkit, which asks whether “pupils feel welcome, valued and respected and that they belong within the school community”. It’s something a child can tell you, not a diagnosis or a score.
What Orli isn’t
Orli isn’t a curriculum or a therapy. It doesn’t replace your SENCO, your PSHE scheme, your DSL’s safeguarding procedures or specialist services.
Safeguarding stays with your DSL
Keeping children safe in education 2026 says that if staff have a concern about a child’s mental health that is also a safeguarding concern, “they should follow their child protection policy and speak to their designated safeguarding lead or deputy” (paragraph 50). That doesn’t change when Orli is in the room.
What we haven’t shown yet
The same guidance says: “Schools and colleges should ensure that any interventions they offer are evidenced as safe and effective and appropriate for the need and phase of education.” (paragraph 49)
We haven’t yet shown that Orli raises attainment or attendance, or that helping children regulate leads to better learning. We’re investigating that with our partner schools. Read what we know so far before you decide.
Sources
Quotes are word for word. The summaries are ours, so check the source before you rely on them. Checked on .
- State-funded school inspection toolkitOfsted. Updated June 2026 (v2.0), for inspections from 7 September 2026
- Education inspection framework 2025Ofsted. For inspections from 10 November 2025
- Every child achieving and thrivingDfE schools white paper (policy paper). February 2026, correction slip April 2026
- Inclusive mainstream fund for schools: conditions of grant 2026 to 2027DfE. Updated 1 July 2026
- Inclusive mainstream fund: support for school leadersDfE. Updated 7 August 2026, with the inclusion strategy template
- Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health EducationDfE statutory guidance. July 2025, in effect from 1 September 2026
- SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 yearsDfE and DHSC statutory guidance. January 2015
- Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and collegesDfE guidance. Updated 28 April 2026
- Mental health and behaviour in schoolsDfE advice (non-statutory). November 2018
- Keeping children safe in education 2026DfE statutory guidance. In force from 1 September 2026
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