| How often does a school get inspected? |
Schools get inspected about every three years |
| How long does an inspection last? |
This depends on the size of the school but is never less than one day and is never more than two days. |
| How many inspectors are involved? |
This depends on this size of the school. For small primary schools or special units it may be one inspector for one day. For large secondary schools is it could be up to five inspectors for two days. |
| Are all school inspected using the same criteria? |
TYes - all schools are inspected against the same common inspection schedule. You can find this at Every child matters |
| Are all inspections the same? |
All inspections follow the same criteria but Ofsted identifies about a third of schools, based on their past record, to have a reduced tariff inspection. This means inspectors are only in school for one day irrespective of its size. |
| How much notice does a school get about an inspection. |
The school will be contacted two clear days before its inspection. An administrative officer from the Regional Inspection Service Provider will contact the school to speak to the headteacher informing them of the inspection. |
| What should schools do to prepare for an inspection? |
School are not required or expected to make any specific preparations for an inspection. There is no requirement for additional paperwork to be sent to inspectors. Ofsted does provide schools with a school self evaluation form for them to complete which inspectors will analyse before the inspection. more info |
| What is the role of the school in completing the self evaluation form? |
It is up to a school to decide how it completes its self evaluation form. The SEF should be uploaded onto the XXXXX and it will be made available to the inspection team when this has been done. more info |
| Are the document inspectors use on inspections available to school. |
Many of the inspection documents are published on the Ofsted website www.ofsetd.gov.uk and are available for schools to download. |
| How do inspectors prepare for an inspection? |
Ofsted or the RISP provides the lead inspector with a copy of the previous inspection report, RAISEonline (a document of the most up-to-date national test and performance data available for the school) and a copy of the school’s self evaluation form (SEF) if available. The lead inspector analyses this information and writes a pre-inspection briefing (PIB) which is sent to the school no later then 4pm the day before the inspection. This briefing helps drive the inspection as it includes hypotheses and issues to follow up during the inspection. |
| What contact does the lead inspector make with the school before the inspection? |
For a standard s5 inspection the lead inspector will telephone the headteacher to discuss the arrangements for the inspection. This call should take abut 30 minutes and does not involve discussing the SEF as this call does not form part of the inspection. If a school has a reduced tariff inspection then there are two conversations between the headteacher and lead inspector. The latter of these is to discuss the lead inspector’s preliminary analysis of the evidence and to decide if any areas can be ‘provisionally agreed’. |
| What do inspectors do on an inspection? |
Inspectors analyse the school’s evaluation of its self and the pupils’ results and progress. They hold discussions with the headteacher, representative(s) of the governing body, staff and pupils. They consider the views of parents and carers. They observe lessons and look at school documentation. |
| How is the school involved in an inspection? |
The school is involved in many ways through meetings, discussions with individual and groups of staff and pupils and providing documentation. There may also be the opportunity for senior leaders to be involved in joint observations with inspectors. The headteacher will also be in regular conversation with the lead inspector about emerging judgments. |
| What do inspectors make judgements about? |
The inspectors make an overall judgement about the effectiveness of the school. They also judge the pupils’ achievement and standards and their personal development and well-being. They judge how well the school is led and managed, and also the quality of the teaching, curriculum, and care, support and guidance the school provides. |
| What ongoing oral feedback is provided to the school? |
The lead inspector should keep the headteacher informed of emerging judgements during eh inspection. There should also be fixed points, such as at the end of day 1 on a 2 day inspection, when more full but interim feedback is provided. Any issues arising from the evidence collected should be shared with the headteacher as soon as is possible. |
| What happens at the final formal feedback? |
The arrangements for the final formal feedback should be made between the headteacher and lead inspector and it should be agreed who is going to attend. The feedback should provide the main judgements and outline the strengths and weaknesses of each aspect. Schools should be left with issues for improvement. The lead inspector should also explain the process of quality assurance the report goes through before being published. |
| Do schools get to see the report before it is published? |
School’s receive a copy of the report, usually in the week following the inspection, for a factual check. Schools have 24 hours to read the report and send back to the RISPS any comments they may have about the factual accuracy of the report. The report at this stage has not yet been signed off and remains confidential. |
| How quickly are reports published and what do schools have to do with it? |
Reports are published usually within XXX days and a copy is sent to the school. The school then has XXX days to send a copy out to the parents/carers. |
| How are schools graded? |
A. School are given a grade from 1 – 4.
- Grade 1 (outstanding)
- Grade2 (good)
- Grade 3 (satisfactory)
- Grade 4 (inadequate)
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| What happens if a school is graded 4? |
A. If a school is graded 4 it is placed in one of the following two categories
Special measures
This means the school does not provide its pupils with an acceptable standard of education, and is not showing the capacity to make the improvements needed.
Inspectors will visit the school regularly to check its progress, until it can be removed from the category. The school will be reinspected after about two years.
Notice to improve
This means either:
- the school is failing to provide its pupils with an acceptable standard of education but it does have the capacity to improve; or
- it is not failing, but is performing significantly less well than we reasonably expect.
If a school is given a notice to improve, it will receive a monitoring visit after about six months by an inspector and it will be reinspected after about a year. |
| What happens to the report when a school is placed in a category? |
When a school is placed in a category the inspection evidence is scrutinised by Her Majesty’s Inspectors and the publication of the report takes a little longer than for schools not in a category. |
| What should schools do if they have concerns about the inspection? |
WInitially any concerns should be aired with the lead inspector during the inspection and hopefully resolved. If concerns cannot be resolved or arise after inspection, schools have the right to lodge a formal complaint. Complaints about inspections are rare but are taken very seriously. You can find out more information at www.ofsted.gov.uk or by calling 08456 4040445 |
