Surviving Inspection

An Ofsted inspection can be an intense yet rewarding experience for many head teachers, but waiting for and receiving the phone call can be nerve-racking.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced head or one new to role, inspection is something that can fill you with a sense of dread!

I’m talking from experience having been through 3 inspections as a head teacher and countless others throughout my career either as a teacher or school leader.

So what can you do to prepare yourself for the call and to stay calm under pressure?

Preparation:

It sounds obvious, but I would seriously recommend that you start by reading through the current School Inspection Framework document. If you know the judgement criteria that the inspectors will use, there can be no surprises.

Linked to this, the inspection criteria can help you to write your Self Evaluation Form (SEF) well in advance. Take the time brainstorm and to see where you feel the best fit is for each of the judgement areas. Start with the ‘Good’ criteria and bullet all the evidence that you have that demonstrates that you meet this.

From the initial phone call with the lead inspector, he/she will be interested to hear what you think are the strengths and areas for development for your school are and will then seek to triangulate the evidence themselves. They are not trying to catch you out but will look for the evidence that supports what you are saying as a head teacher.

The more confident you are about your school’s strengths and areas for development; the more confident you will feel going into the inspection – you know your school best afterall.

The other suggestion I would make is to prepare a document with all the key information you need, that you can bring out when you get the initial call with the lead inspector. Information included in the following list can be really helpful to have to hand when you get the call (especially if your mind goes blank under pressure):

• Number of pupils of roll
• Contextual barriers & what you do to overcome these.
• Impact of Covid & what you have done since to overcome any barriers
• Names of trustees / governors
• The leadership structure of your school
• ECTs / Mentors
• School data (historic and current)
• Breakdown of pupils in relation to different groups of pupils
• Information about your curriculum – the 3 I’s – Intent, Implementation and Impact.
• Attendance / Persistent Absenteeism figures
• Exclusions
• Breakdown of attendance for each group of pupils
• School Timetable
• Teacher timetables
• School priorities
• PSED / wellbeing / workload
• An idea of which areas you would like a school deep dive in.

The initial phone call is a lengthy one – approximately 90 minutes in total. Having all the key information in front of you can really help calm those nerves.

During the initial call with the lead inspector

The first call you receive will be from the Inspector Support Administrator – he/she will tell you that your school has been selected for inspection and give you the name of each of the inspectors that will visit your school. They will ask how many pupils you have on roll and explain when the lead inspector will call you.

Approximately half an hour later, the lead inspector will call. The time that you have in between the initial call and the second call with the inspector will be just long enough for you to inform you other school leaders, school improvement partner, Regional director etc. It also gives you enough time to take a deep breath, calm your nerves, grab a quick glass of water and get yourself organised. 

During the phone call with the lead inspector, I would recommend that you have another school leader with you – your Deputy Head Teacher, Assistant Head or whoever else is part of the senior leadership team. Let the lead inspector know the name of the person that is present with you and their role. The beauty of having another senior leader there with you is that you don’t have to go it alone – having someone else there with you can be reassuring. They may also be able to answer some of the questions the inspector might ask, especially if they relate to an area that they lead.

Be confident when speaking to the lead inspector – give direct answers and be confident in giving them. Positively frame what you say. This phone call is the start of your relationship with the lead inspector who you want to develop a partnership with.

The lead inspector will guide you through the inspection process – he/she is interested in learning about your school and what you judge are the areas of strength and those aspects you are currently working on. Be honest. Do not try to impress the inspector and try to oversell something that you cannot back up with evidence. E.g. If there is a curriculum area that is currently an area of focus in your school, say what it is and be confident in telling the inspector what you are doing to improve it. The inspectors will soon test it out for themselves (don’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the deep dives).

During the call, you will agree the deep dives for the inspection. It will help to think carefully beforehand about potential deep dive areas, though you may have to accept that the inspector may choose others not on your suggested list.

In a primary school, early reading is a given – the inspector will want to talk to the reading lead, observe phonics teaching and listen to a sample of children read (bottom 20%). You may be lucky – the inspector may ask you to choose children to read to a familiar adult with them observing, or they may choose a sample of children and listen to them read themselves.

Whatever other areas of the curriculum are chosen for a deep dive, inspectors will be keen to see how learning builds on prior knowledge and will likely test this out, by looking at learning from the EYFS through to Year 6. They will also be keen to know how you measure the impact of your curriculum.

Ensure that your subject leads are confident in talking about their curriculum area and how pupils are assessed (core subject areas and wider subjects too). They too should be able to say what the monitoring and evaluation of their subject has shown and be ready to say what the strengths and areas for further development are. This should also give them the confidence to explain what they are doing to support teachers and to ensure that the curriculum is confidently implemented.

Once the inspector has asked the questions he/she has, they will work with you to draw up a timetable (they have a template ready). They will observe lessons, look at the Single Central Record (SCR), speak to leaders, talk to trustees / governors, staff, parents on the playground and pupils in school as well as providing parent, pupil and staff questionnaires to be completed.

When organising the timetable, consider if / how you will release subject leads to observe lessons with the inspector which can be helpful. In a small school, that might be a bit tricky. If that’s the case, I would recommend that the head teacher observes lessons with the inspector.

During the inspection

As head teacher, it’s important to feel part of the Ofsted process. Observing with inspectors is a good way of doing this and also helps you to point out any key information that you want conveying. Whether that’s pointing out learning walls in the classroom, specific scaffolds for pupils learning; resources that are being used, or something you have been focusing on, it can be a good way to draw the inspector’s attention to things that you want them to see.

Throughout the inspection the lead inspector will hold keep in touch meetings with the head teacher – you can provide feedback on the process and share any information you may feel useful to the process. The lead inspector may also share what they have seen and further lines of enquiry.

Sometimes, the inspector may say something that you later reflect on and may not necessarily agree with – it’s important to raise any issues/concerns and provide further evidence to support any points you want to make rather than letting things happen to you – be ready!

At the end of day 1, if it’s a Section 5 inspection, you will be invited to attend the inspector’s summary meeting. As head teacher, you can take one other person into the meeting with you to listen to the inspector's discuss what they have seen and any further lines of enquiry to be explored during the second day.

Making it through inspection

From the minute you are notified through to the final day of inspection, everyone will be busy and likely stressed! As head teacher, although you will be feeling the pressure and perhaps feeling a bit nervous too – you have to lead with confidence. If you act calmly, your staff will feed off this and feel reassured.

During the inspection you and your team will naturally go through a whole range of emotions and feelings – as soon as you have had the initial phone call with the lead inspector, meet with your team as soon as you are able and prepare them. Stay calm and be confident. Reassure them and motivate them as appropriate. Support them to make sure that they feel confident in delivering lessons – looking at and talking through planning together can be really helpful.

On the day of inspection, have a walk around before the inspectors arrive to check in with members of your team. You will quickly realise who is feeling the strain and who needs your reassurance. This will also help reassure you too!

Have plenty of treats ready for the staff – just like you, they will be working their socks off and will really appreciate having treats in the staffroom. Although it’s unlikely that they will take a long break for lunch, it’s important to have snacks ready for them to tuck into. It can be a real morale boost. The same applies to you too – make sure that you remember to eat and drink, even if it means that you graze little and often. You need your energy.

Reaching the end of inspection

At the end of the inspection, you will be invited to attend the final summary meeting. Again, you will hear the inspectors discuss their findings and they will at this point, refer to the inspection framework. They will go through each of the judgement areas stating the evidence they have gathered to support their judgements and give a grading. Inspectors will pause to ask you if you have any comments. Listen carefully and raise anything that is appropriate – this could be your final chance to have your say!

I’ll add, at this point, that there should be no surprises. If you have been involved in the inspection process and had regular keep in touch points with the lead inspector, you should have an inkling as to the judgements the inspector is likely to give. Not always, but if the inspector has done their job well, he/she will have already communicated any concerns and therefore there should be no surprises.

Once the overall judgement has been shared, the inspectors will use the final part of the inspection to finish off their paperwork and prepare for giving the final feedback to yourself and other stakeholders such as representatives of the governing body, member of the senior leadership team, a trustee member etc.

After the Inspection

There is no denying it, Ofsted inspections are draining – the amount of adrenaline that will run through your body will leave you feeling exhausted.

It can also feel like a bit of an anti-climax due to the build up and stress you will have experienced and high expectations.

Be kind to yourself – remember that whatever the outcome of an inspection is, it is important to be kind to yourself. Inspection is a stressful process, so remember that no matter what, your efforts will not have gone unnoticed.

Your passion, expertise and unwavering commitment to providing the best possible education for the pupils in your school is truly commendable.

Ofsted inspection is just one snapshot in time and does not define the excellent work that you and your team do daily. Remember to take a moment to celebrate all that you have achieved, regardless of the outcome.

Ofsted will test your resilience as a leader. As head teacher, it’s therefore crucial to recognise the need for self-care and to recharge. If that means taking things at a slower pace for the next couple of days after inspection, then so be it - it’s probably the best excuse you’ll ever get!

Take the time to rest, reflect and rejuvenate to ensure that you continue to bring your best self to the role and to help you face the next step in your school’s journey, remembering that self-care isn’t selfish – it’s an investment in our ability to lead with compassion and resilience.

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