Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They inspect services providing education and skills for learners of all ages and also inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people.
The inspection of a school or academy provides an independent external evaluation of its effectiveness and a diagnosis of what the school should do to improve. It is based on a range of evidence available to inspectors that is evaluated against a national framework. When conducting an inspection, Ofsted will report on the quality of education provided in the school and must in particular cover:
- the quality of education;
- behaviour and attitudes;
- personal development;
- leadership and management;
- and, where relevant, judgements on the quality of provision in years education and sixth form.
Leadership & Management
The leadership and management judgement is about how leaders, managers and those responsible for governance ensure that the education that the school provides has a positive impact on all its pupils. It focuses on the areas where inspection and research indicate that leaders and managers can have the strongest effect on the quality of the education provided by the school. Important factors include:
- leaders’ high expectations of all pupils in the school, and the extent to which these are embodied in leaders’ and staff’s day-to-day interactions with pupils
- the extent to which leaders focus their attention on the education provided by the school. There are many demands on leaders, but a greater focus on this area is associated with better outcomes for pupils
- whether continuing professional development for teachers and staff is aligned with the curriculum, and the extent to which this develops teachers’ content
- knowledge and teaching content knowledge over time, so that they are able to deliver better teaching for pupils
- the extent to which leaders create coherence and consistency across the school so that pupils benefit from effective teaching and consistent expectations, wherever they are in the school
- whether leaders seek to engage parents and their community thoughtfully and positively in a way that supports pupils’ education. Also, whether leaders are thoughtful in drawing boundaries and resisting inappropriate attempts to influence what is taught and the day-to-day life of the school
- the extent to which leaders take into account the workload and well-being of their staff, while also developing and strengthening the quality of the workforce
- the extent to which leaders’ and managers’ high ambitions are for all pupils, including those who are harder to reach. This includes ensuring that practices such as ‘off-rolling’ do not take place and that the way the school uses the pupil premium is founded on good evidence
- whether leaders and those responsible for governance all understand their respective roles and perform these in a way that enhances the effectiveness of the school
