Best Practice

Acing your Ofsted inspection: Nine lessons learnt from recent inspections

Based on his experience of four Ofsted inspections during 2023, Paul K Ainsworth sets out nine lessons learnt to help school leaders navigate the inspection process successfully
Image: Adobe Stock

In another article for SecEd, I offer eight practical suggestions to help school leaders tackle the pressure and anxiety that Ofsted inspection can so often cause.

I have been directly involved in almost 40 inspections over the years including four inspections during 2023. In this article, I now want to offer some more general advice from across these experiences to help your school thrive when Ofsted calls.

 

1, Prep the phone call

The first thing I do with leaders I am supporting is to help them prepare for the phone call. There are scripts available (search on social media) which are well worth a look. You can then prepare for the questions that you may be asked and ensure that you understand all the terms that may be used.

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