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School inspections
A guide for parents and carers
Why does Ofsted inspect schools?
By law, Ofsted must carry out school inspections. We inspect schools to provide information to parents, to promote improvement and to hold schools to account for the public money they receive. We provide an independent assessment of the quality and standards of education in schools, and check whether pupils are achieving as much as they can.
When do inspections happen and how long do they last?
Schools judged to be satisfactory are inspected once every three years. We inspect schools judged to be good or better once at any time within a five year period. Most schools receive one to two days’ notice of their inspection. The inspection usually lasts for two days.
Who inspects schools?
Our inspectors, known as Her Majesty’s Inspectors, and other inspectors, known as additional inspectors, carry out the inspections. All inspectors have been trained to, and assessed against, our standards.
What happens during an inspection?
Inspectors study the school’s self-evaluation and analyse the pupils’ results and their progress. They talk to the headteacher, governors, staff, and pupils, and consider your views as a parent or carer. They observe some lessons and look at how well the school is led and managed.
How can I make my views known?
If you are the registered parent of a child at the school, the school will send you a letter with a questionnaire from us. You can tell us your views by filling in the questionnaire and returning it to the inspection team at the school. Inspectors will use your views to help them reach their judgements. The questionnaire is confidential but, if a response raises issues about a child’s safety, inspectors may pass on the information.
Can I speak to the inspectors?
You may have the chance to speak to the inspectors during the inspection, for example at the start of the school day. The inspection administrators will be happy to pass on messages to the inspectors and may be able to arrange a telephone conversation if you cannot speak to them in person. Their contact details will be in the letter that tells you about the inspection. Please remember that inspectors cannot deal with complaints concerning individual pupils or settle disputes between you and the school.
What happens after the inspection?
We give schools an overall grade from 1 to 4:
- grade 1 (outstanding)
- grade 2 (good)
- grade 3 (satisfactory)
- grade 4 (inadequate).
- The lead inspector reports her or his judgement to the headteacher and governors. The inspectors’ findings are published in a report for the school, parents and the wider community. The inspection report provides information about how effective the school’s work is and contains recommendations about what the school should do to improve further. The school must take all reasonable steps to make sure you receive a copy of the report. The report includes a letter to the pupils, telling them what the inspectors thought about the school and what they can do to improve it. Reports are also published on our website at www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports.
What happens if Ofsted judges a school to be ‘inadequate’?
If inspectors judge a school to be inadequate it will be placed in one of the following two categories.
Special measures
This means the school is failing to 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. We will inspect it again 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 we give a notice to improve, the school will receive a monitoring visit by an inspector and it will be inspected again after about a year.
What happens if I have concerns about the inspection?
Complaints are rare, but we treat them very seriously. You can find out more on our website at www.ofsted.gov.uk, or by calling our helpline on 0300 123 4234.
If you need any more information about our work, please visit our website or call our helpline.
What happens if I have concerns about my child’s school?
If you are concerned about your child’s school, you should start by talking directly to the teachers or headteacher. Or, if necessary, you can talk to the governing body or the local authority. If you are not satisfied with the responses you receive we may be able to help.
You can find out more on our website or by calling our helpline.
This document applies to all maintained schools including special schools and pupil referral units. It also covers academies, city technology colleges, city colleges for the technology of the arts and some non-maintained special schools in England.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
Helpline: 0300 123 4234
www.ofsted.gov.uk
Published: October 2010
Reference number: 090181
© Crown copyright 2010
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