Routine Ofsted inspections have been suspended since mid-March when schools closed their doors to the majority of students, but it has now been confirmed that Ofsted will be carrying out a phased return to inspection. This will start with an interim period of visits during the autumn term 2020.
Graded inspections are not scheduled to take place before the summer term of 2021, they are keeping the exact timing under review.
Click here to read the full press release that provides additional information in relation to;
- Maintained schools and academies
- Independent schools
- Further education and skills
- Early years
- Children’s social care
- Area special educational needs and disabilities
The requirement to provide school information to Ofsted remains; but how quickly could you collate the following information that all schools must provide by 8am on the first day of an Ofsted inspection?
Information you need to provide for an Ofsted Inspection
- The school timetable, current staff list (indicating newly qualified teachers) and times for the school day
- Any information about previously planned interruptions to normal school routines during the inspection
- Records and analysis of exclusions, pupils taken off roll, incidents of poor behaviour and any use of internal isolation
- The single central record for the school
- Records and analysis of sexual harassment or sexual violence
- Records and analysis of bullying, discriminatory and prejudiced behaviour, either directly or indirectly, including racist, sexist, disability and homophobic/biphobic/transphobic bullying, use of derogatory language and racist incidents
- A list of referrals made to the designated person for safeguarding in the school and those who were subsequently referred to the local authority, along with brief details of the resolution
- A list of all pupils who have open cases with children’s services/social care and for whom there is a multi-agency plan
- Up-to-date attendance analysis for all groups of pupils
- Documented evidence of the work of those responsible for governance and their priorities, including any written scheme of delegation for an academy in a MAT
- A summary of any school self-evaluation or equivalent
- The current school improvement plan or equivalent, including any planning that sets out the longer-term vision for the school, such as the school or the trust’s strategy School inspection handbook
- Any reports from external evaluation of the school
- Maps and other practical information
- Access to Wi-Fi, if it exists, so that inspectors can connect to the internet.
Having a centralised system that can help you pull this kind of information easily, would help to make this process a lot less stressful. SAMpeople, our holistic HR system for schools and trusts, provides a compliance tracker, information for the Single Central Register, current staff list and working patterns, records of case management, attendance analysis for staff, policies and contract tracker, CPD and performance management records and all employment checks. Whilst we understand that there is a lot of preparation needed for an Oftsed Inspection, anything that helps towards it is a step in the right direction.
If you would like to know more about SAMpeople, please get in touch on 01924 907319 or sign up for our next online demonstration.
