Focus areas: what they are and how to prepare for them

If you receive an ungraded inspection, the inspectors will focus on 3 or 4 specific topics or areas. Get up to speed on what focus areas are and what's expected of your school.

New
on 14 January 2025
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 50537
Contents
  1. Focus areas replace deep dives in ungraded inspections
  2. The inspection activities will be similar to those in graded inspections
  3. Let affected staff know as early as possible

Focus areas replace deep dives in ungraded inspections

These are specific points or topics that inspectors will pay extra attention to during the inspection. Most inspections will include 3 or 4 focus areas.

The focus areas will depend on what the lead inspector thinks needs the most scrutiny. They'll use their 'top level' view from pre-inspection preparation and their conversation with you in the planning phone call on the day before the inspection to decide on focus areas based on the school's context and leaders' priorities.

Focus areas can be in any of the following:

  • Leadership and management
  • Quality of education (see below for details)
  • Behaviour
  • Attendance
  • Pupils’ personal development

But the focus areas will usually be more narrow. For example, if inspectors want to look at behaviour, they might specifically focus on leaders' work to reduce classroom disruption or bullying.

Inspectors will usually group subjects together