Role of school office staff in an Ofsted inspection

Support staff may be interviewed by Ofsted inspectors. Find out what they should know and how your office team can support with inspection preparations.

Last reviewed on 9 February 2023
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 4719
Contents
  1. Inspectors may interview your office staff
  2. What your office staff need to know
  3. Practical preparation for inspections

Inspectors may interview your office staff

Ofsted inspectors will gather evidence as part of the 'behaviour and attitudes' judgement about school culture and practice in relation to pupils' behaviour, support for staff and other systems, by talking to a sample of staff across your school.

Inspectors will select staff who are most affected by pupils’ challenging behaviour. This includes office and administrative support staff.

Inspectors will speak to staff members individually to allow staff to give evidence without being influenced by others.

This is explained in paragraph 283 of the School Inspection Handbook.

What your office staff need to know

School aims

It's good practice to involve all staff when developing your school aims.  

Remind your office team about what your school aims are during INSET training and regularly throughout the year.

Most discussions about school performance will be with senior leaders, but inspectors will expect office staff to know how well