How to keep governors Ofsted-ready

If you update your board regularly on what's going on in your school, governors will likely be more than ready for an Ofsted inspection. Hand out our list of questions so they know what inspectors might ask them.

Last reviewed on 19 August 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 11532
Contents
  1. Keep your governors up to date
  2. Help your governors stay on top of key tasks 
  3. Talk to governors about the process of inspections
  4. Download our questions to let governors know what inspectors might ask

Keep your governors up to date

Preparation for inspection shouldn’t be a last-minute cramming session. The best way to make sure your governors are ready for Ofsted is to update them regularly throughout the year on:

School development

  • Your school’s strengths and areas for improvement
  • Changes to your school since the last inspection, such as changes to your complaints procedure or exclusions policy in light of Ofsted feedback
  • Self-evaluation and your school’s development plan

Funding

  • How much targeted funding your school received (e.g. pupil premium and PE and sport premium), and:
    • How it's spent
    • The impact of the funding
  • The finanancial security of your school

Safeguarding

  • Safeguarding, inclusion and what your school has done to counter radicalisation and extremism

Data

  • Your school's curriculum and performance data
  • Your school's behaviour data, including:
    • Attendance
    • Sanctions, suspensions and exclusions
    • Searches and confiscations
  • (For secondary school governors): year 7 literacy and numeracy levels 

Staffing

Relationships with parents and other stakeholders