Ofsted inspectors use subject 'deep dives' to inspect your curriculum. They use them to consider the 'intent, implementation and impact' of your curriculum as part of the 'quality of education' assessment.
See paragraphs 215 to 217 of the School Inspection Handbook for more details.
Ofsted has emphasised that it doesn't make judgements on specific subjects, lessons or teachers. Instead, inspectors use deep dives to help them arrive at an overall 'quality of education' judgement.
Which subjects get a 'deep dive'?
In primary schools Ofsted will:
- Always do a deep dive in:
- Reading
- 1 or more foundation subjects
- Often do a deep dive in maths
In secondary schools, Ofsted will usually focus on a sample of 4 to 6 subjects.
See paragraph 216 of the School Inspection Handbook for more details.
How deep dives work
Who's involved?
Subject leads in primary schools don’t need to be subject specialists, and Ofsted won’t expect