Ofsted inspection - a guide for educators

What to expect from an Ofsted inspection

Ofsted inspectors will make judgements on our overall effectiveness, informed by four key judgements:

the quality of education
behaviour and attitudes
personal development
leadership and management

Inspectors want to see provision as it would normally take place, so they only give 48 hours’ notice of an inspection. This means that providers should always be prepared for an inspection.

During an inspection, activities will typically include:

direct observation of teaching, training and assessment
meetings and discussions with teachers, trainers and other staff (in particular subject specialists and subject leaders to understand the intent and implementation of the curriculum)
meetings and discussions with skills stakeholders and their staff
interviews and discussions with learners (these may happen in formal planned meetings or in more informal settings)
scrutinising learners’ work
evaluating learning materials, including resources for online and/or remote learning, and learners’ use of them
analysing provider and learner records, showing planning for, and monitoring of, learners’ individual progress and destinations from their starting points when they began their courses or apprenticeships
assessing learners’ progress
examining what learners know, understand, and can do and make as a result of their learning

Information from the Ofsted Further education and skills inspection handbook

Ofsted inspection checklist

This resource is intended to provide a checklist of actions educators can undertake to prepare for an inspection.

Make sure that you always have the following to hand

Teaching resources required for your sessions
Apprentices' Training Plans
Records of both on and off-the-job activities to hand, including attendance
Initial assessments or starting point tests, to show what the apprentices could do when they arrived on the programme
Individual apprentice needs assessment information such as referrals to internal teams and/or external agencies
Staff CPD records relating to Degree Apprenticeships, including teaching qualifications and recognition, attendance at teaching and learning related workshops and all mandatory training.
Evidence that apprentices and their employers understand the progress being made. If there have been issues, have them clearly identified in your records and be prepared to discuss them with an inspector.

In your session

Ensure a prompt start and demonstrate high expectations around attendance, punctuality and a readiness to learn.
Signpost and ask the apprentices to bring their experience from their jobs into the classroom to extend their skills and knowledge
Signpost and feedback to apprentices any content where the British Values content may be relevant, eg if an inspector observes a session where a meeting is taking place, learners should be able to outline this is ‘democracy’ in practice.
Signpost and feedback often to apprentices where they are developing new skills and knowledge during the session.
Ask apprentices to talk confidently about what they have learned and the progress they are making.
Signpost health and safety requirements and considerations during sessions. Consider asking the apprentices to lead on this to show an inspector the students know this information thoroughly.