#EIF2019. Questions asked by inspectors in the new framework

A whole bunch of questions asked of leaders in schools, by inspectors, in the new framework. 

Help yourselves. Link to Word version here:

Prep for Ofsted: Questions

Curriculum Questions for curriculum leaders and SLT

• What was involved in the vision?
• How much do pupils know now compared to what they did and why? 
• How does the curriculum contribute to that as a pupil passes through the school.
• Why are you doing this work now? 
• How does this build on what has come before and how does it lay the foundations for what will come?
• Give me a timeline of how your curriculum came about?
• How does the motto of the school fit in with the intent and the implementation of the curriculum
• How does the commitment to the disadvantaged fit into the curriculum?
• What does this look like in real terms – how is this implemented?
• What is the subject knowledge of the teachers like
• How do the subject leaders ensure that they sustain the knowledge and expertise of the teachers?
• What % of pupils currently study EBacc and how do you intend to progress towards the govt ambition of 75% doing EBacc in 2022 and 90% by 2015.
• How has professional development fed into the implementation of the curriculum?
• How do the leaders support the teachers?
• How do you ensure that the pupils apply previous learning to current and future learning?
• How do you ensure the children learn the key facts and acquire subject knowledge at KS3
• How does the teacher ensure the quality of long term sequential planning and how is this implemented in real terms?
• How are the principles woven into the curriculum?
• How are you checking that children know what they have learnt?

 

More Ofsted Inspection questions for curriculum leaders 

• How does prior content prepare pupils for current learning?

• What should pupils already know and does this build on it?

• Are content choices and activities appropriate for the subject?

• Does assessment check that the necessary components are learned?

• How do you respond to what assessment is telling you?

• How do you ensure your subject staff have the expertise to deliver your curriculum?

• How many non-specialists do you have teaching, is there a concentration in one/some subjects and what support is there for non-specialists?

 

Personal Development

• In what depth is this coherently planned and sequenced?
• How aligned is the approach and delivery to the overall curriculum intent?
• How consistent and embedded is the provision? What is the impact on pupils?
• How are links made within and between subjects to enhance pupils’ SMSC development?
• Do pupils benefit from first-hand, memorable experiences as a basis for learning in context?
• How are pupils’ talents and interests identified and developed?
• How does the provision reflect the school/community context?

Behaviour and Attitudes

• • How do we ensure that pupil/academy-specific behaviour management 

 

• Tell me about your exclusions over time
• strategies are clearly communicated and consistently implementedHow effective is training for all teaching and support staff?
• Can pupils articulate how positive behaviour and attitudes are developed/ encouraged/ rewarded?
• How are we encouraging attendance and punctuality? What is the impact?
• Can we demonstrate that FTEs are a ‘last resort’?
• How do we develop pupils’ resilience, independence, communication and risk awareness/ risk-taking? Including when tasks are demanding, particularly for most able pupils.
• Is attendance improving and where are any areas where attendance is high for particular groups? 

Leadership and Management

• Are leaders’ ambitions/expectations of what all pupils (including SEND, DA, vulnerable groups) can achieve consistently high?
• Is there a tangible, consistent culture of safeguarding?
• Are all staff aware of local and/or academy-specific vulnerabilities/safeguarding issues?
• How do leaders check that all staff understand c.) and act swiftly in response to all concerns/signs of vulnerability and risk as a result?
• How do leaders ensure that newly appointed staff have the knowledge and understanding to keep children safe, particularly if training was completed elsewhere?
• How are NQTs and newly appointed staff supported? Particularly in relation to academy-specific pedagogy, approaches, policies.
• Can all subject leaders – for every subject – articulate the Implementation section detailed above?
• How do leaders decide on policy/procedure content? E.g. curriculum, marking, planning.
• What measures are taken to ensure staff are well supported? How do we ensure that meaningful engagement takes place with staff at all levels, including re: workload?
• Do those responsible for governance understand their statutory duties?
• Are those responsible for governance able to link questions/challenges and visits to key improvement priorities?
• Do those responsible for governance hold leaders to account by following up responses to questions/challenges? Including by looking at evidence first-hand.

 

Quality of Education – questions. 

Intent

1. Curriculum design, coverage and appropriateness

• How is the curriculum intent decided and communicated?
• How does the curriculum intent reflect the context and the most common barriers to learning?
• How articulate are teachers and support staff in why and how in addition to what is taught?
• How is assessment used to inform curriculum design and sequences of learning?

 

Implementation

1. Curriculum delivery

• How consistently does teaching reflect the curriculum intent?
• How do lessons develop pupils’ communication, social and oracy skills alongside the content being taught?
• For each subject – What is taught? When? How? Why?

1. Teaching (pedagogy) –contribution to delivering the curriculum as intended

• How effective is training for all teaching and support staff e.g. in the effective use of all strategies relating to curriculum intent; in the delivery of phonics; in response to the most common SEND needs
• How are teachers’ skills in subject-specific delivery audited, developed, shared?

1. Assessment (formative and summative)

• How is assessment used to inform curriculum design and sequences of learning?
• For each subject – How are end of KS expectations broken down into each year group?
• For each subject – How do specific skills look different in each year group? E.g. use of pencil, ink, charcoal and pen in Art and Design; use of knowledge about an artefact in History
• How do teachers adapt the curriculum in response to individual SEND pupils’ needs (e.g. EHCPs, SEND targets)? How are these needs communication and evaluated?
• How is formative assessment used to ensure timely support/intervention/challenge?

 

Impact 

1. Attainment and progress (including national tests and assessments, 2019 IDSR)
2. Reading, reading, reading!
3. How is early reading prioritised? How effective is the approach?
4. How do we engage pupils and develop a love of reading?
5. Are pupils’ books pitched appropriately and changed regularly? Linked to phonic knowledge.
6. Are there high expectations of the level of texts pupils read at home? How engaged/aware are parents?
7. For those who don’t/can’t read at home, how do we ensure access to reading to an adult regularly and reading for pleasure?
8. What about pupils who fall behind?
   1. Interventions? How are they designed?
   2. How do we know they are effective?

• How is the curriculum adapted for these pupils?

1. How is the curriculum adapted to prevent an increase in the number of the pupils?

Safeguarding. All questions asked to people under the EIF 

• They asked various staff, including 3 student teachers, what they would do if they had a concern about a child. They also asked staff about whistleblowing and well being.
• They’re much more keen on safeguarding than they were before. They will ask various people in different roles within school, regarding who the DSL is and the deputy DSL. They’ll check safeguarding training is up to date too. It’s nothing bad, it’s just a tad more in depth.
• I had a lot more questions about how the curriculum supports safeguarding, how we teach children to protect themselves from local priorities (CSE and county lines) which was then followed up with staff and children.
• Not significantly different for us. Training , records and referrals checked. Several staff asked about dealing with concerns, whistleblowing and well-being. Children asked how they keep safe. Asked about safeguarding through curriculum. In phone call asked about local issues.
• We also got asked about the keeping children safe in education document. She said as in “what do you understand this to mean” we talked about county lines and what the main issues for our students were
• The questions tend to get asked within deep dives eg to pupils and staff. Many more are seen now than before. Also to lunch supervisors etc. Usual on PoP abuse, FGM, upskirting
• I was asked to explain a case where I had made a difference, what I did and who I spoke to , all anonymised. Also asked for a list of leavers in the last academic year and why they had left the school ( checking on off rolling I think)
• Our Safeguarding Governor was interviewed in depth and they asked a whole range of staff the basic questions. They also asked the pupils about online safety and healthy relationships.
• You may also need to show the number of cases referred to outside agencies and the outcome – specifically how things improved or how you further escalated it if things didn’t improve.
• All of above. Ensure you have up to date level 3 training certificates for DSL & dep. DSL at least. Training 4 staff. Ch’s views. Referrals & tracking. Recording. Trails. KCSiE. Policy. Q’s to staff. Parents etc. Thorough.

Thanks as always to the people who have collated and sent these!