Guides

Ofsted inspection guides for school leaders

Written for headteachers, senior leaders and trust leaders preparing for a report card inspection under the September 2026 toolkit.

• Ofsted inspection preparation: a guide for school and trust leaders
  How to prepare for an Ofsted inspection: self-evaluation, the notification call, deep dives, the draft report and the new five-point report card.
• Preparing for an Ofsted report card inspection: the September 2026 toolkit
  How to prepare for an Ofsted report card inspection: the five-point scale, the evaluation areas, what changed from September 2026, and how to get ready.
• The Ofsted notification call: what to have ready and what to say
  Ofsted's notification call usually comes Monday morning. What it covers, what to have ready, what the planning call adds, and the first hour that follows.
• Ofsted deep dive questions for subject leaders
  Ofsted deep dives are agreed with leaders now, not announced. See how curriculum evidence gathering works and rehearse real subject leader questions.
• Ofsted factual accuracy check: how to respond to your draft report card
  An Ofsted factual accuracy check gives schools 5 working days to flag errors in a draft report card before it is published. What to raise, and how.