Ofsted deep dive questions for subject leaders

Reviewed by Ben Parnell, former headteacher and trust chief executive. Last reviewed 12 September 2026.

"Ofsted deep dive questions" is the shorthand school leaders use for the conversation an inspector has with a subject leader about their curriculum: what pupils are meant to learn, how it is taught, and what the school does when pupils fall behind. Under the report card framework the phrase has gone from Ofsted's own guidance: inspectors now agree areas of focus with leaders during the planning call rather than announcing a subject on the day, and the conversation sits inside learning walks and leadership meetings rather than a single event. The questions have not gone away, and preparing for them well is still one of the most useful things a subject leader can do before an inspection.

This guide explains what happens now, for primary and secondary schools, then sets out rehearsal questions grouped by theme, with a note on what a strong answer shows.

Is "deep dive" still the right word to use?

The term comes from the 2019 education inspection framework, where inspectors chose a handful of subjects and spent time in each one: lesson visits, a book look, and conversations with staff and pupils. That named methodology was dropped from ungraded inspections during 2024 to 2025 and was not carried into the report card framework. It does not appear in the school inspection operating guide for use from September 2026.

That does not mean the substance has disappeared. Ofsted's own explanation for moving away from deep dives was that the format created difficulties gathering enough evidence in the time available. What replaced it, extended learning walks plus a leadership conversation about curriculum and teaching, asks many of the same questions through a different structure. Staffrooms will keep calling it a deep dive out of habit, and that is fine. What matters for preparation is understanding the structure underneath the name.

How are subjects chosen for curriculum evidence now?

Under the old framework, subject leaders often spent the days before an inspection guessing which subject would be picked. That guesswork is largely gone. The school inspection operating guide is explicit that inspectors select the areas of focus for learning walks during the planning call, "taking into account leaders' views and what they have told you about areas of strength and the subjects where there is more to do."

In practice this means whoever leads the planning call has a real say in which subjects come up on day one. The call runs to three parts: introductions and practicalities, a discussion of context and priorities, and planning the day one timetable. It should not usually run past 60 minutes.

The honest implication for subject leaders is that there is less value in predicting which subject will be chosen, and more value in being ready to talk truthfully about where your subject is strong and where it still has work to do.

What happens on the day: learning walks and leadership conversations

Learning walks now carry the weight a deep dive used to carry. They focus on the curriculum and teaching, and achievement, evaluation areas, tailored to what leaders said in the planning call. Schools can identify a relevant leader, a senior leader or a subject leader such as a reading leader, to accompany inspectors. During the walk, inspectors visit pupils in lessons, look at their work, and speak with pupils where they can.

Separately, leaders responsible for curriculum and teaching meet inspectors in a focused leadership discussion, setting out their rationale: why the curriculum is sequenced as it is, what they have identified as strengths and priorities, and what they have done about the priorities so far. Ofsted has also clarified guidance on how many leaders should join learning walks at once, after concerns about the workload this created in smaller schools.

Curriculum and teaching, and achievement, are each graded on the five point scale running from exceptional, through strong standard, expected standard and needs attention, to urgent improvement. Safeguarding is judged separately, as met or not met.

Rehearsal questions for subject leaders

These are not lifted from an official script; Ofsted does not publish one. They are the kind of question a curriculum conversation and learning walk now surface, written to be rehearsed out loud rather than answered on paper.

Intent and sequencing

Why is the curriculum sequenced in this order rather than another?
Where have you deliberately built in a return to earlier ideas, and why there?
Show me a unit that has changed in the last two years. What was wrong with the old version, and how do you know the change has helped?
If I asked a pupil what they learned last lesson and how it builds on before, what would a good answer sound like?

A strong answer names specific decisions, not principles, points at a real unit and cohort, and gives a reason for a choice that could have gone another way.

Teaching

What does teaching in your subject look like when it is going well, in a classroom rather than on paper?
How do you make sure pupils who did not understand something first time get taught it again?
Where teachers adapt their approach for pupils who need it, what does that look like in your subject specifically?
What is the most common misconception here, and how do teachers address it?

A strong answer connects the school's approach to teaching with the demands of this specific subject, and matches what an inspector sees walking into a lesson.

Assessment

How do you know pupils have learned what you intended, rather than just completed the work?
Can you show me assessment information that changed what a teacher did next?
Where a pupil falls behind, how is that picked up, and what happens next?

A strong answer treats assessment as something that changes teaching, and can point to a gap that was found, closed, and checked again.

SEND and inclusion

How is the curriculum adapted for pupils with SEND, without narrowing what they are taught?
How well are pupils with SEND doing in your subject compared with their peers, and what has that told you?
How do you work with the SENCo, and what has come out of that recently?

A strong answer is specific about individual pupils or groups, and honest about where inclusion is still a work in progress rather than presented as solved.

Reading

What does reading demand of pupils in your subject beyond the words on the page: vocabulary, dense text, or reading for a purpose?
How do you support a pupil who reads well below their age to access the material?
Where do you deliberately teach subject specific vocabulary, and how do you check it has stuck?

A strong answer recognises reading is not only the English department's job, with a real example of a text pupils struggled with and what was done about it.

Subject leadership and CPD

How do you know what is taught in every classroom matches what you planned, rather than what you hope is happening?
What have you done recently to develop teachers' subject knowledge, and how do you know it changed lessons?
What is the single biggest priority for your subject next year, and what would tell you it has been achieved?

A strong answer shows a leader who checks their curriculum in practice, not just on paper, and describes CPD by what changed in classrooms.

Is this different at primary and secondary?

The process itself, the planning call, the learning walk and the leadership conversation, applies the same way at both phases. What differs is what is reasonable to expect from the person in the room.

A primary subject leader is often teaching a full class themselves and leading a subject across the whole school with very little non-contact time. A strong answer from them is honest about how much time they actually have, and shows they know their subject across year groups, even without the depth a secondary head of department could offer. In smaller primary schools, leaders may also share curriculum expertise and resources with other schools, which is a reasonable thing to describe rather than hide.

A secondary subject leader typically speaks for a single department, has more specialist subject knowledge to draw on, and is more likely to be asked how outcomes data connects to what is taught, particularly at key stage 4. The questions above apply at both phases; the examples a leader reaches for, and the depth expected, naturally differ.

How to prepare in the weeks before

Read your own curriculum documents as if you had never seen them, and check they still describe what happens in classrooms.
Walk the curriculum with a colleague from a different subject, and let them ask the obvious questions a specialist might not.
Sample a handful of pupils' books across year groups and ability levels, not just the strongest examples.
Talk to a few pupils about what they are learning and why, before the inspection rather than during it.
Know your own data well enough to explain a dip or a gap without looking it up.
Practise saying your answers out loud. A leader who has only written answers down often sounds rehearsed.

How InspectReady helps with this

This is the same shift InspectReady is built around. Rather than one generic list of deep dive questions, it works from your own school's evidence to generate role specific rehearsal material: subject leads, the SENCo, safeguarding and pastoral leads, senior leaders and governors each get their own set of rehearsal questions, with document references and guidance. An experienced Ally then works through these with leaders, helping them practise explaining their decisions and identify anything they still need to check before an inspector asks.

If you would like your subject leaders to walk into their next inspection having rehearsed the right questions rather than guessed at them, email hello@inspectready.education.

Frequently asked questions

Does Ofsted still do deep dives?

Not under that name. The school inspection operating guide for use from September 2026 does not use the term. Curriculum evidence is gathered through extended learning walks and a focused leadership discussion, with the areas of focus agreed with leaders in the planning call rather than announced on the day.

Who decides which subject gets looked at?

Leaders and inspectors agree the areas of focus together during the planning call, based partly on what leaders say about their own strengths and priorities, a genuine change from inspectors choosing subjects with little input beforehand.

How long does a curriculum learning walk take?

Ofsted's operating guide does not give a length. Inspectors accompany leaders on learning walks focused on the areas agreed at the planning call, and look at pupils' work and discuss their learning with them as they go. Be wary of any fixed number of minutes quoted elsewhere.

Is the process different for a small primary school?

The structure is the same, but what is reasonable to expect differs. A leader with very little non-contact time will not be expected to know their subject as deeply as a secondary head of department, and the guide recognises that small schools may share curriculum expertise across settings.

Can a subject leader prepare too much and sound rehearsed?

Yes. Inspectors want to understand what leaders actually think and do, not test whether they can recite a script. The most useful preparation is rehearsing honest, specific answers out loud, including where the curriculum still has gaps.

Does a strong grade depend on one subject conversation?

No. Curriculum and teaching, and achievement, are evaluated across the inspection as a whole, drawing on multiple learning walks, work samples and discussions, then graded on the five point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Questions school leaders ask

Does Ofsted still do deep dives?: Not under that name. The school inspection operating guide for use from September 2026 does not use the term. Curriculum evidence is gathered through extended learning walks and a focused leadership discussion, with the areas of focus agreed with leaders in the planning call rather than announced on the day.
Who decides which subject gets looked at?: Leaders and inspectors agree the areas of focus together during the planning call, based partly on what leaders say about their own strengths and priorities, a genuine change from inspectors choosing subjects with little input beforehand.
How long does a curriculum learning walk take?: Ofsted's operating guide does not give a length. Inspectors accompany leaders on learning walks focused on the areas agreed at the planning call, and look at pupils' work and discuss their learning with them as they go. Be wary of any fixed number of minutes quoted elsewhere.
Is the process different for a small primary school?: The structure is the same, but what is reasonable to expect differs. A leader with very little non-contact time will not be expected to know their subject as deeply as a secondary head of department, and the guide recognises that small schools may share curriculum expertise across settings.
Can a subject leader prepare too much and sound rehearsed?: Yes. Inspectors want to understand what leaders actually think and do, not test whether they can recite a script. The most useful preparation is rehearsing honest, specific answers out loud, including where the curriculum still has gaps.
Does a strong grade depend on one subject conversation?: No. Curriculum and teaching, and achievement, are evaluated across the inspection as a whole, drawing on multiple learning walks, work samples and discussions, then graded on the five point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.