Documentation

For both institutional and subject inspections, inspectors look for evidence to verify the claims that the school has made in its self-evaluation form (SEF). This evidence will be drawn from discussions with staff and pupils, but also from scrutiny of available departmental documentation and samples of pupils’ work. However, Ofsted emphasise that documentation should be limited to what the school would normally have available, and should not be written specifically for the inspection. For this reason, it is important to ensure that your departmental documentation is up-to-date as a matter of course. The subject/survey inspection provides an extra opportunity to discuss documentation with the inspector (eg departmental reviews or action plans). This section offers guidance on ensuring that the appropriate documentation is available.