Navigating Ofsted – what governors and trustees need to know
At a glance
When an Ofsted inspection is due, it is important for every governing board to feel confident and prepared for the the visit.
*The enhanced session can be extended beyond two hours to accommodate two or more learning conversations.
This session will cover:
This session can be tailored to the circumstances of your school or trust.
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Options
To help you navigate, we offer two options:
Standard session
The standard session will help those governing to understand what an Ofsted inspection involves, what Ofsted is looking for and what the board’s role is. It will allow you and your board to prepare effectively for an inspection and to identify and respond to any issues and likely lines of enquiry beforehand.
Enhanced session
In addition boards can choose to commission an enhanced session which allows those board members likely to be meeting Ofsted and answering their questions to engage in a learning conversation with the consultant. This will help them build a better understanding of how to prepare and respond confidently through focused conversations, allowing for practice and feedback.
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Who is this suitable for?
The session is suitable for the following and will be contextualised for each setting:
- Governors of maintained schools
- Trustees of single academy trusts
- Trustees, and academy committee members (local governing body) of multi academy trusts
We would also recommend the attendance of:
- The senior leader and members of the senior leadership team
- The governance professional
The standard session is suitable for a single board, for a group of schools to share or for delivery on behalf of an organisation providing governance training for governors or trustees.
Both standard and enhanced sessions are suitable for a single board or for a single MAT to run for its own trustees and local governors, tailored to its specific governance arrangements and policies.
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What are the benefits?
An Ofsted inspection can be daunting for everyone, not least for the governing board, or academy committee (local governing body) who are expected to answer inspectors’ questions about the effectiveness of their organisation. It is important to remember, however, that both Ofsted and governors have the same core goal – to achieve excellence in education.
With a clear understanding of the Ofsted framework, the inspections process and the criteria used to make judgments about a school, participants will know what to expect. Completion of the session will build their confidence in preparing for a visit and responding credibly to lines of enquiry. It will also provide a sense of perspective about what can be expected from those governing and the remit of staff.
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How will you learn?
- Both the two-hour standard session and the enhanced session can be delivered via face-to-face or online workshop
- They will be facilitated by a quality-assured NGA consultant with relevant governance and training expertise
- Each session will be interactive with a mixture of participant activities and facilitator-led explanation and discussion. The enhanced session will involve the consideration of typical Ofsted questions and lines of enquiry, allowing participants to prepare and practise responses with focused individual feedback from the session facilitator
- Both sessions will be supported with session materials including a resource toolkit and suggested activities to help with next steps
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‘I found the session very useful and informative, with lots of shared learning and opportunities to learn from each other too.’
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Caroline Hall
Tennyson Road Infant School
Enquire now to book this for your board(s)
Book your training
If you would like to book the session or find out more then make an enquiry.
This training is designed for a group of participants at a school, trust or other organisation.
It is also suitable for a group of schools to share.
