• Find an inspection report
• Understanding a school inspection report
• Types of schools Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting schools
  • Inspecting maintained schools
  • Inspecting independent schools
  • Inspecting boarding and residential special schools
  • Inspecting initial teacher education
• About our survey reports
• Statistics for schools
• How to complain

Inspecting maintained schools

This page tells you what happens before, during and after a maintained school inspection.

Before an inspection

Inspection service providers are companies that help Ofsted to carry out its programme of inspections.

The inspection service provider will inform the school that it is to be inspected with a guideline of two working days' notice, unless the inspection is unannounced.

The lead inspector will contact the school within 24 hours after notification to discuss the inspection process and plan the inspection. The school is asked to provide the inspection team with some information prior to the inspection, for example an evaluation of the provision if available.

We provide schools with copies of a letter for parents and carers and our School inspections; a guide for parents and carers leaflet to tell you about the inspection.

The letter informs parents and carers about the inspection and has a confidential questionnaire, so parents and carers can tell us what they think about the school; they can return it to the lead inspector or the inspection team. It may be possible for them to meet the inspector in private to talk about the school.

We also provide schools with questionnaires for its pupils and staff to find out what they think about the school. The staff questionnaire is voluntary.

During an inspection

The inspection will usually last two days.

Inspectors watch a wide range of lessons and look at the school’s records and documentation. They look at information provided by the school. They find out what the pupils are learning, how well they are progressing and what they are achieving. Inspectors also look at the behaviour and safety of pupils at the school, and the promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and how well the school is led and managed. They talk to staff and pupils to find out what they think about the school. They review comments from parents and carers.

After the inspection

The lead inspector writes a report which summarises the inspection’s findings. It will cover the effectiveness of the school with grades for particular aspects of its work and an overall grade. The grades are:

• grade 1 (outstanding)
• grade 2 (good)
• grade 3 (satisfactory)
• grade 4 (inadequate).

The report will have recommendations for what the school should do to improve.

The lead inspector also writes a letter to pupils to tell them about the main findings; it is included at the end of the report.

The school receives a draft copy of the report to check it for factual accuracy, and then the final report. The school has to send parents and carers a copy of the report within five working days of receipt.

After that time we publish the report on our website.

The school has to make a copy of the report available, upon request, to members of the public.