• Find a school inspection report
• Understanding a school inspection report
• Types of school Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting schools
  • Inspecting maintained schools
  • Inspecting independent schools
  • Inspecting boarding and residential provision in schools
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

Inspecting maintained schools

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

Before an inspection

The lead inspector tells your headteacher that your children’s school will be inspected one or two days before the inspection actually begins, unless the inspection is unannounced.

The inspection usually lasts two days and so, during that time, your children will see people that you don’t know in the school.

As a parent or carer you will receive a letter and a confidential questionnaire that you should complete. Only Ofsted will read what you write on the questionnaire.

Some pupils might be asked to complete a questionnaire to give their views of the school. The information will be confidential and only Ofsted inspectors will read their responses.

During an inspection

To find out about the school, the inspector will:

• watch a wide range of lessons to see how teachers are teaching and what pupils are learning
• look at the school’s records and documentation, including its own evaluation of performance, if available, and pupils’ progress and results for tests and exams
• check how well the school is led and managed
• look at the behaviour and safety of pupils at the school, and the promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• talk to staff and pupils 
• review what parents and carers have said.

After the inspection

The lead inspector writes a report to tell people all about the school; inspectors also grade the school to show how it is doing overall. The grades are:

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

At the end of the report will be a letter to pupils that tells them what the inspectors found out about their school.

The school is sent the inspection report. The school then has five working days to send a copy of the report to all parents and carers.

After that, Ofsted publishes the report on this website.

To find out more about the inspection report, go to Understanding a school inspection report on the left or to find a specific report, go to the Find an inspection report page on the left.