• Find a school inspection report
• Understanding a school inspection report
• Types of school Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting schools
  • Inspecting maintained schools
    • Before a maintained school inspection
      • Preparing for a maintained school inspection
    • During a maintained school inspection
    • After a maintained school inspection
    • Main inspection documents for inspectors
  • Inspecting independent schools
  • Inspecting boarding and residential special schools
  • Inspecting initial teacher education
• Safeguarding children
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

Before a maintained school inspection

By law, we have a duty to inspect schools at prescribed intervals.

The inspection service provider will inform the school that is it to be inspected, usually at no more than 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, for example an evaluation of their provision (if available), before the inspection begins.

The lead inspector’s contact and other pre-inspection activities aim to make the inspection run smoothly and effectively with minimum demand on the school.

The lead inspector analyses pre-inspection evidence including:

• the school’s self evaluation (if available)
• performance data for the school
• the most recent RAISEonline (Reporting and Analysis for Improvement through School Self-Evaluation) report (see our RAISEonline overview)
• where relevant, the sixth form PANDA (Performance and Assessment Reports) and any Framework for Excellence performance indicators
• the report from the previous inspection
• reports from any subject or aspect surveys that we have carried out in the school
• reports from any monitoring inspections that we have carried out in the school
• reports from any section 48 inspection; this is a collective worship and denominational education inspection in schools designated as having a religious character under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998
• information from any qualifying complaints made about the school from parents to Ofsted
• information from Parent View
• the results of any surveys showing the views of both the pupils and their parents
• information on the school’s website, and any additional information the school wishes to bring to the inspector’s attention.

During the inspection, the lead inspector gathers the views of the school’s staff and pupils using questionnaires. The staff questionnaire is voluntary.