Behind the Ofsted Lens: How Governance Really Gets Judged

The Shift Away from ‘Best-Fit’ Judgements

The most significant observation from recent inspections is the absence of ‘best-fit’ judgements. The new toolkit, which replaced the former inspection handbook, is rigorous and strictly applied. Inspectors must see convincing evidence for every single judgement characteristic before they will mark it expected, let alone awarding higher grades on the evaluation scale.

Removing the professional flexibility of inspectors to apply a ‘best-fit’ judgement poses a distinct challenge, particularly regarding the evaluation of school inclusion. Within the first round of inspection outcomes, only one out of 246 schools achieved ‘Exceptional’ across all judgements, which is a selective grammar school.

Context is everything in state-funded schools. If a school’s context involves high levels of disadvantage, attendance hurdles, or low parental engagement, this rigid framework can often judge the school unfavourably, and individuals in governance must be mindful of this reality.  

What Should Governors and Trustees Expect When They Are Interviewed by Inspectors?

Governor and trustee interviews are strictly capped at 30 minutes and rarely run over. Because time is limited, boards must be incredibly intentional with their responses. It is advisable to rehearse key messaging with the headteacher or SLT beforehand so that everyone is aligned on the narrative.

A great tool for maintaining consistency across governors, trustees, and heads is by having a Governance Factsheet. This single-sided A4 document summarises key information that can be easily referred to when talking to inspectors. The factsheet should include Ofsted’s comments in their prior visit alongside what the school has done to address them. It can also include a summary of the current self-evaluation strengths and areas to improve, a summary of the SDP, as well as latest published data on pupil performance.

Nothing on the factsheet should come as a surprise, as governors should know these things and have talked about them at each meeting, so it is simply an aide memoir to help if needed, because Ofsted is not a memory test. In fact, it can even help demonstrate that governance supports itself by always having an up to date ‘state of nation’ about its school.

Since the governor interviews usually happen on day two of the inspection, it also provides a great opportunity to sync up with the headteacher after day one so that you are aware of any emerging issues and if there are any key messages that need reinforcing.

What Do Ofsted Expect of Governors and Trustees? And What Will They Ask?

An interesting observation under this new framework is that there seems to be two different approaches being adopted by inspectors when interviewing governors and trustees. Some inspectors are clearly prepared with a list of questions, whereas others would take a more open approach of “so tell me about governance in your school and how governors operate”. In many ways, the second approach can be more challenging as it requires us to know what the inspectors are judging us on and therefore what we should talk about. The Ofsted School Inspection toolkit has a list of bullet points telling inspectors that when gathering evidence about governance, they should consider the extent to which governors and trustees:

• Are knowledgeable about their statutory duties and carry them out effectively
• Support and challenge the school’s leaders effectively, using the best methods to assure themselves of the quality and impact of different aspects of the school’s work
• Understand their role as the responsible body, where applicable, in considering and addressing leaders’ workload and well-being
• Assure themselves that leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s context and are prioritising the actions for improvement that will have the greatest impact on pupils
• Ensure that systems for monitoring and quality assurance are fair, valid and constructive, and provide leaders and staff with high-quality feedback to inform continuous improvement
• Hold leaders to account appropriately and effectively for the impact of the school’s professional learning programme for staff
• Hold leaders to account appropriately and effectively for the school’s support and provision for disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND, those who are known (or previously known)

Is There Anything Governors and Trustees Should Pay Attention To?

Inspectors naturally focus on everyday conduct of governance. Preparation means truly knowing your school’s context and its Key Performance Indicators, such as test and exam results and attendance statistics.

If your school is below national averages in certain aspects, knowing the exact numbers and the strategies in place to fix them will be vital. When faced with questions like “What is the governing body’s view on attendance right now?”, quoting precise figures can go a long way. If you don’t know the data, you must still demonstrate a firm grasp of overall performance, current obstacles, and improvement strategies.

Ultimately, success comes down to who meets the inspectors. Selecting individuals who know the school well and can talk with confidence and commitment can make all the difference. For example, when discussing attendance, address how the school compares to the national average and where persistent absenteeism stands. You can then mention that the school partners with LA inclusion team, trails part-time timetables, or offers one-to-one support. Most importantly, talk about early positive indications and that these are regularly shared with governors.

Finally, be ready to reference the top three improvement priorities in this year’s School Development Plan. Do not accept every critique blindly, be ready to stand up for your school and challenge assumptions when necessary.