Experience of recent Ofsted inspection sought from governors and trustees
To evaluate how Ofsted is engaging with the role of governance during inspection, the National Governance Association (NGA) is asking governors and trustees of schools that have been inspected by Ofsted since September 2021 to complete a short survey about their experience.
The survey [now closed] asks about the process of inspection, inspectors’ interaction with those governing, what inspectors ask governors or trustees and the board's assessment of the usefulness and effectiveness of inspection.
This latest survey will provide additional insight into the experiences of those governing two years on from NGA's ‘A View from the board’ report published in 2020 which reflected on the first term under the education inspection framework. It will shape NGA’s conversations with Ofsted and its recommendations to governing boards on Ofsted inspections.
NGA has developed a wealth of Ofsted resources for governing boards:
- Guidance: A guide to Ofsted inspections
- Guidance: Information on summary evaluations of MATs
- Training: Preparing for Ofsted – what governors and trustees need to know
- E- learning: Ofsted inspections: Step-by-step
- Webinar: Ofsted inspection and governance
Commenting on Ofsted inspections during the annual address in November 2020, NGA's chief executive Emma Knights said:Just as COVID was hitting the county we published our report on the first term of the then new Ofsted framework. Since then we have continued to ask Ofsted to consider how it might improve the reports and the inspection of governance. However, we have not directly experienced the outpouring about Ofsted from our members this term. We will be updating the data used in the March 2020 report.
Governance can provide that support as well as challenge, and the whole sector should unite instead behind governance as the first and foremost form of accountability for this crucial public service. We want expert views from outside – that is part of triangulation – but not as the primary form of accountability. You – governing boards – provide that. I am going to repeat that: governing boards provide the first and most important line of accountability for schools.
Commenting on Ofsted inspections during the annual address in November 2020, NGA's chief executive Emma Knights said:Just as COVID was hitting the county we published our report on the first term of the then new Ofsted framework. Since then we have continued to ask Ofsted to consider how it might improve the reports and the inspection of governance. However, we have not directly experienced the outpouring about Ofsted from our members this term. We will be updating the data used in the March 2020 report.
Governance can provide that support as well as challenge, and the whole sector should unite instead behind governance as the first and foremost form of accountability for this crucial public service. We want expert views from outside – that is part of triangulation – but not as the primary form of accountability. You – governing boards – provide that. I am going to repeat that: governing boards provide the first and most important line of accountability for schools.