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Post-Ofsted action plan: governors' role

Understand your role in shaping, reviewing and monitoring progress around your school's action plan following an Ofsted inspection.

Last reviewed on 17 February 2026See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 4365
Contents
  1. An action plan will help your school leaders plan next steps
  2. School leaders will draft the action plan
  3. Use the inspection feedback
  4. Review and challenge the plan to make it as useful as possible
  5. Monitor the action plan
  6. An action plan will also be useful for Ofsted's monitoring inspections

An action plan will help your school leaders plan next steps

Following an Ofsted inspection, your leaders should use the feedback from inspectors to develop a plan based on your school's identified areas for improvement. This will help support continuing school improvement no matter what your school's inspection outcome was.

Remember that the time following an inspection can be stressful

This applies especially if the feedback is disappointing. Be sure to consider staff wellbeing and headteacher wellbeing when challenging the action plan and in subsequent monitoring visits.

School leaders will draft the action plan

Ofsted doesn't require your school to produce a specific post-inspection action plan. The exception is if you're an independent school: the Department for Education (DfE) can require you to prepare and submit an action plan if your school isn't meeting the