How Ofsted inspects sixth forms

If your school has sixth form provision, understand how Ofsted will inspect it under the 2019 framework.

Last reviewed on 21 April 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 40816
Contents
  1. Inspectors will take the impact of COVID-19 into account
  2. What inspectors will consider
  3. How inspectors will gather evidence
  4. Grade descriptors

As a governing board, you won't be inspected under Ofsted's judgement of your school's sixth form provision. To find out how governance is inspected, read this article.

You don't need to know the information in this article in great detail, but understanding the basics could help you hold your school leaders to account and help you feel more confident during an Ofsted inspection.

Read this article to find out what questions inspectors might ask you.

Inspectors will take the impact of COVID-19 into account

Inspectors will want to understand how your school has responded to the specific impact of COVID-19 on your school community, including decisions around:

  • Adaptations to your school's curriculum
  • The deployment of tutors
  • Adaptations to safeguarding approaches during the pandemic

See paragraphs 7 to 28 of the updated School Inspection Handbook for more detail around COVID-19 considerations relevant to sixth form provision.

The rest of this article is based on paragraphs 342 to 347 of the handbook, linked above.