Questions to ask subject leaders

Be clear on what questions to ask when meeting subject leaders on school visits or at board and committee meetings, so you can challenge and support them.

Last reviewed on 25 November 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 4377
Contents
  1. General questions to ask
  2. Subject-specific questions
  3. Send over questions before a school visit
  4. Remind yourself how Ofsted inspects the curriculum

Our associate expert Keith Clover, a National Leader of Governance, helped us with this article.

General questions to ask

If you don't have a specific link governor role, use these general questions as a guide to what you can ask.

You don't need to ask all of them in 1 meeting, and you can ask them to any subject leader, regardless of subject or phase. 

Questions about them as a leader

Ask:
  • How long have you been the leader for your subject? If they've been a subject leader for a while, ask:
    • How do you feel the subject is doing? 
    • What impact have you had as leader?
  • What training have you had? How well do you understand the area?
  • How do you support staff with:
    • Teaching, resources and planning?
    • Continuous professional development (CPD)?
    • Assessments and internal and external moderation?
  • How do you keep staff informed of developments or changes in your subject?
  • How do you provide staff with feedback? What impact does this have?