• Find an inspection report
• Understanding a school inspection report
• Types of schools Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting schools
  • Inspecting maintained schools
  • Inspecting independent schools
  • Inspecting boarding and residential special schools
  • Inspecting initial teacher education
• About our survey reports
• Statistics for schools
• How to complain

Inspecting independent schools

This page tells you what happens before, during and after an independent school inspection.

Ofsted inspects independent schools which are not members of associations. We do this at the request of the Department for Education, which is the registering authority for all independent schools.

We normally carry out inspections of educational provision in non-association independent schools every three years. In the case of independent boarding schools, the education inspection will normally be conducted at the same time as an inspection of its boarding provision, in an ‘integrated inspection’. Independent residential special schools also usually receive an integrated inspection every three years. In addition to this, we inspect their residential provision on an annual basis.

Before an independent school inspection

Independent schools are normally given up to two clear days notice of their inspection. Notification is made by one of Ofsted’s inspection service providers, which are companies that carry out inspections on behalf of Ofsted.

Following this, the lead inspector will contact the headteacher to begin to plan the inspection. The school is asked to provide the inspectors with some information that they keep, for example an evaluation of their provision, before the inspection begins.

A school must take reasonable steps to tell parents and carers, including parents and carers of pupils who have been excluded or are away from school, that the school is going to be inspected.

We provide schools with a letter for parents and carers. The letter announces the inspection and has a short, confidential questionnaire, so parents and carers can tell us what they think about the school. It is available in English and many community languages. Schools are asked to send these promptly by email in order that parents and carers can return their completed questionnaires to the inspectors for the start of the inspection.

It may be possible for parents/carers to speak to an inspector during the inspection, for instance at the start or end of the school day.

We also ask schools to distribute a questionnaire to their staff and pupils before the inspection, so that inspectors can find out their views about the school. In the case of inspections of boarding and residential special schools, the pupils’ includes questions for the boarders/residential pupils to answer about the boarding/residential provision.

Where pupils have been placed at the school by a local authority, the school will be asked to ensure that a copy of the questionnaire for placing authorities is sent to them.

The inspectors will use the responses to the questionnaires, and the information provided by the school, to plan and carry out the inspection.

During an independent school inspection

The inspection will usually last two days.

The lead inspector will look at certain documents that the school holds. Inspectors talk to staff and pupils to find out what they think about the school, and review comments from parents and carers and others such as local authorities that have placed pupils at the school. They watch lessons. They look at teaching and learning, and how well pupils are progressing. If the school provides boarding, residential or early education and childcare facilities an inspector will check how well children are cared for and whether the premises are suitable.

Regular feedback will be given to the headteachers and other staff during the inspection. At the end of the inspection, the inspection team will hold a meeting with the headteacher, proprietor and senior staff to inform them of the inspection findings and judgements.

After an independent school inspection

The lead inspector writes a report using the inspection’s findings. It will cover the effectiveness of the school with judgements for particular aspects of the provision.

The report will list any regulations that the school has failed to meet and will give recommendations for what the school should do to improve.

The school will receive a draft copy of the report in order to check its factual accuracy. Following this, a final version will be sent to the school, and the school is asked to send a copy to all parents and carers. A copy of the report is also sent to the Department for Education which is the registrar for independent schools.

We publish the report on our website in most cases within four working weeks after the end of the inspection.

The school has to make a copy of the report available upon request to members of the public.