In December 2017 Ofsted published its response to the second consultation on the short inspection of good schools. Ofsted was going ahead with the proposed changes to the inspection arrangements, taking effect from January 2018.

“Ofsted is one of the causes of unsustainable levels of pressure and workload for teachers, heads and pupils." Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers

But it does not have to be this way - we can be 'Ofsted ready'!

‘Surviving’ Ofsted reflects how many teachers feel, but I believe talking about managing Ofsted is much more empowering and ultimately more helpful in setting you up to succeed. So here are my tips to manage Ofsted and minimise the stress the process undoubtedly puts on you and your school.

It is all in the preparation before the phone call... I am writing this as someone who has inspected for Ofsted and been on the receiving end as a headteacher on 5 occasions, in three very different primary schools. It is not a definitive guide but a brief summary of suggestions gained from personal experience.

Once the phone call happens, there is no time to change anything - be the best you can be!

1. Be Prepared

Have an 'Ofsted Ready File', which contains everything (with many dividers!) that you might need to refer to whilst talking to an Ofsted inspector. In the event you, if you are the head, are not there, then your deputy for example, would be able to refer to the key issues with relative ease. You may never need to open your 'Ofsted Ready File' during the inspection, but I found it so reassuring to know it was there if I needed it.

Remember they are not assessing how good your memory is, particularly when you are feeling nervous, but how rigorous you are and how well you understand and know your school. What are its strengths and why? What are the weaknesses and how do you know? What are you doing about it and the IMPACT. Check your website has all the required statutory information and that it is up-to-date, of course!

2. Don't panic!

Remain calm and confident. Once you get the phone call there is very little you can do that will make a significant difference to the final outcome, except to ensure your staff are calm and feel well supported. They will look to see how you are dealing with the process. You will set the tone and it is your job to lead them and manage the Ofsted visit. If you have prepared well, the staff will all understand what they need to know and do, and it can be a great opportunity to showcase the school.

Have an 'Inspection Visit Action Plan' that the staff are familiar with, so as soon as the phone call arrives, everyone knows what is expected and what to do. Ensure the governors are included and you have their availability during day time if needed by the inspectors. Remember to inform the LA or your Academy Trust, as appropriate.

3. Engage with the Ofsted Team

Remember the Ofsted inspectors are people too! Make them feel welcome. Build a rapport and be honest. In reality, they may be just as anxious as you about making accurate judgements. One day short inspections are going to be very intensive for all parties!

As the head you need to manage The Team, or it may be one inspector, and ensure they see and know about all the school's strengths as easily and efficiently as possible. Be prepared if you are the head or SLT to 'fight your corner' and collect your evidence to support any judgement you think is not representative of the school. But be honest! Inspectors look to see if the Head's judgement is good and if they feel they can trust the head's judgements. This is started during the pre-inspection phone call. So sound confident, informed and honest! Try not to waffle even though you may feel nervous. Know the current School Inspection Handbook that they will have to work with and ensure the relevant staff are familiar with the appropriate sections. We used to give each other mock Ofsted interviews and ask the challenging questions. Now as an Education Consultant, I am often asked to do this with Senior Leadership Teams and new heads. This is all part of good preparation!

Ask half way through the inspection how the inspection is going from their perspective and if there is anything further they need from you to clarify any issue. You should have a mid-day review with the inspector and it is important to ask if there is any evidence to show the school may be going into 'requires improvement'. If that is the case, do not panic - you will have time to provide evidence to change that view.

4. The SEF (School Evaluation Form)

You do not have to have a SEF but it does make life a lot easier if you do. This is because it should be a BRIEF, efficient and accurate summary of the school's evaluation of itself. Ofsted will be checking out those judgements! A good SEF should answer any lines of enquiry from the Ofsted Team. Make sure everyone knows the most recent SEF and the judgements it contains, how it was evidenced and what is happening currently. Remember to demonstrate how the issues identified in the SEF were fed into the School Improvement Plan.

5. Data

Ofsted love data! It’s all about attainment and progress, and ensuring the school is working really hard to narrow any gaps between groups or individuals. Be clear and specific about how your school uses data to enhance children's learning for ALL groups of pupils. Show evidence of how underperformance is challenged, for example in Pupil Progress meetings.

I had case studies of vulnerable children in my 'Ofsted Ready File' that summarised their needs, what we did to support those children and their families, which agencies were involved, the impact, examples of work, progress tracked and so on. This showcased how we effectively worked in school. Remember to talk about IMPACT!

6. Learning

Remember the focus is on learning. 'Quality first teaching' is key: setting high, clear expectations for all children and supporting each child's needs. Remind teachers to be themselves, do what they usually do and show their talents and passion for teaching. It is important TAs also demonstrate how well they know the children and show how they support their learning rather than 'spoon feeding' them.

Make sure the school's judgements on the quality of teaching are correct and talk about how the quality of teaching and learning is regularly monitored and tracked - Learning Walks, Book Scrutinies and so on. If there is a weak teacher, tell the inspectors early on, be prepared to discuss it and do not be defensive or make excuses. Talk about how teaching skills are developed for everyone, including outstanding teachers. The focus will be on learning and progress the children can be seen to make in class and also in their books over time.

Keep a wide range of work that shows the breadth of learning, cross-curricular writing and the range of SMSC activities (remember British Values) you do. This can often be best seen in displays around the school that you can draw the inspector's attention to, as you show them around.

Exercise books should be a key indicator of the quality of teaching over time. Keep a good sample of exercise books from the previous year to demonstrate this. You may be inspected in September! The quality of presentation – handwriting, layout, and so on – is a factor in the ‘behaviour for learning’ judgement, and the quality, range and quantity of the work should demonstrate the wide range of skills children have. A consistently applied marking policy is very important with good peer and self-marking showing the children’s ability to take ownership of their learning.

7. Safeguarding is very important

This cannot be stressed enough, so ask another head or a consultant to do a review before Ofsted calls. Do regular spot checks on your Single Central Record. Check the training for all staff and governors is up to date. Make sure all the staff (including non-teaching staff) can confidently talk about the procedures and policy to someone who is not a staff member, as any indication that anything is weak and not rigorous will cause deeper investigation. Check your policies are up-to-date, including safer recruitment, online safety and whistle-blowing. Do not forget registers that show everyone has read and understood these policies. Be familiar with the inspection documents that the team will be referring to during the inspection.

Ofsted has published a document setting out the approach inspectors should take to inspect safeguarding in all the settings covered by the Common Inspection Framework. It should be read alongside ‘Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings’ and the following statutory guidance in relation to safeguarding: ‘Keeping children safe in education: Statutory guidance for schools and colleges’ and ‘Working together to safeguard children’. A case study prepared beforehand is helpful to illustrate to inspectors how well the school follows the procedures.

8. Sleep!

Probably one of the most difficult things to do, but so important to rest and try to sleep. Do not let the staff stay late in school. You all need to be fresh to be on top of your game!

9. Post inspection briefing

Although you may be feeling tired, do remember to make notes at the feedback - you cannot challenge anything at this point, but those notes will prove useful later, especially as by then your ability to remember things will have dropped off significantly. I also found having a second person taking notes is helpful in case you miss something.

10. Most importantly, whatever the outcome, plan a 'bit of a do' for after the inspection, even if it is just great cakes...