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Ofsted Tracker, Highlights & Insights

Welcome to SAfE’s latest Ofsted tracker, highlights and insights

This month, along with Ofsted data, and inspection highlights we are asking: How Can Senior Leaders Utilise Self-Evaluation to Drive Continuous Improvement in Behaviour and Attitudes of Pupils?

Download Surrey’s April 2025 Inspection Tracker to find your school and access data by phase and cross-phase.

Ofsted Inspection Highlights

  • This academic year there have been 57 inspections across Surrey Local Authority, this is 18% less than the number of inspections as this time last year

  • 46% of inspections have been in maintained schools.

  • 79% of inspections have been in Primary schools.

  • 53% of inspections have been graded (S5)

  • Schools previously inspected in October 2019 are in the Ofsted window

*Data only references inspection in the 2024-25 academic year
*Data correct as of 26th March 2025, for published grades
*Data compares historic Ofsted outcomes, with graded (Section 5) outcomes since September 2022

0
OFSTED Inspections
0%
Maintained Schools Inspections
0%
Primary Schools Inspections
0%
Graded

How Can Senior Leaders Utilise Self-Evaluation to Drive Continuous Improvement in Behaviour and Attitudes of Pupils?

Monitoring pupils’ behaviour and attitudes is crucial for senior leaders, as it shapes the school’s learning environment and influences both pupil outcomes and staff experiences. Rigorous self-evaluation helps leaders identify strengths and areas for improvement. In this edition of OFSTED Insights, we explore effective self-evaluation strategies, key indicators inspectors may consider, and essential questions to guide leadership discussions.

A positive, proactive approach to behaviour fosters an inclusive environment where pupils feel safe, valued, and engaged. Strong relationships between pupils and staff support attendance, reduce challenging behaviour, and enhance the overall school culture. Encouraging responsibility, reinforcing expectations, and explicitly teaching positive behaviours and self-regulation contribute to a thriving educational environment. By prioritising these elements, school leaders can create a culture where pupils are motivated to succeed.

During inspections, OFSTED evaluates how effectively schools promote behaviour and attitudes to create a safe, calm, orderly, and positive environment. It is essential that senior leaders can demonstrate how they are consistently supporting this within their schools. Gathering a wide range of valuable evidence over time will provide a clear and precise overview of what this looks like within their school and what is successful in supporting this, which will give leaders a solid basis of information to analyse and translate into effective next steps.

To support this, leaders should aim to follow a cycle of self-evaluation involving:

Clarity on what they want to achieve, and which specific aspects of behaviour and attitudes are the focus. These clear objectives will provide direction and purpose. This could take the form of senior leaders posing a question about behaviour and attitudes which they want to investigate. For example, asking ‘How effectively are we supporting pupils to understand expected behaviours?’ or ‘How effectively do our staff model expected behaviours to pupils?’

This could include pupil voice activities involving a mix of children rather than just the School Council, including questions in parent surveys, and observations of both lessons and unstructured times of the day such as lunchtimes. Don’t just complete the same activities year after year without reviewing how they are carried out and if they are useful. Think qualitative and quantitative.

Reflection is a critical component of self-evaluation. Senior leaders should take time to analyse their findings, identify potential patterns, and reflect on their practices. This helps to uncover underlying issues and potential solutions and will ensure leaders can be confident in portraying the uniqueness of their school.

Senior leaders should outline specific steps to address issues and improve behaviour and attitudes.

Continuous improvement requires ongoing monitoring. Senior leaders should regularly review the impact of actions, assess progress, and make necessary adjustments.

Key self-evaluation questions for leaders to review with their SLT:

  • Leadership and management:

    • How effectively do we promote a culture of respect and inclusion within our school community?
    • What steps have we taken to ensure that our policies and practices reflect our commitment to equality and diversity?
    • How do we monitor and evaluate our progress in promoting strong behaviour and attitudes in our pupils? How do we know this is effective?
    • How can we implement changes effectively?

  • Quality of education:

    • How well does our curriculum incorporate themes of respect, tolerance, and diversity?
    • Are our teaching methods inclusive and do they cater to the diverse needs of our pupils?

  • Whole school participation:

    • What mechanisms are in place to ensure that all pupils feel heard and valued?
    • What ongoing professional development opportunities do we provide to support staff in these areas?
    • How effectively do we engage with parents and the wider community to promote respect and inclusion?

Further Reading, Listening & Watching

Further Learning

  • EvaluateMySchool
  • SAfE advisors can support you with advice on school self-evaluation