Official Statistics

Methodology: Responses to post-inspection surveys: inspections and visits between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

Published 28 June 2024

Applies to England

Introduction

This document contains methodology and quality information relevant to our official statistics in development release of ‘Responses to post-inspection surveys: inspections and visits’ data, which we intend to publish once a year.

Methodology

We invite leaders of state-funded schools, independent schools and further education and skills, early years and social care providers to complete the post-inspection survey when they receive the final version of their inspection report.

The post-inspection survey information helps us to keep improving. The insights from survey responses:

• give individual inspectors first-hand feedback from providers on the quality of their work and help them in their own personal development
• give managers information relating to direct line management groups that helps them to improve the quality of inspection, inspectors and inspection reports
• allow strategic high-level monitoring of providers’ views regarding the quality of inspection

The survey supports our policy and framework decisions and operational planning. More broadly, it also gives us insights into the impact of our work and relationship with the sectors.

The survey is voluntary. We do not oblige schools or providers to complete it.

The survey is not anonymous. As outlined above, we use the data to provide first-hand feedback to inspectors and their managers that otherwise would not be available to us.

The survey contains questions about the school or provider’s inspection experience and several statements. Respondents are requested to read each statement and select one of the options according to how strongly they agree or disagree with the statement.

We have provided a separate data release for each remit. They give a summary of the number of responses for all the statements where the school or provider chooses to ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘disagree’ or ‘strongly disagree’, or responds ‘don’t know’ (where applicable). We also present the percentage of providers that strongly agree or agree to each statement.

Responses to the survey shown by schools and providers’ overall effectiveness outcome are on a separate tab. Where there is no full overall outcome, for example in an ungraded inspection of a good or outstanding school, we have given details of responses.

To calculate response rates to the survey, we have divided the total number of survey responses received by the relevant number of inspections or visits in the time period.

For state-funded schools, where there has been most external interest, we include weighting in our reporting. This weighting accounts for the varying response rates across different inspection outcomes. We welcome views about this and whether this is useful. Details of the weighting methodology are available in the latest state-funded survey data release.

Official statistics in development

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) regulates our statistical practice.

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should comply with.

We have produced this data as official statistics in development. These are official statistics that are being developed; they are existing statistics that are being produced in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. We aim to develop these statistics so that they can, eventually, be produced to the standards of the Code.

You are welcome to contact us directly at managementinfo@ofsted.gov.uk with any comments about how we meet these standards.

Over the next 6 months, we will review any feedback we receive on this data release. We will use this feedback:

• to assess whether to continue to publish these statistics
• to evaluate whether the statistics should be published as official statistics

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or through the OSR website.

Applying the Code of Practice

This section is broken down by the 3 pillars of the Code of Practice for Statistics:

• trustworthiness
• quality
• value

Trustworthiness

Timeliness and punctuality

We currently publish data once a year. We include details of inspections that we have carried out within the reporting period.

We publish data at 9.30am on the date pre-announced in the publication schedule.

You can also find information on any delay in publication on the publication schedule.

The average production time for this official statistics release is approximately 3 months after the last inspection in the financial year. This time covers:

• obtaining and cleaning the data
• drafting findings
• quality assuring all outputs
• receiving internal sign-off
• uploading the information to GOV.UK

On the day that we publish the statistics, we announce it on our social media channels. We give pre-release access in accordance with the Pre-release to Official Statistics Order (2008).

Quality

Accuracy and reliability

We get information on responses, inspections and outcomes from our administrative systems. We aim to produce the highest-quality statistics. However, sometimes the data on the administrative system is different from the data on published inspection reports. This could be due, for example, to changes during the quality assurance process. If the data recorded on the system affects reporting, we will provide a note in the release.

Technical production

Technical production of the official statistics publication may also result in manual errors. We use a rigorous procedure for assuring data quality so we can minimise the risk of reporting errors. If we discover an error in the document, we place a note on the website and upload a corrected version of the document as soon as possible.

Read more information on issues relating to using administrative data.

Data obtained from other sources

We do not use data from external sources in this publication.

Value

Relevance

Information in this release has the following distinct purposes:

• it allows sector leaders, families and providers to see the feedback we received from our post-inspection surveys
• it allows media outlets to use our key findings to inform the public about the feedback we received from our post-inspection surveys
• it allows Ofsted staff to use our key findings to inform inspection framework development and underpin policies to improve standards

The data included in the release is generated by our inspection process and is, therefore, administrative data.

Accessibility and clarity

We publish our releases in an accessible format on GOV.UK. The information is publicly available, and there are no restrictions on access to the published data. Each release includes all responses received for inspections taking place in the financial year. The aim of the data is to keep users informed of the feedback that we receive about our inspection.

Each release includes underlying supporting data in an accessible format, to allow users to perform their own analysis. Users may use and reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence.

Performance, cost and burden on respondents

There is no burden on respondents in relation to this statistics release because data is a by-product of Ofsted’s inspection process. The only cost is the internal resource involved in collating the release.

Assessment of users’ needs and perceptions

We will review these official statistics in development to ensure that they meet users’ needs.

We welcome feedback about our statistical releases. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please contact managementinfo@ofsted.gov.uk.