Following the shake-up of Ofsted procedures in September 2005, the School Self-Evaluation Form (SEF) has become a key part of the inspection process. While the SEF is a document covering the whole school, it has become common practice for departments to go through a process of self-evaluation and complete a department SEF, which is then used to inform the school self-evaluation document.
- The SEF is intended to record the outcomes of your ongoing process of self-evaluation and can be filled in at any time
- It should record strengths and weaknesses backed up by evidence and should highlight key areas for improvement
- Ofsted inspectors will make considerable use of your SEF when arranging to visit your school
- The impact of your SEF in helping to bring about improvement will be a major factor in the inspectors’ judgements about leadership and management and the school’s capacity to improve in the future.
The School SEF is divided into three parts, A: Self-Evaluation, B: Factual Information About Your School and C: Information About Compliance With Statutory Requirements. Individual departments only need to be concerned with part A. This is laid out in seven sections as per the evaluation schedule in the framework for the inspection of schools:
- Characteristics of your school
- Views of learners, parents/carers and other stakeholders
- Achievement and standards
- Personal development and well-being
- The quality of provision
- Leadership and management
- Overall effectiveness and efficiency
You need to think about each of these sections in the context of your department rather than the whole school when filling in the SEF.
- Department Evaluation
- Staff Questionnaires
