Art Department Example answers OFSTED

Detailed example answers to 12 in-depth questions OFSTED may ask your Art and design department. This resource was used by me to prepare myself and my team for an upcoming OFSTED visit and to communicate with SLT how we were prepared for such a visit. This resource might be helpful as a shortcut for you, or to prompt/guide for your own department in analysing what you do well and need to work on.
Questions I covered were:
1.Briefly describe your aims and approach for the curriculum
What are the most important factors which shaped your thinking?
Do you follow the National Curriculum and KS4/5 exam specifications?
2. Based on results or other evidence in recent years, how have you adapted the curriculum to improve or develop the quality of education? How does local context come into play?
3. How is the curriculum organised into a logical, sequence of learning over time? How well does the curriculum ensure progression and develop learning from one year/key stage to the next?
How do you deliver the curriculum so that pupils remember what they have learned and can link knowledge and concepts together?
4. How well does the curriculum sequence take account of the needs of the vulnerable, SEND or disadvantaged, where relevant?
5. How is curriculum planning and aims shared with the subject team?
6. What sort of professional development is taking place to help improve the delivery of the curriculum?
7. Tell me about the timetabling and resource arrangements for your subject. Are they enough?
8. How do you measure the impact of your curriculum design? Checks? What have you learned from them and how have you adapted the curriculum design or delivery?
9. Does learning overtime show progression and appropriate levels of challenge?
Your subject’s approach to assessment. In what ways is assessment used formatively and summatively?
How well do all staff understand and maintain the purpose of assessment?
10. How well do pupils use the subject in later life, in their next stage, A level, work, training, UNI pathways?
11. How does your subject support literacy, numeracy and whole school objectives?
12. Which areas have been key strengths – why and how?
Which areas have been key targets for development and improvement – why and how?
If I visited your department’s lessons for the day, what would I pick up as the main priorities, strengths and areas of development?