What? 

A bundle pack containing guidance of what an Ofsted deep dive entails and how you can utilise a similar internal process in your own subject monitoring. It contains five comprehensive templates:

 

1. Languages Deep Dive and Subject Evaluation Audit (Primary) - over 100 deep dive questions about MFL to ask stakeholders, including senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and pupils. As MFL subject leader, you can utilise these to reflect on the current picture of Languages in your school and explore specific areas further when listening to staff and pupil voice. Many MFL subject leads find it useful to practise them with other leaders to build their own confidence in preparation for a modern foreign languages Ofsted deep dive. 

 

2. Language Deep Dive and Subject Evaluation Audit (Secondary) - KS3, KS4 and KS5 Languages deep dive questions for secondary leaders and MFL department heads to consider. While there is crossover with the primary set of deep dive questions, this resource focuses on secondary MFL and includes questions about secondary-focused areas, such as the routes available for pupils who wish to take their knowledge of Languages into further education, employment or training.

 

3. Languages Subject Knowledge Question Bank - content-specific questions for Languages covering KS2 and KS3. They’re ideal if you’re wanting to explore the finer details of staff members' Languages subject knowledge.

 

4. Deep Dive Process Overview - use this to structure your internal deep dive in Languages, working through the process of identifying your perceived strengths and weaknesses, observation and questioning, and creating a plan of action. 

 

5. Deep Dive Evidence Exploration - a handy place to collate all your observation notes when conducting a deep dive, including observing MFL lessons, asking pupils about their learning in Languages and looking through work or recordings.

 

Whether you have an Ofsted inspection due or not, conducting an internal deep dive can help you to identify your subject’s strengths and weaknesses. Use it as a collaborative process that can support other staff members to develop and use your findings to report back to SLT, governors or trustees as part of your curriculum quality assurance. 

 

What sorts of deep dive questions will Ofsted ask in Languages?

The answer to this will depend on your setting and what an observer sees in practice, but here are some examples of the questions covered in this Languages Deep Dive pack:

 

• Which languages are on offer? Why? Does this allow for progression into Key Stage 3?
• Could you share the professional development opportunities provided to staff for effective Languages curriculum delivery?
• How does teaching ensure pupils move from word-level responses to writing in sentences and participating in simple dialogues (in line with the National Curriculum)?
• What does long-term Languages planning/curriculum sequencing look like?
• Could you tell me what I would see in the pupil’s Languages books?

 

There are many more in the bundle that MFL subject leads can work through to ensure they know their subject's strengths and weaknesses. 

 

Who? 

Language subject leaders, especially those who are new subject leads, will find this pack extremely useful when monitoring teaching and learning, or if preparing for an Ofsted deep dive in MFL. Curriculum leaders, senior leaders, headteachers or anyone else with responsibility for teaching and learning will also find the pack beneficial, whether they use it to conduct a deep dive themselves or support their Languages subject leader to prepare for an Ofsted inspection. The Languages deep dive questions are particularly useful in reflecting on your setting's current practice.

 

How long? 

Start as soon as you download the pack, and use it as part of your monitoring and evaluation schedule or to build confidence about a deep dive in Languages.

 

When? 

If you’re a new subject leader or you’ve never gone through a deep dive process (either internal or conducted by Ofsted) before, this pack will walk you through the steps of what this looks like in practice and what questions you could be asked in a MFL deep dive. Even if you're a more experienced subject leader, it can be useful to revisit your Languages curriculum's intent, implementation and impact as a form of monitoring and quality assurance, and this deep dive pack is perfect for that. Either way, you don’t have to wait to be due an Ofsted inspection to use the pack - it’s useful at any time to explore the strengths and weaknesses of your Languages curriculum.

Why? 

Knowing you may have to go through an Ofsted deep dive in Languages can cause feelings of stress, anxiety and worry, especially if you’re thinking about what questions Ofsted will ask about MFL and how you’ll answer. This pack supports that thinking process, especially if you work alongside other leaders to consider what makes great teaching and learning in Languages and how your school does or doesn’t do this. 

 

However, it’s not just about preparing for an Ofsted inspection or doing things because Ofsted might want to see them - it’s about understanding the picture of your subject and knowing its strengths and weaknesses so you can get amazing outcomes for all of your pupils. It’s also important to know that even if you conduct an internal deep dive and find there are gaps, you can use this to formulate your next steps in an action plan, which will help to ensure improvement for all.

 

Key questions answered:

• What is a deep dive?

• What is the purpose of Ofsted’s deep dives into areas of your curriculum?

• What does an Ofsted deep dive look like?

• Why might I want to conduct my own internal deep dive?

• Who should I involve in an internal deep dive?