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

 

2. Reading and Phonics Subject Knowledge Question Bank - content-specific questions for both reading and phonics covering EYFS, KS1 and KS2 . They’re ideal if you’re wanting to explore the finer details of staff members' reading and phonics subject knowledge.

 

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

 

4. Deep Dive Evidence Exploration - a handy place to collate all your observation notes when conducting a deep dive, including observing reading or phonics sessons, listening to pupils read and looking through work or folders.

 

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. 

 

Please note that only primary reading and phonics are explored in this pack. Primary writing, spelling, punctiation, grammar and spoken language are covered separately, as is secondary English and Drama.

 

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

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 Reading and Phonics Deep Dive pack:

 

• How much time do children spend learning reading? How does this compare to writing?
• How do you know which children are not on track with the pace of the school’s Phonics programme?
• How do you choose the texts for class study? How do these provide progressively greater challenge through length and subject matter?
• What resources are available to support teaching and learning in Reading and Phonics?
• How does learning in EYFS support the Reading curriculum in the wider school?

 

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

 

Who? 

English subject leaders or those leading on key elements of the English curriculum, such as a reading lead, phonics lead, literacy lead or even EYFS leads will find this pack useful. It's especially helpful for those who are new to an English leadership role but anyone with responsibility over the English curriculum will feel supported when monitoring teaching and learning, or if preparing for an Ofsted deep dive in Reading or Phonics. 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 English and literacy subject leader to prepare for an Ofsted inspection. The Phonics and Reading 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 Reading and Phonics.

 

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 Reading deep dive. Even if you're a more experienced subject leader, it can be useful to revisit your English 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 English curriculum with regard to reading and phonics.

Why? 

Knowing you may have to go through an Ofsted deep dive in Reading, which inspectors always select at a primary level, can cause feelings of stress, anxiety and worry, especially if you’re thinking about what questions Ofsted will ask about Reading 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 phonics and Reading, 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 great 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?