Our guest is Paul K Ainsworth, who has held director of school improvement roles in four multi-academy trusts in the last nine years and in that time has experienced more than 40 Ofsted inspections.
We get Paul’s practical insights – both small ideas and more substantial advice – about how we can protect our mental health and wellbeing, and that of our school team, during inspection.
We get lots of tips for reducing and managing anxiety and hear useful anecdotes from Paul’s experience of inspection.
We hear about what inspection has been like this year in light of changes brought in after the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry.
Ofsted has brought in a number of reforms, including new complaints procedures, mental health training for inspectors and better support – we find out what this looks like on the ground and ask what headteachers can expect to see when they get inspected in 2024.
Paul offers insights for how we can prepare for inspection in such a way that will build resilience and confidence, including how best to prepare for the pre-inspection phone call.
Other topics include where headteachers can turn to for support during inspection, how to challenge inspectors effectively, and how to handle the emotional rollercoaster and exhausting nature of inspection.
As ever, our podcast host is Helen Frostick, a National Leader of Education and a retired primary school headteacher.
Helen's guest, Paul K Ainsworth, has held director of school improvement roles in four multi-academy trusts and is currently the education director with Infinity Academies Trust in Lincolnshire. He has supported leaders of small rural primary schools to large 11 to 18 urban secondaries, working intensively with those in Ofsted categories.
Paul is the author of No Silver Bullets 2.0: The heart and soul of school improvement (available now) and a TEDx speaker. Paul often appears on the Headteacher Update Podcast, including recent episodes on Ofsted and school inspection, self-evaluation in the primary school, and a school leadership survival guide. Find these and all his articles – including two recent pieces focused on surviving and thriving during Ofsted inspection – for the magazine via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/paul-k-ainsworth
You can listen to this episode of the Headteacher Update Podcast above. To hear other Headteacher Update podcasts, or to subscribe for free to new editions, search for 'The Headteacher Update Podcast' in your podcast streaming application of choice. Or visit www.headteacher-update.com/podcasts/
For details about The Headteacher Update Podcast, or to suggest future topics, email editor Pete Henshaw at pete.henshaw@markallengroup.com