Curriculum and Teaching Questions for School and Subject Leaders (2026/27) is a bank of self-review questions for headteachers, curriculum leads and subject leaders in any subject or phase. 2026/27 edition, rewritten for the Ofsted school inspection toolkit (v2.0) for inspections from 7 September 2026.
Ofsted removed subject deep dives when the renewed framework began in November 2025. Inspectors now gather evidence through professional conversations, learning walks with leaders, pupils' work and case sampling. These questions follow the toolkit's curriculum and teaching evaluation area, so leaders can check their own picture honestly and talk confidently about their curriculum.
What's inside
- 37 questions in six sections: strategic leadership of curriculum and teaching; securing strong foundations; the school and subject curriculum; teaching; inclusive curriculum and teaching; and the evidence you already have
- An evidence column and a next-step column for every question
- A summary of what the expected and strong standards look like, to agree an honest self-evaluation
- A priorities and actions table
Editable Word document, 5 pages, landscape. These are self-review questions, not Ofsted questions, and the toolkit is clear that you should not create documents just for inspection.
Part of the HeadteacherChat community library. Members get this resource, the full topic pack it belongs to and every update when guidance changes, alongside live sessions and more than 1,400 fellow school leaders. Join the community.
