SEF and Monitoring Pack

The SEF and Monitoring Pack brings together the documents that help you write your self-evaluation, keep it current and know where the evidence behind it sits. Built by practising school leaders in the HeadteacherChat community and updated in September 2026 for Ofsted's state-funded school inspection toolkit (version 2.0).

Updated September 2026 with a one-page summary for every evaluation area in Ofsted's state-funded school inspection toolkit (version 2.0, in use from 7 September 2026), and a strong standard summary for each of the eight graded areas.

What's inside

• Downloadable template: School Evaluation and Development Plan (September 2026 Edition)
• Toolkit Evaluation Reference Sheet: a concise summary of the Ofsted evaluation areas and the core factors inspectors weigh, for use during SEF writing and monitoring
• SEF Evidence Map: the five-minute test across every evaluation area, so each claim in your SEF has a named, findable source
• Keeping Your SEF a Living Document: the five-minute test and a light review rhythm that keeps the evidence behind your SEF current between updates
• Nine one-page summaries in the style of a SEF, one for each evaluation area: safeguarding, inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, early years, post-16 provision, and leadership and governance. The rows are the toolkit's own strands, with columns for where you are and how you know, what you're doing about it this term and who owns it. Page two of each sheet gives guidance and references.
• Eight strong standard summaries, one for each graded area: inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, early years, post-16 provision, and leadership and governance (safeguarding is judged met or not met, so it doesn't have one). Each sheet starts with a check that the expected standard is met. Each row is one of the toolkit's strong standard statements, with columns for the evidence that it applies consistently, what's still missing and who owns it. Page two picks out the words that raise the bar and gives examples of the facts that show them.

Format: editable Word and Excel files. Adapt the wording to your own school, trust or local authority context before use.

Part of the HeadteacherChat community library. Members get this pack, every other pack and every update when guidance changes, alongside live sessions and more than 1,400 fellow school leaders. Join the community.