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This guide helps senior leaders set up the Ofsted SEF module and build a complete, inspection-ready self-evaluation. The module structures your SEF around the current Ofsted inspection framework, giving you a consistent format for recording evidence, tracking grades, and producing summaries for governors and inspectors.
Initial setup requires the Administrator role. Once the module is enabled and SEF Managers are assigned, senior leaders can begin populating and maintaining the self-evaluation.

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Setup Steps

1

Enable the Ofsted SEF module

Go to Administration > Modules and enable the Ofsted SEF module.
2

Assign SEF Managers

Go to Administration > Users and assign the SEF Manager role to the relevant senior leaders. SEF Managers can create, edit, and publish all sections of the self-evaluation form.
3

Navigate to Ofsted SEF

Select Ofsted SEF from the left-hand navigation menu. You will see the full structure of the self-evaluation, organised by framework area.

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Completing the SEF

The SEF is completed section by section. Work through each step in order to build a comprehensive self-evaluation that is ready for inspection.
1

School Context

Fill in contextual statements about your school — its size, intake, community, and any relevant background. Include any context from your previous inspection history that helps frame the current self-evaluation. This section gives inspectors and governors the background they need to interpret your judgements.
2

Previous Inspection Priorities

Record the key priorities identified in your last Ofsted inspection report, and describe the school’s response to each of them. This demonstrates that your leadership team has taken previous feedback seriously and tracks the impact of any actions taken.
3

Development Plan Summary

Link your current school development priorities to the SEF. These priorities will be echoed automatically in the relevant framework areas, ensuring your self-evaluation and development plan remain aligned.
4

Criteria Evaluation

For each Ofsted framework area — Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management, and others — evaluate your school’s performance against each individual criterion. For each criterion you can:
  • Record your current judgement
  • Add evidence notes describing the basis for your judgement
  • Add hyperlinks to supporting documents or data
  • Optionally evaluate against the Outstanding descriptors if you believe you are performing above the Good threshold
5

Area Summaries

For each framework area, write a one-page summary that brings together:
  • Strengths in this area
  • Areas for development that you have identified
  • Recent actions taken to address those areas
  • Impact of those actions so far
The area summaries are the most useful section of the SEF for governors, wider leadership teams, and for Ofsted inspectors who typically request a one-page overview per area when they arrive for inspection. Keeping these summaries up to date throughout the year means you are always ready.

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Sharing the SEF

Once your SEF is complete — or at any point in the year — you can print or export the full document for sharing.

Share with Governors

Export or print the SEF to present to your governing body at scheduled meetings. The area summaries make it easy for governors to understand the school’s performance without needing to read through detailed criteria evaluations.

Share with Ofsted

At inspection, you can produce a clean printed or exported copy of the SEF to hand to inspectors. Having area summaries already written means you can respond quickly to an inspector’s request for a one-page overview of any area.