When deciding on what school to send your child or children too, analysing an Ofsted report will give you an insight in to how the school is performing in the eyes of the Department of Education. Schools that have been previously rated as Good by an Ofsted inspection will be rechecked within three years. There is often little notice to a school of an Ofsted inspection so that the inspector can get a real view of how the school is ran and how it is performing.
For a parent, an Ofsted can be a great insight in to a school and I would strongly recommend that all parents read these reports when they are issued if your child already attends or if you are thinking of enrolling them. Ofsted reports give an overview of the schools performance in different areas such as achievement of pupils, quality of teaching, behaviour and safety of pupils and leadership and management. These levels are then combined to give an overall achievement level.