Five questions I was asked as EYFS lead

Inspection week. The call came on a Monday lunchtime and by Wednesday afternoon I'd had my deep dive. Looking back, the questions weren't the ones I'd spent the summer preparing for.

Here are the five that mattered, and what I'd say differently now.

1. "Why have you chosen this book for this half term?" They wanted the thinking, not the long-term plan.
2. "What do you want this child to know by July?" Pick a real child. Know their next step.
3. "How do your adults know what to say?" This is where prompt cards earned their place.
4. "What happens for children who don't speak much?"
5. "How does Reception prepare children for Year 1?"

I'd spend less time on folders and more time making sure every adult in the room could answer question three.

Nobody asked to see my tracking spreadsheet. Not once.

If you're preparing now, my Ofsted readiness training walks through each of these with examples.