- The website has changed and I can’t find what I’m looking for
- How do I use the search tool?
- The page I am looking for appears to be out of date.
- What is Acrobat Reader and what are pdfs?
- How do I use Acrobat Reader?
- What is the best way to open a pdf?
- We have been judged Outstanding; when can we use the outstanding logo on our stationery and signage?
A. The updated layout is designed to make it more intuitive and easier for you to find what you are looking for. However, the structure is markedly different from the previous one. So, rather than looking for the equivalent place in the new structure, just think about what you’re looking for and follow the signposts. Visit the ‘publications and research’ section for the latest findings from our inspections of schools, childcare providers and further education. Or visit the ‘forms and guidance’ section to access further guidance and forms you may need to fill in, or to understand how we work. The ‘news’ section houses the latest information about our work, and you can also find and subscribe to our latest newsletters on childcare or education. Parents have a dedicated homepage; click the purple link in the right-hand side of the website. If you have any problems, or you still cannot find what you are looking for, visit the contact us page and pick the option that relates to you.
A. The search tool is versatile and can be used to find publications, inspection reports and content on our webpage, checking in titles and content of documents and webpages. You can narrow your search by using multiple keywords or, if you are looking for a particular phrase, you can put the phrase in speech marks (" "). Publications are also grouped by subject in the 'publications and research' section to make finding information easier. Inspection reports are indexed by name and not by content. You will not be able to find, for example, schools which did well in mathematics or schools inspected by a particular inspector.
A. When you visit a webpage, its contents are stored by your browser in a temporary folder. The next time you visit that page, the browser will first load the page from this folder. This is done to improve speed but means you may be looking at out of date content. To be sure you are looking at the latest version of a page, you need to refresh as follows. On a home PC, click the refresh button on your standard buttons toolbar of your browser – the two green arrows icon – or press F5 on your keyboard. On a workplace PC, you may need to hold down the Alt key and click the refresh button on your standard buttons toolbar – the two green arrows icon. On some computers, you may need to use Ctrl rather than Alt. If there is still a problem, contact the Ofsted helpline on 08456 404040 or email us at enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. In email, include the school's full name and local education authority (or location). The problem will be investigated and should be corrected. In the meantime, you will have to go to the school.
A. Converting a document into a pdf (portable document format) produces an image file – a ‘photograph’ of the document. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free software which reads pdf documents. Most state school inspection reports and publications are pdfs and so you will need the Reader on your computer. The Reader is usually included on computers supplied with pre-installed software. If you do not have it, you can download it from the Adobe site; please note it is a 5Mb download and you have to install the software after you download it. It can also be found on computer/Internet magazine cover disks. Consult the Reader's help files to learn how to use it. As well as printing, you can carry out basic copying and pasting of text.
A. If the Reader has been correctly installed on your computer, then pdf files will be associated with it. This means that the computer knows that pdfs are opened by the Reader. If you click on a link to a pdf or double-click a pdf on your computer it will open in the Reader. It is as simple as that. If you open a pdf in a word processing programme, you will only see machine code.
A. Pdfs are image files and take longer to form on screen. They can freeze if there is a connection glitch and you may only see a blank page. If you are on a dial-up connection especially, it is better to: hold your cursor over the hyperlink; press the right mouse button; select ‘save target as’; save to your computer with the left mouse button; find the file using My Computer/Documents or Windows Explorer and open by double-clicking it.
A. We supply the art work and design guidance to outstanding providers when we publish the list of outstanding providers with our annual report, usually in October of every year. So, for a provider judged outstanding between September 2006 and August 2007, it would be supplied in October 2007.
We know that there is considerable interest amongst outstanding providers in being able to use the logo as soon as the judgement is awarded, and we are looking at how we can do this. If there is a change we will write to providers judged outstanding during 2006/07, and supply the logo and guidance, as quickly as we can.
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