Run a monitoring cycle

Use a longer cycle to connect an enquiry plan, selected evidence, reviewed findings, owned follow-up and authorised sign-off. A cycle is distinct from an individual monitoring activity; activities can supply evidence to it.

1. Create a checked plan

Open Monitoring & QA → Monitoring workspace → Monitoring areas, choose the subject/area and review existing cycles before New cycle. Enter Enquiry question, Year groups, Activity date, Review date, evidence methods and Sample plan. Adapt the prompts for each method, then Create monitoring cycle. You own the new cycle and can share it after saving; plan revisions are retained.

If using Plan with AI, select the context sources deliberately. Read the evidence window, scope, coverage, dates and limited/unavailable source explanations. An end before the start, future window or span over two years must be corrected. A suggestion cannot make a missing source available or decide the school’s rating. Review/adapt any proposed method, sample and prompt before saving the plan.

2. Collect and connect evidence

Open Activities where offered to link/share a relevant activity with the cycle. Check its actual source revision and access. Evidence from a shared activity can support a finding; its existence does not show that every question was answered.

In Evidence, add an observation using the method, Observation date, Sample size, Eligible population, Observation notes and Limitations and missing voices, then Save observation. Keep sample/population units comparable and unknown counts unknown. Record what was seen or heard without pupil names. Saved observations are retained; add a further observation to correct or extend the record rather than pretending the earlier sample was exhaustive.

3. Save a reviewed interpretation and owned response

In Findings & actions, select the evidence being interpreted, write Reviewed findings and response, check I have checked the selected evidence, gaps and wording and agree this records my professional judgement., then Save reviewed findings. Optional AI summarising needs the same deliberate evidence and human review; it does not sign off a conclusion.

Use Add follow-up, enter Follow-up title, Agreed action and intended outcome and Follow-up due date, then save the offered follow-up. Check ownership and its shared task link. Completing that work does not establish the intended outcome; record new evidence at review.

4. Review, sign off and close

In Review, inspect the agreed questions, limitations and stages. Record step complete applies to the next permitted step. After agreeing the response, add a fresh reviewed finding recording what happened and what remains uncertain.

Write Review and sign-off note without confidential detail. Eligible staff use Record my sign-off at each required gate. A repeated signer does not count as another independent sign-off. Once the required steps and authorised gate decisions are present, Close reviewed cycle records completion of that review, not an inspection grade or proof of impact.

5. Resolve a refusal or uncertain save safely

View-only sharing does not allow evidence, finding, follow-up or step edits. A definite first-attempt refusal can leave the form editable to correct the stated issue. If the save may already have reached the server, its exact submitted record stays locked for safe recovery. Retry/check that operation rather than creating a second note or cycle. A later refusal does not erase the uncertainty of an earlier attempt.

For individual activities, attachments, sharing, Forms/SEF connections and wider workspaces, see Use Monitoring & QA.