Independent schools in England
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is the agency responsible for the inspection of boarding and day schools in England in membership of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) associations.
The ISI is approved by the UK Government for the purpose of inspecting schools belonging to the ISC associations and reporting on compliance with the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as subsequently amended with effect from January 2005, May 2007 and February 2009. Under this agreement, the ISI publishes reports on the schools (reports are available from the ISI website).
As such, it also reports to the Government’s Department for Education (DfE) on the extent to which schools meet statutory requirements. The quality of its service is monitored by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) on behalf of the DfE.
The education provision at independent schools in England not in membership of the ISC is inspected by Ofsted. Ofsted also regulates and inspects the boarding provision at all independent and state boarding schools in England.
Independent schools in the rest of the UK
The ISC-member schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are inspected by the relevant national inspectorate.
In Scotland, all schools in membership of the ISC or the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) are registered with the Scottish Government Schools Directorate, and are subject to inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) and the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, which regulates and inspects boarding provision. All schools in Scotland – both state and independent – are regularly inspected by HMIE. Inspections generally take place every seven years for a preparatory school and every six years for a senior school, but the frequency can vary. In the case of a school where concerns about the education or other aspects of the school have been raised, then a follow-through inspection would be undertaken to ensure that the points for action from the initial inspection are being taken forward. To view inspection reports of Scottish independent schools, visit the HMIE website.
Estyn is the office of Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales. Estyn inspects the education provision in each independent school in Wales at least once every six years. The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) inspects welfare provision at boarding schools in Wales once every three years. You can view Estyn inspection reports at the Estyn website.
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) is responsible for inspection the education provision at independent schools in Northern Ireland. Formal inspections are carried out once every seven to ten years, with interim inspections taking place in between formal inspections. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) inspects the boarding provision at independent schools in Northern Ireland once a year. Where possible, a formal ETI inspection will be co-ordinated with an RQIA inspection. To view ETI inspection reports, visit the ETI website.
Inspections at ISC-member schools in England
The aim of an ISI inspection
The prime purposes of an ISI inspection are to report on:
• the fulfilment of aims and the distinctiveness of each school
• the extent to which regulatory requirements are met
• the extent to which pupils are supported to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy school and achieve good educational standards, make a positive contribution to their own or the wider community, and develop skills that will contribute to their future economic wellbeing.
An ISI inspection also aims to:
• support school development and improvement
• include clear and helpful oral feedback to schools
• provide independent and objective reports to inform parents, schools and ISC associations.
How ISI inspections work
ISI inspections are co-ordinated, where possible, with other inspection agencies. They also take account of any self-evaluation by those inspected, and are carried out by those with sufficient and relevant professional training and first-hand experience.
Schools applying to join one of the ISC associations must first satisfactorily complete an ISI inspection before gaining initial accreditation. Schools already in membership of an association are reaccredited by regular inspection, and ISI advises the associations on whether schools meet the standards required for membership.
Each school has an inspection every three years. The inspection schedules now follow two basic formats, standard and interim. Interim inspections alternate with standard inspections for those schools where no regulatory failings were identified at the time of their previous inspection. It is not possible for a school to have two interim inspections in sequence. If a school initially allocated an interim inspection is subsequently found to have significant weaknesses including regulatory failings, its interim inspection will revert to a standard inspection format.
Standard inspections are led by a reporting inspector (RI), supported by a number of team members (the size of the inspection team depends on the size, organisation and location of the school). Inspectors are in the school for a total of five days, beginning with an initial visit to establish the school’s compliance with regulations, followed by a final team visit that looks at the other aspects of the school’s work.
In addition, in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in non-registered settings (ie where the children are ‘rising threes’ (those who will be three in the term they start school) or older), the inspection of EYFS is undertaken by a co-ordinating inspector (CI) who is accountable to the RI. The CI is therefore a member of the whole inspection team with particular responsibility for the inspection of the EYFS. All CIs are specialists in EYFS. In registered settings (ie where children are aged under three), EYFS is inspected by an Early Years lead inspector who is accountable for the inspection of the EYFS provision.
Interim inspections are conducted by a reporting inspector and one other inspector. For the EYFS, the same inspection structure applies.
Parents are a vital part of the ISI inspection process, and, by means of a questionnaire, can express in confidence their views relating to the pupils and the educational and welfare provision in the school.
Inspection of boarding provision
Inspection teams observe all aspects of school provision, including boarding. The detailed inspection of the National Minimum Standards (NMS) for boarding schools, which relate to pupils’ welfare and care in the boarding environment, is undertaken by Ofsted. You can find out more about the National Minimum Standards on the Department of Health website.
Wherever possible, the ISI and Ofsted teams work jointly, but their reports are published separately. ISI teams always consider the impact of boarding on the outcomes for all pupils in the school. These findings are included in different sections of the report as well as in the specific section which reports on the quality of boarding education. Where joint inspection is not possible, ISI inspectors will not inspect the NMS but will check whether schools have followed up the recommendations of the previous welfare inspection report.
ISI school reports
The reporting inspector has the responsibility for drafting the written report on the basis of the team’s agreed findings and the contribution from the lead inspector or the co-ordinating inspector of the EYFS inspection. The report will include judgements and related explanation in accordance with the inspection schedules. The school will have the opportunity to point out any factual errors in the draft report two weeks after the end of the inspection. Copies of the published report must be sent to the school within four weeks of the end of the inspection. The report will be available from the ISI website within two weeks of its issue to the school. On receiving the final report, the school must send a copy to each parent and legal guardian and make copies available to any parents or guardians who request it. In the latter case, the school may defray the cost of printing and postage.
The focus in an ISI report is both on the school’s strengths and on its weaknesses. Schools then have to respond with appropriate action plans to meet areas for improvement or any deficiencies to satisfy their association. The whole process is a rigorous one, and is demanding on both the school and the inspectors involved.
For parents visiting schools, the ISI report will tell you much about the school, the breadth of education, the atmosphere, and how well the school looks after its pupils. More often than not, a summary of the latest inspection will come with the prospectus, and few heads you meet will be able to resist the temptation to reel off the strengths contained in it!
A former Headmaster of Bedford School, Ian Jones was a reporting inspector for ISI until 2005.