FAQ

Where can I get copies of HMIE reports?

Copies of HMIE reports and press releases are available on this website. If you cannot find the report you are looking for, please contact us by e-mail to enquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or by telephone on 01506 600200.

What are inspections of local education authorities for?

Inspections seek to assure stakeholders and support improvement in the education system. Local authorities have a duty to seek to improve the quality of education and raise standards. An inspection will evaluate how well schools in your council area are being supported and challenged to improve standards of education and how well the council’s staff and other resources achieve value for money in helping schools. Overall, it will evaluate how well education in the area is being managed for the benefit of the community. Inspections evaluate existing performance and identify points for action where improvement is needed. They also highlight good practice which can then be disseminated across other authorities.

What happens during an education authority inspection?

The central focus of an education authority inspection is on evaluating the impact of the work of the education authority on key stakeholders, particularly learners. The inspection investigates the extent to which national priorities for education are being realised in practice. Inspection at the strategic level considers the extent to which strategic leadership and planning is enabling the effective and integrated delivery of the education functions of the council. This includes the strategic inspection of Community Learning and Development (CLD). At the operational level, Inspectors evaluate the quality of operational management and delivery of services including provision for psychological services. This work is undertaken by a small group of inspectors in a timescale proportionate to each Council. Inspectors use the education authority’s own self-evaluation as the starting point of the inspection process.

How does the inspection team reach its evaluation in education authority inspection?

The evaluation process is taken very seriously. Final evaluations result from a series of activities including interviews and analysis of documentation. Inspectors use their professional judgements, gained through wide experience of education. Evidence gathered is weighed against indicators which show ‘benchmarks of quality’ in the management of education in local authorities. These quality indicators, contained in Quality Management in Education 2, were prepared in conjunction with senior managers in local authorities.

As a member of staff at school, how will I be involved in the inspection?

The Managing Inspector will meet you and your headteacher to brief you about what we expect from you during the inspection. He or she will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding the inspection process. If you are a member of the senior management team you may be invited, alongside the headteacher, to brief the Managing Inspector and team on the school’s vision, values and aims and evidence of the steps being taken to bring about improvement. An inspector may visit your class and observe a lesson, after which there will be an opportunity to talk with him or her on a one to one basis on professional issues. You may also be invited to a group discussion with inspectors to talk constructively about your work. If you are a senior manager or a departmental head in a secondary school, or a promoted member of staff in a primary school, inspectors may want to meet you to discuss what approaches you are taking to improve the quality of learning and teaching, and pupils' attainment and achievement. All teachers will have the opportunity for professional discussion with a member of the inspection team. A member of the inspection team will also meet non-teaching staff. Inspectors will engage at the end of the inspection to senior managers and staff in inspected departments in secondary schools and to all staff in primary schools.

As a member of the Parent Council, how will I be involved in the inspection?

Your views and those of the wider community are important in the inspection process. As a parent/carer you will be given an opportunity to complete a questionnaire. A member of the inspection team will usually meet the Chair of the Parent Council during an inspection. The Chair of the Parent Council will be asked to comment in confidence on a draft of the inspection report. On occasion, we will contact other members of the Parent Council to follow-up responses to questionnaires. We may also be able to meet individuals or groups. You will receive guidance on topics to be covered in advance of any interview. Discussion will focus on areas such as: the aims, policies and plans of the authority; communication and consultation with the authority; and the support provided by the education authority for schools and Parent Councils.

How do you decide which schools to inspect?

When selecting schools for inspection we take many factors into consideration, including when the school was last inspected, to ensure that we are inspecting a broad range of schools each year. The inspection programme includes schools: education authority (EA) and independent; in rural and urban areas; that are small, medium and large; EA schools that have high, medium and low percentage of the roll receiving free meals allowance; and that are located across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland. In addition we take into account when schools were last inspected.

Are parents/carers involved in the inspection process?

Yes. Before each inspection we write to all parents/carers with children in the school letting them know that an inspection is taking place and that we shall be gathering their views about the school by issuing a questionnaire. The questionnaire is issued to all parents/carers or to a sample of parents/ carers in larger schools. Any parents/carers not included in the sample who wishes to complete a questionnaire may do so. Returns will be treated in confidence. We analyse the results and use them to follow-up any issues during interviews with education department staff. Parents/carers are also given a telephone number to use if they wish to contact the HMIE team inspecting the school. A member of school inspection teams usually meets the Chair of the Parent Council or equivalent and a group of parents during the inspection.

Why give advance notice to schools about inspections?

Schools are usually given notice of inspections so that they have time to prepare briefing material for inspectors prior to their visit to the school. In response to requests from schools and others, the period of notification has been shortened to three weeks. In the case of some care and welfare inspections, no notification is given.

Are all subject areas inspected during secondary school inspections?

Inspectors focus on four subject departments during an inspection. English and Mathematics are always inspected. Literacy and numeracy are looked at across the school. Inspectors visit classes to evaluate learning, teaching and attainment and to talk to pupils and examine their work. Inspectors also meet with senior school managers and departmental heads to discuss the approaches they are taking to improve the quality of learning and teaching and pupils attainment and achievement.

I am moving to a new area in Scotland. Can HMIE advise me which school to send my children?

Local authorities are responsible for providing education. You should contact your local council for information on specific schools. Look within this website for schools reports. If there is no report for the schools you have selected call us on 01506 600200. Information on schools in Scotland is available on the parentzone website: http://www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk/

What happens after a school inspection?

Follow-through arrangements are proportionate to a school's current level of performance and its capacity to drive forward its own continuous improvement programme. Every primary, secondary and special school will receive a core inspection, followed by one of a range of follow-through activities. Follow-through can range from no further involvement with a school to a greater level of engagement if a school is found to need additional support. This further engagement is more likely to be needed when the findings of the core inspection are not positive.

How will the work of the Care Commission impact on HMIE's inspection processes?

The Care Commission has responsibility to regulate and inspect care provision across Scotland for all sectors and ages from birth to old age. The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act, 2001 requires HMIE to undertake integrated inspections with the Care Commission in centres where the provision of care includes any educational elements. Since 2003, HMIE has been collaborating with the Care Commission in integrated inspections in the pre-school sector, mainstream and special residential schools and secure units. The range of pre-school services covered by integrated inspections includes nursery classes attached to primary schools, nursery schools, playgroups, private nurseries, childminders, crèches and out of school clubs. Care homes for children and young persons and school care accommodation services (hostels, residential schools and boarding schools) are also regulated and inspected through an integrated inspection regime by the Care Commission with HMIE.

Why has your How good is our school? attracted so much interest?

How good is our school? is an approach to school self-evaluation based on a set of quality indicators. These indicators embody good practice and establish a common language of quality. The first edition of ‘How good is our school?’ was published in 1992. It had many strengths and achieved both national and international recognition and approval. It has proved very successful in supporting effective self-evaluation and has helped staff in schools, education authorities and other organisations to identify strengths in provision and make plans for improvement. The revised second edition was introduced in 2002. In August 2005, HMIe introduced a new six-point scale in its inspection of schools, the educational functions of education authorities and community learning and development. This scale builds on the earlier four-point scale which had been adopted in publications such as How good is our school?, Quality Management in Education and How good is our community learning and development? The third edition of ‘How good is our school?’ was published in March 2007. This new version has been updated to take account of the important changes which have taken place in education since 2002. It has the same structure as Quality Management in Education, How good is our community learning and development? and the second edition of Child at the Centre.

How are education authority staff members involved in school inspections?

The Director of Education (DOE) or equivalent receives notification of a primary school inspection at the same time as the headteacher, 3 weeks in advance of the inspection date. For secondary schools the DOE gets notification one week in advance of the announcement to the school. The education authority is asked to provide a pre-inspection report, giving its evaluation of the school’s provision. This forms an important part of the documentation for the Managing Inspector. A representative of the education authority is invited to attend the oral feedback at the end of the inspection week. The education authority is invited to comment on the draft inspection report before it is published. Education authority personnel are closely involved in any follow-through activities after inspections.

Where do I go if I have a complaint about a college?

If you have an issue or concern about a college you should, in the first instance, bring it to the attention of college managers. All colleges have similar policies and procedures for raising issues and making complaints. You should request copies and follow the guidance they provide. Typically, they direct a complainant to raise the matter first with the operational manager concerned (such as a programme team leader or head of department). If the issue is not resolved satisfactorily at this level, the matter should normally be referred up to a more senior level (such as a member of the senior management team, the principalship or college executive). If it is still unresolved the matter should be raised with the chair of the College Board of Management. At each stage the complainant should, wherever possible, put the complaint into writing and keep copies. If the issue is not resolved by the Board of Management to the satisfaction of the complainant and the complaint relates specifically to the quality of further education (FE) or higher education (HE) funded by the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC), the complainant may wish to raise the issue with SFC. If the issue is still not resolved, or is not related to the quality of FE or HE provision, the complainant may wish to contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) who has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies.

Who determines which colleges get reviewed?

Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding and annual Service Level Agreements (SLA) between the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) and HMIE, colleges are externally reviewed by HMIE on behalf of SFC on a four-year cycle. The colleges to be reviewed each year are published in the annual SLA. Additional follow-up reviews are specified by the SFC for any college with weaknesses that have resulted in a statement of no confidence included by HMIE in the published review report.

Why are colleges reviewed and not inspected?

Colleges are externally reviewed by HMIE on behalf of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding and successive annual Service Level Agreements between SFC and HMIE. The term "review" is used to indicate that evaluative activities conducted by HMIE in a college include substantial elements of peer review, carried out by Associate Assessors (AAs) who are normally managers in other colleges. It also refers to collaborative activities between HMIE and the college to identify sector leading and innovative practice (SLIP) and to explore together how any significant weaknesses can be addressed.