Residential Special School Inspections

Residential Special School Inspections

Residential Special Schools and Secure Care Accommodation Services

In this section we aim to help educators, parents and students to better understand the process of inspection in residential special schools and secure care services.

There are several sections below that you can read through.

Being ready for inspection

Briefing for parents:

Briefing note for headteachers: this page opens up in a new window and aims to help headteachers understand the inspection process of residential special schools and secure care services.
Briefing note for staff: this page opens up in a new window and aims to help staff understand the inspection process of residential special schools and secure care services.
Support and advice for Chairperson of Parent Council: this page opens up in a new window and aims to help the Chairperson of the Parent Council understand the inspection process of residential special schools and secure care services.
Briefing note for Chair of the Governing Body: this page opens up in a new window and aims to help the Chair of the Governing Body understand the inspection process of residential special schools and secure care services.
Safeguarding/child protection pro forma: this page opens up in a new window and is used by establishments to record safeguarding issues.
Advice on issuing pre-inspection questionnaires for headteachers.
Questionnaires: this page opens in a new window and contains links to questionnaires.
Special School inspection reports: this is a link to the residential special schools and secure care services inspection reports page.
Improving Scottish Education: this link navigates you directly to the Special School section of the Improving Scottish Education report.
How Good is our School: this link navigates you to a revised framework of indicators which help you to work out where your school is in improving its quality and aiming for excellence.

Inspections of Residential Special Schools and Secure Care Accommodation Services

In the integrated inspections, HM Inspectors work alongside the Care Inspectorate in inspecting schools. In addition, a lay member will assist in the inspection. This form of inspection takes place approximately every four years. Integrated inspections evaluate the quality of care and education at the school/centre. We describe the approaches taken to ensure learning, care and protection for children and young people. We describe how children and young people benefit from learning there. Then we look at the ways in which the school/centre helps them to learn and achieve within and outwith the school and in the residences. We describe how well the school/centre works with other groups in including parents, local authorities who place children there and services which support young people. We also comment on how well staff and young people work together and how they go about improving the school. The report describes the quality of relationships in the school, how well young people are cared for and treated and how much is expected of them in all aspects of school or centre’s life. In addition, Education Scotland focus on how well the school/centre’s aims help staff to deliver high quality learning, and the impact of leadership on the school’s success in achieving these aims.

The integrated inspection team will focus on five National Performance Framework quality indicators and the Care Inspectorate will contribute breadth to these through a focus on education through care. Members of the integrated inspection team will share findings with the school’s senior management, including external managers and other relevant staff during the inspection.