The joint report, Residential Care and Education: Improving practice in residential special schools in Scotland written in 2005 by the Care Commission and HMIE, highlighted good practice identified during integrated inspections undertaken between 2002-04. In particular, it reported positively about the very good relationships between the staff and children and young people. The report emphasised the importance of these positive relationships in ensuring the promotion of trust and stability for vulnerable pupils. It recognised the very good collaborative work between therapists and teaching staff in schools for children and young people with complex and sensory needs. It also praised the improvements in living and classroom accommodation in a number of schools. However, the significant concern identified in the sector was the generally weak quality of leadership directly linked to inadequate approaches to self evaluation. The report highlighted the need for heads of establishments to "take stock of their practices and compare them with good practice in similar schools …. Self-evaluation provides evidence and direction for future development in services…".
In addition, Improving Scottish Education (HMIE 2006) further underlined the need for improved quality assurance in the sector through the following statement. ‘In these (residential special) schools managers need to work with staff directly in classrooms and care settings and involve them in discussions about improvements to learning, teaching and care, through reflecting on existing practice. In residential special schools and secure accommodation services few schools effectively use national care standards and quality indicators to evaluate their work and identify priorities for improvement’.
This staff development guide aims to provide guidance and practical strategies to improve approaches to self-evaluation in residential special schools and secure care accommodation services.
The guide builds on advice given in the publication How good is our school? (third edition), which forms the third part of The Journey to Excellence. It is important that this guide is read in conjunction with part three of Journey to Excellence.