News of an impending HMIE inspection need not strike fear into the heart of your school's community. With the right preparation and information, and a balanced, confident, approach, inspection can be a positive tool for development rather than an insurmountable hurdle.
This article aims to show you how to survive the period before, during and after an inspection. If you would like to discuss impending inspection with someone who has recently been through the process please see a list of contacts at the end of this paper.
Keep on top of current developments and the latest news about inspections by visiting the HMIe website.
Find out how people have found the 'new' model of inspection. Read our Feedback on Inspection now.
What the inspectors report on Knowing what inspectors will be focusing and reporting on when in your school enables you to prepare mentally for inspection, make explicit the evidence the inspectors will be seeking and prepare pupils for the inspection.
The Inspection looks at how effective a school is, and why, by exploring the following questions:
Effectiveness of the school:
How successful is the school? (Attainment levels of the school as against comparator group.)
What should the school do to improve? (How have you identified what needs to be improved, how good is your planning – have you involved parents, staff, pupils and partner agencies – and how much of your plan is carried through successfully and what impact has that had on attainment.)
Standards achieved by pupils:
How high are standards achieved in the areas of learning, subjects and courses of the curriculum? (with a focus on reading, writing, maths and listening/talking)
How well are pupils' attitudes, values and other personal qualities developed? (e.g. Do you have an effective whole school programme for PSD and a whole school approach to promoting positive behaviour.)
Quality of education provided by the school:
How effective are teaching and learning? What is actually happening in the classroom? (with a focus on active learning, learning outdoors, and group problem-solving style of learning and teaching)
How well does the curriculum meet pupils' needs? (e.g. how have you reached a rationale, vision and aims for the curriculum…i.e. have you involved parents, pupils and staff?)
How well are pupils cared for, guided and supported? (child protection taken very seriously, all staff MUST have child protection training update during the first in-service day each year.)
How well does the school work in partnership with parents, other schools and the community?
Leadership and management of the school:
How well is the school led and managed? (How do you cope with/compensate for inadequate management time in school? Are all resources being effectively used – are PTs involved in management meetings, etc?)
How good is the quality of education in areas of learning, subjects and courses? (Continuity and progression of skills, active learning, group problem solving approaches.)
What is the quality of other specified features?
Notification of inspection - what to do:
As soon as you receive notification of an inspection (the notice period will be around three weeks, with inspection being done on a seven-year cycle), take a moment to consider the main questions the inspection is designed to answer. These are:
What sort of school is it?
What does the school do well?
How high are the standards?
How well are the pupils taught?
How well is the school led and managed?
How much has the school improved since the last inspection?
What should the school do to improve further?
Reminding yourself of these on a regular basis will help to ensure that you remain focussed on what the inspectors are doing in your school and open to the notion of promoting what you and your colleagues do well. Remember that you are a source of evidence as to the success of your school, as much as any paperwork.
While your communications with HMIE will detail precisely the nature of the inspection, in law, inspections must report on:
The educational standards of your school
The quality of the education provided by your school
The quality of the leadership and management in your school (including whether the financial resources made available to the school are managed efficiently)
The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Preparing for inspection
The weeks leading up to the start of an inspection can be the most challenging of the whole process. Often, the period between notice being given and the first day of the inspection can make or break a teacher's view of inspection. If you have just received notice of an impending inspection, keep these points in mind:
Excessive anxiety amongst staff may be an indicator to inspectors that that there is an issue to be explored. Keep your staff well-informed during the pre-inspection weeks to eliminate unnecessary fears and concerns. Show that you are relaxed and confident-even if you feel differently inside! Make sure that someone in your management team is available to deal with staff concerns as soon as they arise.
Prepare staff beforehand so that all staff are aware of what inspectors will be looking for during the inspection – It is a good idea to programme in staff briefings, one focussing on each ‘focus area’ of the inspection as set out in the inspection letter from HMIe.
Plan to complete The School Profile well in advance of inspection and allow the time to do this. Many schools have indicated that the Profile is a useful document when reviewing progress in their school over the previous year. This obviates the need for completing the documents cold and just prior to an inspection.
Make sure staff have a sense of ownership re your school development plan and regard it as the basis for school development. You can’t progress everything at once so be able to show your priorities but also recognise areas requiring future development i.e., not yet in your plan.
Know your staff; their strengths and weaknesses, and be prepared to have a constructive discussion about this with the inspection team. Make sure you point out staff who have had recent bereavements/family issues/health concerns as HMIe inspection could compound existing stresses.
Establish a good working relationship with the lead inspector-use these interpersonal skills! Aim to ensure that all staff meet the lead inspector as soon as possible and encourage them to ask any questions they may have. Ensure that an open dialogue develops with the lead inspector, being clear about the context of the school and the characteristics of the pupil intake.
If the lead inspector seems negative during initial feedback discuss it and ask what he/she needs to see to balance it. Point them in the direction of teachers/lessons which will demonstrate this.
Plan where you wish to base the inspection team to minimise disruption to the pupils.
The vast majority of staff have emphasised that praise and appreciation from their head teacher were key factors in keeping stress levels down in the run-up to inspection. Be available for “clinics” at the end of each day and at lunchtime so that you can reassure staff. Ask HMIe to observe any particularly stressed teachers near the beginning of the inspection.
Remind pupils that they should behave as they would with any guests in the schools; this is more effective than the well-worn phrase: 'they're here to inspect you as much as us'.
Give thought as to how the school will handle the inspection report that is sent out to parents. As soon as you have received verbal feedback with your education officer start to work on the covering letter you will put out with the report. If there are any issues arising from the report which are likely to prompt a parental reaction pencil in a meeting and ask your education officer to attend for support. • Do not rework documents especially for the inspection. This leads to unnecessary strain on you and your colleagues. Remember that even in the most effective schools, not all policies can be up to date.
Inspection should not be done to you but with you. Enter the inspection process positively. Your attitude will set the tone for the whole inspection. If you're over-anxious, your colleagues will be, but if you are positive and constructive, that will catch on instead.
During an inspection
Remind teachers to hold onto a belief in their abilities throughout the inspection. Maintaining a positive, focussed and professional environment will help you and your staff do this. Here are some tips for achieving this:
If at any point you are concerned with the way the inspection is progressing discuss it as soon as possible with the lead inspector. If you feel you need support, contact your education officer immediately – don’t think “it will be better tomorrow” or “I can handle this”, get advice and support.
Don't think of any discussions you or your staff have with inspectors as live interviews that can never be revisited. If something occurs to you after the event that should have been discussed, mention it to an inspector. Encourage staff to do this too.
Be aware of any tensions that can occasionally occur during an inspection and deal with these as they arise rather than leave them until the end of the inspection process.
Encourage your staff to build a rapport with the inspectors. Good inspections are never done to a school. Rather, they are the result of collaboration and mutual co-operation.
Inspectors will not necessarily have a view as to the context of the pupils' learning at the beginning of the inspection, so teachers should make it clear, when being observed, how many in the class have additional support needs or are highly achieving pupils, for example. Remind teachers of this regularly.
Do what you normally do-but do it better! Normal timetabling arrangements shouldn't be altered just because an inspection's taking place. Just do what would usually be done at the normal time. That said, you may want to postpone any off-site events if this would make things easier, however they can be seen as strengths.
It is a good idea to set up a record of the inspection. Date each new day and record ALL feedback from different members of the inspection team. Try to write down, verbatim, key phrases used.
Keep an eye on the amount of time that each teacher is observed for. Over-observation of individual teachers occasionally happens and should be discussed with the lead inspector.
Encourage staff (and yourself) to eat little and often to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Talk to staff about their experiences of the week but also focus on other topics of conversation
Discourage staff from dwelling on a particular outcome.
Dealing with feedback
Here are some techniques for handling, and getting the most out of feedback:
Be clear about when you and your staff would like to receive feedback.
Remind staff that there is enjoyment to be had in demonstrating what they know and the skills they have.
Remember to tell staff to take pen and paper to feedback sessions so that main strengths and areas for development can be recorded for future reference.
Remember that the inspection feedback is confidential to the school until the report is finally published.
Don’t be afraid to challenge feedback you feel is inaccurate or unfair.
When hearing feedback, make sure that you and your staff are not displaying any of the classic blocks and barriers such as being preoccupied with the possible negatives and feeling criticised or defensive. The Institute of Personnel and Development suggests that people are either buckets (able to absorb feedback with confidence in their ability to improve), tumblers (can take just three or four pieces of information about their performance) or thimbles (need extremely careful nurturing through the process of feedback). Do you know what you and your staff are? Buckets, tumblers or thimbles?
After an inspection
Plan a staff night out (it will most likely be the last thing you feel like doing but staff will appreciate it and it allows steam to be vented! Lay on an extended lunch in the week following the inspection as a thank you to all for their extra work.
Be aware of the impact that inspection may have had on your school. There may be an atmosphere of success or a general feeling of anti-climax. Remember that staff will follow your lead.
Ensure that you and your staff are absolutely clear about the implications of each point made in the inspection report — seek clarification if necessary.
Head off the rumour mill…put a positive statement in your school newsletter about the inspection – HMIe saw many strengths and have some pointers for improvement – also thank parents for their positive comments in surveys and in interviews with HMIe.
Thank pupils in the newsletter and at assembly for their good behaviour.
Consider how the HMIE action plan drawn up after the inspection will sit with the school's improvement or development plan.
Prioritise any professional development needs within your school that have become apparent.
Aim to identify new habits of work that may need to be adopted as a result of self-scrutiny or the inspection itself.
Discourage all murmurings of blame. Offer support, encouragement and motivation.
Think about how you will handle any publicity following the inspection. Your school's standing within the community may change, as may its relationship with the LEA.
Recognise that your entire team will have worked hard to ensure that your school was seen in the best possible light. Celebrate that in some way, even if it's a word of thanks and a glass of wine in the staffroom.
Be aware that while all members of your school's community may be working hard to get back to 'normal' after an inspection, you may well be altering what 'normal' means as a result of the feedback received.
Reinstate any treats/trips/events that may have been postponed because of the inspection.
Ploughing ahead immediately with changes in policy and procedure will almost certainly be counter-productive. That said, when the time is right to strive forwards, be prepared to push the boundaries that previously felt right for your school, but only focus on identified priorities for the time being.
Be prepared for excessive fatigue or a feeling of “flatness” in your school. You can only peak for so long.
Take a moment or two to jot down what worked for you and your staff during this inspection. Think of it as advice for the future.
Lasting success in your school is never the result of the work of one person — it will always be down to effective teamwork.
Above all else, it is worth remembering that inspection in itself cannot improve a school. It is teachers, backed by strong leadership who are the agents of change and success.”
Contacts A number of members have recently been inspected and would be happy to discuss any concerns you might have. Feel free to give them a call or drop them an e-mail. If you would be happy for others to give you a call please ask to have your name added to this list:
Colin McLean, Tel:01467 620153, e-mail
(Aberdeenshire) Bill Milligan, Tel. 01292 264738, e-mail
Ian MacAulay, Tel. 01592 415840, e-mail
Gordon Smith, Tel. 0141 5762500, e-mail
Mag Stewart, Tel. 01698 813852, e-mail
Inspections