Briefing note for headteachers of
Residential Special Schools
Please share this with all staff
1.
Introduction
By now, you will be aware that an inspection team will soon visit your school. The team
is looking forward to working with you and your colleagues. Inspectors use a best
practice set of principles which supports them to establish and maintain positive
relationships during inspections. This is called the PRAISE framework and a copy is
included in Appendix 1. Throughout the inspection, we shall engage you and your staff in
professional dialogue with the aim of bringing about improvement.
Your inspection administrator (IA) will be in touch very soon to confirm that your
inspection box has all the paperwork you will need and to check if you have any
immediate questions. This briefing note has been designed to help you to prepare for the
inspection and to outline the kinds of activities which will take place during the inspection.
It aims to answer some of the questions you may have regarding the inspection.
Please click on the link below which will take you to our Principles of Inspection and
Review document:
Principles of Inspection and Review
Education Scotland aims to provide assurance to stakeholders and to promote
improvement and successful innovation that enhances learners’ experiences and leads
to better outcomes for them.
We want to support the school to improve. To do so inspectors will focus on the quality
of children’s and young people’s learning, care and achievement. We will have a
particular interest in how the school is developing children’s and young people’s skills
and understanding in literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing which enables access to
the highest possible learning within a broad general education and beyond.
We will use what we learn during our time in school to evaluate the school’s capacity to
improve and answer the following questions.
•
•
•
How well do children and young people learn and achieve?
How well does the school support children and young people to develop and learn?
How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
In providing answers to these questions, inspectors will use the following quality
indicators from The Child at the Centre (third edition), How Good Is Our School? (third
edition) and the quality statements in Quality Assessment Framework and National Care
Standards for School Care Accommodation Services.
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To support evaluations of the school’s work and provide information on how the school
can improve. In doing so, we will take account of the context and nature of the school
and the children and young people’s needs. We will also take account of the additional
guidance relating to Curriculum for Excellence that was issued to all education authorities
in August 2011, if that is appropriate to your school. It can be found at this link:
Education Scotland Inspection Advice Note
How well do children and young people learn and achieve?
1.1
Improvements in performance
2.1
Learners’ experiences
How well does the school support children and young people to develop and
learn?
5.1
Curriculum
5.3
Meeting learning needs
How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
5.9
Improvement through self-evaluation
2.
What should I do in advance of the inspection?
Please check Appendices 2, 3 and 4 for advice on what to do in advance of the
inspection. Your IA will offer further advice.
3.
What should I expect on the first afternoon?
The team will arrive at around 12.00 on Monday. The opening discussion will take place
at a convenient time after your lunch break and will last approximately 1.5 hours. It will
provide an important opportunity for us to learn from each other and build on the
information you will send us in your self-evaluation summary form. Guidance on
requirements for the self-evaluation summary form is contained at Appendix 2. You do
not need to prepare a presentation as the discussion will focus on what you have written
in your self-evaluation summary form. You may wish to involve a member of the Board
of Governors, other members of staff and perhaps invite some young people to join the
team at some point during the discussion. However, please remember that time is short
and we want to make best use of the time available.
Your managing inspector (MI) will chair this initial meeting. He/she will invite you and
your team to outline your priorities for improvement, how these have been arrived at
through self-evaluation, and the progress you have made or are making with them, along
with the evidence of impact on learners so far. You may also wish to highlight why you
selected your possible areas for focused attention as set out in the self-evaluation
summary form.
Please remember that the inspection team cannot and does not purport to cover all
aspects of your school’s work. In line with the principles of proportionality and
responsiveness, the team will discuss with you areas for focused attention in order to
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begin to prioritise their activities over the week. The criteria for these are set out in the
self-evaluation summary form (Appendix 2).
Part of this discussion may involve us beginning to plan activities for Tuesday morning.
These are likely to include visiting lessons, working with groups of children and young
people, or discussing specific aspects of the school’s work with groups of children and
young people or staff. Activities will be planned to reflect the range of practice
highlighted in the opening discussion. This will allow members of the team to engage
with learning across the school and within the care setting. The team will invite you, or a
nominated colleague (promoted or non-promoted) to accompany an inspector for one or
two of these activities, to allow ongoing professional dialogue about key features of
learning and teaching. You should take the opportunity to discuss this with the MI.
Discussions around planning activities might also include:
• a focus on particular groups of learners (for example children and young people with
additional support needs);
• a focus on features of learning and teaching which are having a major impact on
children’s and young peoples’ experiences and achievements;
• areas of the curriculum which are attempting to meet a range of needs; and
• aspects which link to priorities in the improvement plan.
We will usually invite the Chair of the Board of Governors (or the equivalent body), or a
representative of the Board if the Chair is unavailable, to talk to a member of the
inspection team on Monday afternoon and will consider his/her views as we plan our
inspection activities. The school and the IA will work together to discuss whether this
meeting needs to take place on a different day if the Chair of the Board of Governors is
unavailable. After the opening discussion, after lessons on the Monday, we shall break
into smaller groups for more focused professional dialogue. For example, team
members might meet with depute heads who are leading on aspects of your work such
as care, the curriculum, learning and teaching or meeting learning needs at a strategic
level. The MI will discuss the options with you on the phone once you’ve had time to
think through how best to use the time.
At the end of the day on Monday, the MI will meet available education and care staff to
introduce members of the inspection team, brief them on the inspection and answer any
questions they may have. Attendance at this meeting is voluntary for staff.
4.
What’s next?
Inspectors will undertake a range of inspection activities over the course of the week.
These are designed to provide us with information to answer the key questions and offer
opportunities to support the school to improve. The programme of activities will be
informed by the areas for focused attention. It will involve class visits, meetings with
staff, children and young people, and reading key documentation. Some members of the
team such as the Lay Member, are in the school for different parts of the week. These
are as follows:
•
The Lay Member will usually be in the school on Tuesday morning to meet with
parents and carry out further activities to be arranged in response to what we have
learned on the Monday afternoon.
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Once we are confident we have sufficient evidence, we will meet with you to share our
findings using the three key questions in the report as the basis for dialogue. We will
also share our evaluations of the five QIs with you. This may take place on Thursday
afternoon or Friday morning. The MI will keep you informed if the team needs more or
less time and to confirm the meeting time with the Chair of the Board of Governors, or a
representative, who might wish to attend. We would encourage you to have a
colleague(s) at the meeting.
5.
What engagement will staff and young people have with the
team?
Inspectors will engage with children and young people and staff throughout the week.
Throughout the week, the team will meet with different groups of children and young
people for different purposes. For example we may discuss any issues from the
inspection questionnaire or listen to how their views are sought and acted upon.
For members of the senior team, engagement will start with attendance at the opening
discussion after lunch on Monday. For all other staff, it will begin at the end of the day on
Monday when team members will meet staff (professional and support staff) and answer
questions about the inspection process. Professional dialogue takes place in a range of
situations over the week, for example, during class visits, in focus groups, within the
residences or at a voluntary session for staff at the end of the day on Tuesday, through to
the discussion of findings. Meetings will be arranged with selected members of middle
management to discuss aspects of school improvement. During the week, members of
the inspection team, including the Lay Member, may also meet formally and informally
with individuals and/or particular groups of support staff or members of the local
community depending on the areas for focused attention. Please take the opportunity
to discuss potential individuals and/or groups with the MI. There may be an opportunity
for you to join one of the inspection team discussions and take part as a school nominee
member of the team. It is important that all engagement is seen as an opportunity to
move thinking on and learn from each other.
At the end of the inspection, the MI will ask how you plan to share the main messages
with staff, children and young people.
Voluntary meetings with staff and the inspection team
The MI will discuss with you the most appropriate format for the professional dialogue
session at the end of Tuesday. This may involve groups of staff and a member(s) of the
inspection team meeting to discuss topics of interest around for example: aspects of
Curriculum for Excellence if that is appropriate to your school; work being taken forward
by working groups; practice that the inspection team should be aware of and, if possible,
observe; or features of the areas for focused attention identified by the school and the
inspection team. The Wednesday lunchtime drop-in session provides another
opportunity for individual members or small groups of staff to meet with members of the
inspection team. The purpose of these sessions is to talk on an individual basis to a
member of the team about features of your work that you wish to share with us.
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6.
What engagement will parents have with the team?
The LM acts as the key representative of the parent community and will focus on the role
of parents in their children’s learning and on communication between the school and
parents. The LM, in consultation with the MI, may also take the opportunity to discuss
any issues that have arisen from the parental returns to the Education Scotland
questionnaire.
When parents complete the questionnaire, they are asked to indicate if they would be
willing to meet with a member of the inspection team, usually the Lay Member. The IA
will then contact parents who have said they would be willing to meet with the inspection
team. They will arrange for the Lay Member to meet with the group at the agreed time
during the inspection, usually on the Tuesday. They will also share the list of parents
attending with you. At other times, depending on the areas for focused attention, the
school might wish to ask the Lay Member or other members of the inspection team to
meet another group of parents for a particular purpose. It may be appropriate to have
meetings with individual parents.
7.
What happens after the inspection?
We aim to provide you with a draft copy of the report within fourteen working days of the
end of the inspection. At the same time, the Chair of the Board of Governors will receive
a draft copy of the report. You and the Chair of the Board of Governors will be asked to
provide any comments or suggested corrections to the report during the following week.
The Managing Inspector may contact the Board of Governors to discuss the draft report
and, where necessary, any matters about further inspection. Through discussion and
dialogue, the Managing Inspector, working with the Board of Governors and school, will
agree the most appropriate further inspection activities and any further communication
with parents. These will include no further inspection activity; additional support to build
capacity for improvement; a further inspection visit; or work to share innovative practice.
We will publish the report within ten working weeks of the end of the inspection. You, and
the Chair of the Board of Governors will receive a copy of the RIF within five working
days after the report is published. If there are no further inspection activities, the
inspection process will be complete.
You, your staff, the chairperson and members of the Board of Governors, and parents,
can access video clips, A Guide to School Inspection, at the following hyperlink:
http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/resourcesandcpd/hmie/inspectiondvd.asp
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Appendix 1: The PRAISE Framework
Best Practice Framework for Education Scotland inspections and reviews
The Framework is based on data gathered from: representative samples of experienced
inspectors from Education Scotland and heads of organisations that have been
inspected; and feedback from post inspection questionnaires.
The following principles were identified as underpinning best practice:
Purpose – being clear about the overall purpose of the inspection and
retaining this throughout. Creating a shared agenda with staff in the
organisation and amongst members of the inspection/review team.
Relationships – building and maintaining constructive relationships
throughout the process as the basis of a high quality inspection/review.
Awareness – maintaining a high level of awareness of the context in which
staff are operating, of their feelings and reactions to the process and of the
inspector’s own approach and its impact.
Information gathering – careful inquiry to gather and analyse evidence.
Retaining an objective stance, testing assumptions and assimilating data
before evaluating.
Sharing information – communicating thoroughly throughout the process to
prepare and inform staff. Encouraging staff to be open in providing their
perspective and providing appropriate feedback as the inspection/review
progresses.
Enabling – treating people with respect, engaging them in professional
dialogue, recognising their efforts and providing feedback in a constructive
way to encourage ownership and learning to take place.
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Appendix 2: Guidance for the self-evaluation summary paper
Please return the completed form 6 working days before the inspection
In consultation with the Board of Governors, please provide a summary of no more
than three pages of A4 which illustrates, under the three key questions in the report:
•
•
the key strengths of the school; and
areas for development and next steps.
In good practice, the headteacher shares the completed self-evaluation summary
form with staff so that they are aware of what the school has submitted.
You are also encouraged to discuss and share your self-evaluation summary form
with staff involved in writing the equivalent form for the inspection of the learning
community.
In your self-evaluation summary form please tell us how you promote success for all and
also how the school is taking Curriculum for Excellence forward, if that is appropriate to
your school. This completed form will act as the basis of discussions with the team on
Monday afternoon including the selection of ‘areas for focused attention’.
Context of the school
(eg aims, and distinctive features, roll, area served; basic structure/terminology of
stages; overall management structure)
How well do children and young people learn and achieve?
(You may wish to summarise overall approaches to encouraging personal
achievement and improving attainment, including performance in national
examinations and the impact of key partnerships. You should refer to the relevant QI
themes for learners’ experiences and improvements in performance)
Existing Strengths
Priorities for future development
How well does the school support children and young people to develop and
learn?
(You may wish to refer to strategies for meeting the GIRFEC agenda and strategic
partnership planning/working that help you to meet learning needs. You will also wish
to refer to the curriculum rationale and structure; arrangements for further curriculum
development including work with key partners and arrangements for evaluation of
effectiveness. You should refer to the relevant QI themes for curriculum and how well
learners’ needs are being met)
Existing Strengths
Priorities for future development
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How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
(You may wish to include approaches to and the impact of self-evaluation; the
improvement planning process & current priorities for CPD; and leadership for
learning including engagement with parents and key partners. You should refer to the
relevant QI themes for self-evaluation )
Existing Strengths
Priorities for future development
How do you ensure equality and inclusion and promote diversity across the
school?
(You may wish to refer, for example, to
• Have staff had training on equality & diversity?
• Does the school know which pupils are at risk of missing out and are they taking
action to meet their needs?
• Is the school promoting understanding of equality through the curriculum in its
widest sense?)
What would you suggest as possible areas for focused attention by the
inspection team?
(We would be interested in your suggestions for the areas for focused attention.
Remember that these areas for focused attention should allow the team to plan their
activities to best effect and help them to pursue the areas identified. They might, for
example emerge from: priorities in previous year’s school improvement plan and
where impact can be seen on the experience of learners; priorities in the current
school improvement plan where early impact can be seen; aspects of innovative
practice; or areas that are particularly relevant to the context of the school and which
are focusing your energies, including where appropriate, those which are not yet
improving despite a range of strategies being adopted.)
•
•
•
The key aim of inspection is to support improvement and we look forward to
working with you to answer the three key questions in the report. The team will
also make evaluations of the five QIs below. We invite you to share your
self-evaluations in the boxes below using the 6 point scale
1.1
2.1
5.1
5.3
5.9
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Improvements in performance
Learners’ experiences
Curriculum
Meeting learning needs
Improvements through self evaluation
8
Appendix 3: Documents to be provided
Please send ONLY the following items (electronically if possible) to your
inspection administrator prior to the inspection. These should be returned six
working days before the inspection.
Item
1.
A copy of the most recent and previous annual report you issued to parents
on the standards and quality of the school’s work, or the equivalent for your
school.
2.
A copy of the current and previous school improvement plan or the
equivalent for your school.
3.
Names of all teaching and other staff, and details of their responsibilities.
4.
Details of key staff responsible for health promotion and the senior member
of catering staff.
5.
Completed safeguarding/child protection pro forma. Template available at:
Safeguarding/Child Protection proforma
6.
Information about how children’s and young people’s achievements
(including attainment) are gathered and tracked.
7.
Times when partner agencies eg. educational psychologist, EAL teachers
are in school.
8
Guidance for self evaluation summary paper.
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9
Appendix 4: Documents to be provided
Please provide the following information in the inspection team base on Monday
of the inspection week. THERE IS NO NEED TO SEND THIS IN ADVANCE.
9
Item
1.
Copies of school timetables.
2.
Copies of a plan of the school.
3.
Information used by the school to monitor and evaluate school and young
people’s performance, including the quality of learning and teaching.
4.
List of young people with additional support needs and brief details of support
provided. Details of young people with regular/long-term absence.
5.
List of young people who are looked-after at home and away from home.
6.
Access to pupils’ progress records (PPRs), care plans and other support
plans.
A sample from different year groups of reports for parents regarding young
people’s progress/learning.
Examples of school communications with parents and the wider community
eg newsletters, prospectus, parent handbook.
7.
8.
9.
Any guidance for teachers, care staff and/or staff handbook (if available).
10.
List of CPD carried out during the last session and planned for this session.
11.
Subject choice arrangements and details of links with colleges, businesses
and other course providers.
Outline of arrangements for contacts, visits and sharing information on
learners’ achievements and needs with primary schools and other
educational establishments at points of transfer.
Brief details of any out-of-school activities, after-school care and supported
study initiatives.
12.
13.
14.
Sample of agendas and minutes of pupil council meetings and staff meetings.
15.
Brief details of any established/regular contacts with individuals or
organisations in the local community.
16.
Access to records of complaints, bullying and racial incidents, accidents,
administration of medicine and fire log.
17.
If your school inspection team includes a health nutrition inspector, please
provide a cycle of menus and nutritional analysis.
18.
Information about young people’s performance over time including any
available benchmarking data.
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Appendix 5:
Framework of Inspection
Guidance on linkage between Education Scotland Quality Indicators and Care Inspectorate Quality Themes and Statements
In order to help providers consider how to present their evidence for the above, similar but different, systems, the table below shows how the
two systems link. This means that evidence provided for one may be used for the other. However, not all evidence for one system may be
relevant to the other and, indeed, additional evidence may be provided, where appropriate. This is particularly important in respect of Quality
Indicator 1.1 which is wide ranging in nature. Although three Quality Statements are identified as linking to it, other evidence informing other
Quality Statements may also inform it.
It is crucial, therefore, to understand that the two systems are not directly transferable and, although the table below shows links between
them, there may be other links which allow Quality Indicators to inform Quality Statements and vice versa.
How good is our school? (Version 3) Quality National Care Standard
indicator
Care Commission Quality Themes and Quality
Statements
1.1 Improvements in performance (NPF)
13 Improving the Service
4 Engaging with Children
5 Quality of Experience
Quality of care and support QS 1.5
Quality of care and support QS 1.2
Quality of management and leadership QS 4.4
2.1 Learner’s experiences (NPF)
5.3 Meeting learning needs (NPF)
4 Engaging with Children
6 Support and Development
Quality of care and support QS 1.2
Quality of care and support QS 1.2
Quality of environment QS 2.3
Quality of staffing QS 3.3
5.1 The curriculum
5.9 Improvement through self-evaluation
5 Quality of Experience
13 Improving the Service
Quality of care and support QS 1.2
Quality of management and leadership QS 4.4
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