In most staff rooms in independent schools across the country, the word “inspection” heralds a collective deep breath. An inspection holds the school accountable for meeting a set of standards, inspected through a specific framework and inevitably is a high stakes occasion.
However, as chief inspector Vanessa Ward explains, accountability is only one of a number of potential purposes of school inspection. The new Framework 23 aims to set the tone for a manageable and collaborative process, where schools are recognised as complex and individual entities and evaluations are both robust and nuanced.
The principles of inspection
Underpinning Framework 23 are four principles that will underpin inspection for the next six year cycle:
Manageability
Having been a teacher and head herself, Vanessa is no stranger to what inspection looks like from the staff room. She wants to encourage schools to keep the process manageable, starting with preparation ahead of the event itself.
Schools can access the ISI website, where, she says, they publish a lot of information that sits around the inspection, such as the framework, the handbook and FAQs. “We want to promote openness and accessibility to the requirements that schools have to meet,” she says.
“We want to make sure that we aren’t creating extra workload.”
Familiarity with these documents means that schools understand how inspection can work alongside their own quality assurance processes: “It’s about articulation, it’s about managing the relationship”, she says.
Vanessa stresses that inspection shouldn’t be about adding extra works for schools.
She says: “We want to make sure that we aren’t creating extra workload, that we want to see the school as business as usual, that we only want to ask for documents that are already in existence, because it’s part of the school’s everyday life. We don’t want things to be prepared specifically for inspection. We’re really looking at our systems to make sure that we don’t inadvertently do that.”
Collaboration
Perhaps drawing on her years as a school improvement partner, Vanessa emphasises the importance of collaboration in a Framework 23 inspection. She explains: “Wherever possible, and whenever school leaders would like us to, we want to inspect activities jointly with them.
“For example, looking at lessons, or looking at pupils’ work will be a shared activity, reflecting together. Obviously there will be an evaluation at some point, which will be held by the inspection team, but that evaluation will be about what has been seen jointly.
“Joint observations will be an offer to the school, they don’t have to do that, we appreciate that there may be constraints around doing so, but it is on offer.”
Triangulation and typicality
Maybe there is something of the solicitor in Vanessa’s explanation of the third principle of inspection, which has its roots in the careful consideration of evidence. It points to a very thorough process: “It’s about how we use the evidence we see on inspection. So first of all we triangulate, we look for a range of evidence to support an emerging evaluation that will become a judgement. As appropriate, inspectors will think, what else do I need to see, or is there something else I need to look at.
“Typicality is very much about emphasising that we want to reach a typicality of experience in that school for pupils over time. Obviously we’re only in schools for a limited amount of time – two and a half days – but we want, if possible, to reach beyond those two and a half days. That can come from a range of things. We look at books, we talk to teachers, pupils, staff. We talk about decision-making and about policy into practice.”
Proportionality
Vanessa sees inspection as “part of a wider assurance system in which the school can participate.” Proportionality is about “making a judgement based on our understanding of what’s systemic in that school.”
She explains: “If, for example, there is something that isn’t where it’s meant to be, and it could lead to a standard being not met, we would ask, is this a one-off error that’s easily correctable because the right systems are in place? Is it an oversight? Or is the issue systemic, does it reflect a lack of knowledge about what should be there, or the capacity to put it right?”
Capturing the nuance
During the actual inspection, Vanessa makes it very clear that inspecting teams aren’t looking for a checklist of evidence and experience. School leaders are encouraged to explain and articulate the characteristics of their school in a way which best fits their provision and practices.
Vanessa acknowledges that “there are certain things we have to see, so there are certain things that we have to have, because schools have to have them. That’s not a preferred method, that comes down to meeting the standards.”
“During an inspection, it’s important to create space for noticing.”
Meanwhile, at the heart of the inspection lies the decision-making of school leaders, the clarity of putting policy into practice, creating a space to empower a conversation between the school and the inspecting team.
Vanessa cites a key phrase used within the ISI, which underpins their work in schools: “What do I notice and why does it matter?
“During an inspection, it’s important to create space for noticing. Talking about these things, articulating them, allowing space for these conversation to happen around inspection, that’s really important.”
At the end of the inspection process, there has to be an evaluation which must be articulated in the inspection report. These are used to communicate the characteristics of a school to a wide audience, with the Department for Education, and current and prospective parents at the forefront of its readership. Usually there is much to celebrate. But sometimes the report may contain a hard message to hear.
Clarity is hugely important, and Vanessa’s explanation of the style of the report is, indeed, very clear: “We’ll be looking at the extent to which standards are met. We’re going to have the ability in the reporting to say where there are significant strengths.
“With clarity must come nuance, so a school’s characteristics and complexities can be communicated.”
“For all schools, we will indicate recommended next steps. If standards are met, then those recommended next steps will be in discussion with school leaders.
“If standards are not met, then we will have areas for action, and they will be discussed with the school, but it will be for the reporting inspector to indicate what action needs to happen.”
But with clarity must come nuance in order for a school’s characteristics and complexities to be effectively communicated.
She says: We want our inspection reports to clearly capture the nuance of a school, whereby anyone reading them will be really, really clear about the school’s individual characteristics. We’re going to have a summary section at the beginning of the report which is going to focus on the distinctiveness of a particular school.”
Breathe Easily
So, back to the staff room. Has the atmosphere surrounding the discussion of inspections settled? Actually, teachers and school colleagues inspect themselves, every day. They can be diligent, self-reflecting people. Heads and governors make value judgements all the time, that’s their job as part of the wider quality assurance process. As Vanessa says, “I’ve done all of those roles”. In doing so, she recognises that schools and inspectors all want what’s best for the children.
CV – Vanessa Ward:
Vanessa’s career began in law as a solicitor, but, with a strong family background in teaching, she knew she would work in education one day.
She eventually became an English teacher, head of English, assistant head then deputy in comprehensive schools, then became head of Tiffin Girls’ School in London.
Her leadership roles focused on teaching and learning, and quality assurance.
As a head, Vanessa trained to be an Ofsted inspector, becoming an HMI. She then worked as a school improvement partner then consultant in schools.
From there, she came to the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI), where she is now Chief Inspector and CEO.
This article first appeared in the latest School Management Plus summer 2023 print and digital edition.