9th June 2026
In September last year, His Majesty’s Inspectors launched a consultation on the future of school inspections. Both Connect and the Scottish Assembly of Parents and Carers were involved in this work, and you can read Connect’s consultation response here.
In May, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector responded to the findings of the consultation, outlining the steps that will be taken to improve school inspection. A summary of the key points of this response is below and you can read the full response here.
People involved in inspection
- The response acknowledges that more needs to be done to involve children and young people in the inspection process. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) will develop a section of its website focusing on keeping children up to date, and establish a forum for young people to contribute to and shape the work of HMIE.
- HMIE will continue to engage with parents and carers as part of inspections, seeking views through pre-inspection questionnaires and focus groups. They will explore new ways to meet with more parents, acknowledging that there are barriers to engagement in the current methods.
How often schools are inspected and how they are selected for inspection
- There were mixed opinions on how often schools should be inspected. This will be discussed with Scottish Ministers and the Advisory Council, and a decision will be made balancing frequency of inspections with the length of individual inspection visits.
Grades
-
Grading was another area where there were mixed opinions, but there was widespread agreement that inspections should focus on potential improvements. Again, potential grading systems and language will be discussed with the Advisory Council and other stakeholders before a decision is made.
Notification periods
-
There are no plans to remove prior notification of inspection.
Pre-inspection information
-
Questionnaires will still be used to gather views, with a review of the structure and focus of these. There will also be work done to improve accessibility of the questionnaires for children and families, as well as exploring additional ways to gather views.
Framework
-
Draft of the new inspection framework will be launched in January 2027 digitally, in order to allow for updates and linking to relevant policy and guidance. Pilot inspections with the new framework will take place summer term 2027 and the 2027/2028 academic year. The new inspection framework will be used from January 2028.
Reporting
- Reporting will continue to include two reports: a summary of strengths and improvements, and a more in-depth document.
- Inspectors will be asked to improve feedback to children and young people on the outcome of their school inspection.
Inspection follow-up
-
HMIE will only carry out follow-up inspection or improvement visits when a school is not capable of improvement without additional support or external evaluation. This is consistent with current practice.