Analysis of responses to the public consultation

Context

The Education (Scotland) Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament in 2024, concluded its parliamentary stages on 25 June 2025 and received Royal Assent on 6 August, at which point it became the Education (Scotland) Act 2025.

The Act establishes the statutory framework for a new, independent education inspectorate for Scotland, led by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland. By removing the inspection function from Education Scotland and creating a dedicated inspectorate, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), the legislation strengthens the independence, visibility and accountability of school inspection within the national education system.

The Education (Scotland) Act 2025 also sets out, for the first time in statute, the purpose of inspection in Scotland. This includes promoting improvement in the quality of education by identifying where support is required; sharing effective practice; contributing evidence to inform the development of education policy; and providing assurance to learners, parents, and the wider public about the quality and performance of educational establishments. In addition, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is given clear powers to determine the frequency, focus, and methodology of inspections, with a statutory requirement to publish these intentions in an Annual Inspection Plan.

The publication of this analysis of responses to HMIE’s first national public consultation on the future of school inspection comes at an important point in the development of the new inspectorate. The consultation represents an essential stage in helping to shape the practical approaches HMIE will adopt within the revised legislative framework created by the Education (Scotland) Act 2025.

The consultation, launched in September 2025, invited views on key aspects of the inspection process, including who should be involved in inspections, inspection frequency and selection, notification arrangements, pre-inspection activity, the school inspection framework itself, and reporting and follow up processes after inspection.

The themes explored in the consultation were informed by a broad listening exercise undertaken by HM Inspectors earlier in 2025. During this period, inspectors engaged – both in person and online – with around 2,000 stakeholders, including more than 500 children and young people, as well as teachers, school leaders, local authorities, and national bodies. This engagement helped ensure that the consultation reflected the priorities, concerns, and lived experiences of those most directly affected by school inspection.

In addition to the stakeholder consultation, a dedicated, age-appropriate questionnaire titled ‘School Inspections are Changing: the views of children and young people’, was designed to ensure that younger respondents could participate meaningfully. By gathering views from across Scotland’s education community – including parents, carers, and those without direct professional involvement – the consultation aimed to build a rounded, inclusive evidence base.

The findings presented in this report form an essential component of HMIE’s decision-making as it refines how school inspections will operate in the future. Alongside other key sources of evidence, these insights will support HMIE to shape an inspection approach that continues to drive improvement, provide robust assurance, and deliver clear public value within the new statutory landscape established by the Education (Scotland) Act 2025.

Number of responses

The Children and Young People questionnaire received 482 responses. In addition, 46 children and young people with additional support needs (ASN) took part in discussion meetings held by HM Inspectors in special school settings.

The Stakeholder questionnaire received 1,177 responses, 55 of which were from organisations. Where consent has been given to publish responses, they can be found at Scottish Government consultations.

Further information about the profile of respondents is provided at the start of the analysis for each of the questionnaires.

Analysis and reporting

Commentary on the results at the closed questions uses the following quantification terms:

• all: 100%
• almost all: 91%-99%
• most: 75%-90%
• majority: 50%-74%
• minority/less than half: 15%-49%
• a few/less than: 15% 

As with any public consultation exercise, it should be noted that those responding generally have a particular interest in the subject area. Therefore, the views they express cannot necessarily be seen as representative of wider public opinion.

Children and Young People feedback

The next section of the report presents the analysis of responses to the Children and Young people questionnaire. The report presents a question-by-question analysis of answers to the closed questions and further comments at open questions.

The answers to the closed questions are presented in charts within the main body of the report. A full set of results at the closed questions, broken down by respondent type, is available in Annex A as a downloadable file.

Stakeholder feedback

This section of the report presents the analysis of responses to the Stakeholder questionnaire. It is a question-by-question analysis of answers to the closed questions and further comments at open questions.
The answers to the closed questions are presented in charts within the main body of the report. A full set of results at the closed questions, broken down by respondent type and including organisations, is available in Annex B as a downloadable file.

The organisations that responded to the questionnaire and asked to have their response published are available in Annex C.

This section begins with a summary of the broader themes raised by respondents to the consultation. These are themes which fall outwith the specific focus of this consultation.

Themes across the two questionnaires

The final part of the report presents a summary of common themes from the Children and Young People and Stakeholder questionnaires.