Themes across the two questionnaires
This short final section summarises some of the common themes from across the Children and Young People and Stakeholder elements of the consultation. Although the questions asked were different, the issues covered were similar, and it is interesting to consider the extent to which the views of children and young people reflected those of the stakeholder respondents.
Inclusive engagement
One area – and perhaps the strongest area – of clear consensus was around the critical importance of children and young people being involved in the inspection process. This ranged across the preparation, main inspection and post-inspection stages and also extended to the types of approach(es) that should be used.
There were references to interactions being engaging, age-appropriate, and natural or informal, with the importance of meeting any specific needs that children or young people have also seen as critical. In relation to specific needs it was noted, for example, that support should be available if children or young people need or want it. This was sometimes articulated as someone the child or young person knows providing that support and/or being present. During meetings with HM Inspectors in special school settings, children and young people stressed how important it is for inspectors to use their preferred methods of communication.
All of these aspects were connected to the importance of engagement approaches being inclusive, with a broad range of children or young people having an opportunity to share their views and experiences. Ensuring that a diverse range of views are heard was seen as important not only for those involved but also in terms of the quality of the inspection process. This also extended to the range of parents or carers and teachers or other staff who should have an opportunity to feed into the school inspection process.
For all three groups (children and young people, parents or carers, and teachers and other school staff), the importance of ensuring that an honest and open sharing of views is possible was also highlighted. This was sometimes linked to confidentiality and, in particular, to teachers and other school staff being able to speak with HM inspectors in private.
What’s important
Children and young people tended to prioritise issues connected with what it feels like to be in school and how their school keeps them safe and protected. In terms of issues of most importance, other stakeholders had very similar priorities – ‘relationships and behaviour’ and ‘safeguarding and promoting welfare’ were two of the three issues that were seen as important by almost all of those who responded to the stakeholder questionnaire. ‘Learning, teaching and assessment’ was the third of these. Children and young people with ASN shared that wellbeing, including in relation to mealtimes, friendships, and support to meet their sensory needs, was very important.
In the Stakeholder questionnaire, 25 possible areas for inclusion in a school inspection framework were identified. The Children and Young People questionnaire set out 18 different options and asked whether they were important. It is notable that across both questionnaires, all of these issues were seen as important by a clear majority. Overall, the consultation responses point to some relative priorities rather than suggesting that any of the areas identified as possible themes for inspection are not important.
Inspection frequency
Although there were some very clear areas of consensus around engagement and the focus of inspections, views were often more mixed when it came to issues such as the frequency of inspections and how schools would be selected for inspection.
For children and young people, schools being inspected at least once every 5 years was the most popular choice, particularly among secondary school pupils. There was not much support for either the ‘at least once every 7 years’ or ‘at least once every 10 years’ options.
Amongst those responding to the Stakeholder questionnaire, ‘Parents or carers and young people’, ‘Teachers or other staff’ and ‘Local/education authority officers’ were also most likely to favour inspections being carried out at least once every 5 years, but this did not necessarily translate into a majority supporting this timeframe. For example, support for the ‘at least once every 5 years’ option ranged from 57% of ‘Parents or carers and young people’ down to 24% of ‘Senior leaders or managers’. ‘Senior leaders or managers’ were the only stakeholder group in which respondents were more likely to favour inspections being at least once every 10 years.
Grades and reporting back
Overall, there was also little in the way of clear consensus around whether using grades helps provide a clear overview of how well a school is doing. Children and young people had quite mixed views on whether it is a good idea for school inspectors to use one-word grades to describe how well their school is doing, with more unsure about this issue than at most other questions.
The picture was similar amongst those responding to the Stakeholder questionnaire, with little or nothing in the way of clear consensus around whether using grades helps provide a clear overview of how well a school is doing or helps with understanding about what needs to improve. However, there was more of a consensus around the potential for grades to oversimplify what is happening in a school.
Where a degree of consensus returned was around reporting inspection findings and what should happen next. Children and young people were most likely to think that a video would be the best way for inspectors to tell them how their school is doing. They also thought that, if there were lots of areas that needed to get better, it would be a good idea for inspectors to come back to their school to see if things had improved. Children and young people with ASN suggested that inspectors should talk to pupils before they leave the school.
Those responding to the Stakeholder survey were also looking for clarity, and for a focus on strengths as well as areas for development, and they were also most likely to think that all schools should receive some form of follow-up after an inspection.
Use of the consultation findings
The consultation findings set out in this report form a key component of HMIE’s decision-making as it reviews how school inspections will operate in the future. The insights provided by children and young people, parents and carers and Scotland’s wider education community will support HMIE in shaping 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.