Standards and evaluation framework

• How does inspection and review support improvement?

  How our approach to inspection supports improvement, provides assurance and public accountability. 

• What do we inspect?

  Most of our inspection activity falls into 3 categories – organisational (individual establishment and services), local and national thematic.

• How often do we inspect?

  How often we inspect different types of education settings.

• Evaluating quality and improvement in Scottish education

  The National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan sets out what needs to be done to improve Scottish education.

• What do we expect of staff and stakeholders?

  Making sure inspections are constructive, professional and focused on what matters most to learners.

• How do teams conduct themselves during inspection and review?

  The PRAISE Framework and how we expect our teams to behave.

• What is the legal basis for inspection and review?

  The Education (Scotland) Act 2025 was passed in August 2025 and a new, established office of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is being created. 

• What do we focus on during inspection and review?

  What we focus on during inspections includes observing learning first hand, Quality Indicators and self-evaluation.

• How we ensure our approaches to inspection and review are of a high quality?

  The principles of inspection and review.