Core inspections and interim visits
From September 2024, we will be engaging more regularly with primary, secondary, and all age schools as well as pupil referral units (PRUs).
Maintained schools and PRUs will now have a core inspection and an interim visit within the 6-year inspection period. Core inspections will be led by a HMI or a registered inspector and interim visits will be led by a HMI.
The purpose of interim visits is to support providers with their self-evaluation and improvement plans, to ensure the best outcomes for learners.
Interim visits – frequently asked questions
Feedback from stakeholders suggests that they would welcome more frequent engagement from Estyn with schools and PRUs. This will help us to get to know schools better and to support them with their evaluation and improvement process.
No, you do not need to prepare for an interim visit. The aim of the visit is to discuss any improvements you would like to make based on the recommendations from your previous core inspection. You may want to refer to your last core inspection, or to your current school or PRU improvement plan. The reporting inspector will contact you to explain the process and agree the practical arrangements for the visit, but you do not need to create additional documentation or spend time collating evidence.
No. Following an interim visit, we will provide feedback to the headteacher and publish a short letter on our website summarising the outcome of the visit and providing some feedback to help you with the next steps in your improvement process.
You will receive 5 days’ notice ahead of the visit.
You do not need to prepare any documentation for an interim visit.
An interim visit can last up to two days depending on your sector. For example, an interim visit will be a single day for most primary schools and for most secondary schools the visit will last two days. For larger primaries this can be extended up to two days.
Depending on the size of your facility, there could be one or multiple inspectors attending. For most primary schools the visit will involve two inspectors. For secondary schools, there will normally be two or three HMI visiting as part of an interim visit. However for very small or very large providers, the team size may be smaller or larger.
Interim visits are not intended to draw overall conclusions about the effectiveness of the school, but they will support leaders to review progress since the last core inspection and consider their next steps for improvement.