Inspection guidance resources

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We will be publishing the latest “How we inspect” and “What we inspect” guidance handbooks for each sector in preparation for our new inspections arrangements which will be in place from September 2024.

These handbooks are a valuable resource for school leaders, teachers, and parents to gain insights into the rigorous standards and methodologies employed during educational inspections.

Below are a list of published guidance handbooks for all of the sectors we inspect:

Non-maintained nurseries

Guidance handbook for inspecting care and education in regulated non school settings eligible for funding for part-time education

Maintained schools and PRUs handbooks

How we inspect – Maintained schools and PRUs
What we inspect – Maintained schools and PRUs

Independent schools

What and how we inspect – Independent schools

Independent specialist colleges

How we inspect – Independent specialist colleges
What we inspect – Independent specialist colleges

Local government education services

How we inspect – Local government education services
What we inspect – Local government education services

Initial Teacher Education

How we inspect – Initial Teacher Education
What we inspect – Initial Teacher Education

Welsh for adults

How we inspect – Welsh for adults
What we inspect – Welsh for adults

Welsh language immersion arrangements in local authorities

How we inspect – Welsh language immersion arrangements in local authorities
What we inspect – Welsh language immersion arrangements in local authorities

Justice sector

Guidance handbook for the inspection of learning in the justice sector