Frequency of school inspections: FOI review

FOI reference: FOI/17/01775
Date received: 5 September 2017
Date responded: 19 September 2017

Information requested

• How many schools have not been subject to an inspection for over a decade?

• Please name the schools which have not been subject to an inspection for over a decade and state the date of each schools last inspection. Please group them into primaries, secondaries and special schools.

• Which Scottish school has been without an inspection for the longest (please name the school)? How long is it since the school's last inspection?

• On average how frequently are Scottish schools inspected? (if this differs for primary, secondary and special schools please provide the figure for each sector and please make it clear how the figure is arrived at).

• Could you please tell me how many schools HMIE inspected in each of the past three years, so 2014-15; 2015-16; 2016-17? Please break the figure down into primary, secondary and special schools.

• Could you please tell me how many schools HMIE inspected in school years 2006-07 and 2007-08? Please break the figure down into primary, secondary and special schools

• How frequently does HMIE aim to inspect schools? (if this differs for primary, secondary and special schools please provide the figure for each sector).

• How many schools does HMIE hope to inspect in the coming school year 2017-18?

• Does HMIE plan to introduce short notice inspection in 2017-18? If so, how many days will schools undergoing this type of inspection be given before the inspection team arrives?

• Please provide any further information you consider relevant in order to set these figures in context.

Response

In your review request you stated that you do not believe that our response answered the question you asked about the number of schools in Scotland that have been without an inspection for a decade or more, or the question about which school has been without an inspection for the longest, and that, given there are over 300 secondary schools and over 2000 primary schools you do not think this information is reasonably obtainable via the website link we gave you.

I have concluded that the original decision should be confirmed, with modifications.

I have concluded that our response to your original request should have been to give you formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that Education Scotland does not hold the information requested. I apologise that we did not do so.

In April 2008, Education Scotland changed the school sampling methodology (basically how schools were selected for inspection) and inspection information prior to this change has been deleted.

We did provide information on the schools inspected since 2008 and referred you to the Scottish Government website where a list of current schools can be found. This would allow you to derive a list of those schools not inspected for at last nine years, close to the decade that you are seeking, as well as identify the Scottish school that has been without an inspection for the longest. I am therefore of the view that this means the information is indeed reasonably obtainable to you and that s25(1) (Information otherwise accessible) was correctly applied.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses