FAQs
Frequently asked Questions by Parents / Guardians:
- How can I get a copy of the latest Inspection Report carried out at my child’s school?
- Will parents / guardians be sent a report following an inspection?
- How often is a school inspected?
- How will the work of the Education and Training Inspectorate have an impact on my child's school?
- How can I raise a concern relating to my child's school?
Frequently asked Questions by the Board of Governors:
- What happens after an inspection when areas for improvement have been identified?
- Will the Education and Training Inspectorate provide general support to individual schools following inspection?
- What happens when teaching is found to be unsatisfactory at the time of an inspection?
Frequently asked Questions by the Principal:
- What happens after the inspection and what is the timescale?
- How long will the inspection last?
- What happens if there are areas for improvement identified during an inspection?
- When does a follow-up inspection take place?
Frequently asked Questions by the Teacher:
- What documentation is needed / expected during an inspection?
- During an inspection, how much notification will I get before an inspector arrives in my classroom?
- Will the Education and Training Inspectorate ask to see a specific subject?
- How many times will I be seen in a day / overall?
- How long will the inspector stay in the room?
Frequently asked Questions by Parents / Guardians:
How can I get a copy of the latest Inspection Report carried out at my child's school?
All Inspection Reports published by the Education and Training Inspectorate are made available via the Education and Training Inspectorate’s website. You can access an electronic copy of all published reports by using the search facilities of the website or by navigating the dedicated Inspection Reports or Surveys / Evaluations web pages after the date of publication.
Will parents / guardians be sent a report following an inspection?
From the 1st January 2010 all inspections will no longer be published as a paper document an electronic copy of the report will be made available via the Education and Training Inspectorate’s website after the date of publication. For those parents who do not have access to a computer, arrangements should be put in place by the school to ensure such parents are provided with an opportunity to read a copy of the report.
How often is a school inspected?
The Education and Training Inspectorate is committed to inspecting an organisation according to the published time scales for the phase; visits or other types of inspection activity will take place within an organisation within a 7 year period.
How will the work of the Education and Training Inspectorate have an impact on my child's school?
The purpose of any inspection is to promote improvement. The inspection process helps schools by giving them an external evaluation; it identifies strengths which the school can build on and areas where they need to improve. The programme of inspections should be seen as one element in a much broader process of quality assurance, in which the continuing programme of self-evaluation by schools is an equally important component in promoting improvement.
How can I raise a concern relating to my child's school?
The Education and Training Inspectorate does not investigate individual complaints on behalf of parents. Each school has a procedure for handling complaints / enquiries and if a parent has concerns, these should be brought, in the first instance, to the Principal. Following that, additional lines of communication are open to parents through the Board of Governors and the Employing Authority (Education and Library Board or Council for Catholic Maintained Schools).
Frequently asked Questions by the Board of Governors:
What happens after an inspection when areas for improvement have been identified?
If the inspection report identifies areas for improvement, the Board of Governors will be asked to make a written response to the Department of Education indicating the action which the school intends to take to address these areas. In these schools, a follow-up visit may take place between 12-24 months after receipt of the Board of Governors response to the original inspection report. A report of the follow-up inspection will be made available to the Board of Governors and the Principal and will also be published on the Education and Training Inspectorate’s website.
Will the Education and Training Inspectorate provide general support to individual schools following inspection?
It is not the duty of the Education and Training Inspectorate to provide extended support for teachers and schools. Following inspection, support is made available to schools in order to help the staff address the issues identified. This support is provided, in the main, by the Curriculum, Advisory and Support Service of the Education and Library Boards.
What happens when teaching is found to be unsatisfactory at the time of an inspection?
Where teaching has been found to be unsatisfactory, a programme of support will be agreed with the teacher concerned, and the employing authority, in conjunction with the Curriculum, Advisory and Support Service of the relevant Education and Library Board.
Frequently asked Questions by the Principal:
What happens after the inspection and what is the timescale?
Principals will receive a pre-publication copy of the inspection report in order to check factual detail approximately four weeks following the inspection. The final copy of the inspection report is usually published approximately three months after the inspection. Please see the leaflet, Information for Teachers.
How long will the inspection last?
The length of time of an inspection varies according to the size of the school / organisation and type of inspection. The Reporting Inspector will confirm the length of the inspection with the Principal during their pre-inspection contact.
What happens if there are areas for improvement identified during an inspection?
If the inspection report identifies areas for improvement, the Board of Governors will be asked to make a written response to the Department of Education indicating the action which the school intends to take to address these areas. Please also see the Information Leaflet for Teachers.
When does a follow-up inspection take place?
If an inspection report identifies areas for improvement, a follow-up visit may take place between 12-24 months after receipt of the Board of Governors' response to the original inspection report.
Frequently asked Questions by the Teacher:
What documentation is needed / expected during an inspection?
Inspectors will expect to see any planning which has been prepared to guide the work of a department, a subject area or individual classes. They will also include any whole-school schemes or policies in their evaluation of the work. In addition, they will ask to see evidence of the assessment of the pupils' work within individual classes.
During an inspection, how much notification will I get before an inspector arrives in my classroom?
Usually prior notice of an inspection visit to a particular class is not given; the pattern of visits to teachers is influenced by the nature of the timetable and the focus of the inspection, and it may be that teachers are advised in advance.
Will the Education and Training Inspectorate ask to see a specific subject?
From time to time inspectors will ask to see a specific subject being taught. This will be arranged, in advance, with the principal and class teacher.
How many times will I be seen in a day / overall?
The length and frequency of inspection visits vary according to the nature of the inspection and the requirements of the inspection team. The reporting inspector may give some guidance about the frequency of class visits during the pre-inspection visit.
How long will the inspector stay in the room?
The duration of an inspector's visit is not prescribed, although it usually ranges from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
