School inspection queries: FOI release

Information requested

1. How many schools are currently rated within each grade of the six point scale (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Weak and Unsatisfactory). Please provide this information for each Quality Indicator broken down by each local authority in Scotland.

2. How many schools have not been inspected for 5 years, how many have not been inspected for 7 years, and how many have not been inspected for 10 years? Please provide this information broken down by each local authority.

3. For how many years have schools rated either weak or unsatisfactory for any given Quality Indicator been rated either weak or unsatisfactory for this Quality Indicator? Please provide this information broken down by each local authority.

4. For these questions, can the individual school names please be provided for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Moray?

Response

In response to questions 1, 2 and 4, a list of all open schools, the date of last inspection and the grades awarded for quality indicators (QIs) is included in Annex A. The data is provided in Excel format to allow filtering as necessary. This will allow you to determine the number of schools in each local authority rated within each of the grades for each quality indicator within the six point scale. A summary of the number of schools by local authority not inspected in 5 years, 7 years and 10 years is included within the spreadsheet. The excel spreadsheet allows you to identify the individual schools in Aberdeen Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Angus Council and Moray Council.

In relation to question 3 the data provided in Annex A details schools that have received a weak rating in any QI. In Scotland, schools are selected for inspection on a sample basis rather than a cyclical basis. The grades reflect the professional view of HM Inspectors when the inspection was carried out. In any inspection where HM Inspectors are not satisfied with the quality of education being provided, for example where a ‘weak’ grade is awarded, further inspection activity will be undertaken. Further inspections review progress made by a school or setting in addressing identified aspects for improvement. QIs are not graded during further inspections.

Notes on the data provided in Annex A

• Data provided in Annex A was taken at 1 April 2025.
• Data includes all sectors of schools (primary; secondary; all-through; special; and residential special schools) and all funding types (public; grant-aided; and independent).
• Data is provided for public schools and grant-aided schools that are currently open as defined in the Scottish Government’s School Contact Details.
• The list of independent schools is taken from the Independent Schools in ScotlandRegister as at March 2025 published on the Sottish Government website.
• QI information is available from 2008 onwards. Since 2008, HM Inspectors have inspected schools using a number of quality frameworks and quality indicators. The data provided is where a grade for a QI was reported.
• Inspection activity where grades were not reported are not included. These would include: continuing engagement activity; further inspections; thematic or try out inspections; quality improvement and professional engagement visits of independent schools; and pre-registration visits carried out with independent schools.
• Grades have not been provided for schools that are currently in the process of being inspected and where the report is not yet published.
• QIs used and graded by HM Inspectors have changed over time:

From 2007-2016 the QIs graded were:-

• QI 1.1 Improvements in performance
• QI 2.1 Learners’ experiences
• QI 5.3 Meeting learning needs
• QI 5.1 The curriculum
• QI 5.9 Improvement through self-evaluation

From September 2016 onwards the QIs graded were:-

• QI 1.3 Leadership of change
• QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment
• QI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement
• QI 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion

From February 2017-June 2018 the QIs graded for a short model inspection were:-

• QI 1.1 Self-evaluation for self-improvement
• QI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement

From September 2018 onwards the QIs graded for a short model inspection were:-

• QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment
• QI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement
• A six point scale is used for grading QIs, which is set out below. This six point scale applied to all the quality frameworks for the timeframe provided.

QI Gradings
6	Excellent
5	Very good
4	Good
3	Satisfactory
2	Weak
1	Unsatisfactory

• The date of inspection refers to the date of the visit to a school as part of the inspection process and not the date the report was published.
• The date of inspection is the date of the original inspection and does not include any subsequent further inspections which took place as a result of the outcome of the original inspection.
• The number of schools not inspected is calculated from the number of schools that are currently open which have not been inspected in the defined periods.
• The number of schools not inspected includes those schools that have been opened during the defined period and have not been inspected.
• The 5 year, 7 year and 10 year periods are calculated in academic years (AY) as follows:

Time period	From
5 years	Last inspected prior to AY 2020/21 or open prior to AY 2020/21 and never inspected
7 years	Last inspected prior to AY 2018/19 or open prior to AY 2018/19 and never inspected
10 years	Last inspected prior to AY 2015/16 or open prior to AY 2015/16 and never inspected

• The data calculations include schools that have been inspected, but for which the inspection report is not yet published.
• The Scottish Government School Contact Details lists Gaelic Units and some additional support units with a separate SEED number from the school within which they are situated. These units are inspected as part of the school inspection. For the purpose of this response the date of the inspection of these units is counted as the same as the inspection date of the school within which they are located.
• When a new independent school is opened it is subject to a post-registration inspection. These inspections are included in the data provided for independent schools.
• Schools may be subject to special inspections requested by Scottish Ministers under Section 66 (1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. These inspections are included in the data provided for independent schools.
• On 13 March 2020, Education Scotland paused all routine inspections of early learning and childcare settings and schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Routine inspections resumed in September 2022.

About FOI

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

FOI 202500457731 - Information released - Annex A

File type

Excel document

File size

211.6 kB