Education Scotland - School inspection data: FOI release

Information requested

1. The total number of currently open schools in Scotland (Primary, Secondary, and Special Schools) that have not received a full inspection (or a "short model" inspection) within the following timeframes:

• More than 5 years ago.
• More than 10 years ago.
• More than 15 years ago.

2. The total number of currently open schools that have never received an inspection since their opening date.

3. An Excel spreadsheet or file containing a list of all schools that fall into the "More than 10 years" and "Never Inspected" categories to include:

• Name of the School
• Local Authority
• School Type (Primary/Secondary/Special)
• Date of last formal inspection (if applicable)

4. The name of the school (excluding those that have never been inspected) which has currently gone the longest duration since its last formal inspection, and the date of that inspection.

Response

Question 1

There are 1,637 schools that have not received an inspection since academic year 2019/20 (more than five years ago). This is comprised of:

• 1,276 primary schools.
• 21 all-through schools (i.e. schools which provide primary and secondary education.
• 214 secondary schools.
• 76 special schools.
• 50 independent schools.

There are 743 schools that have not received a full inspection since academic year 2014/15 (more than 10 years ago). This is comprised of:

• 577 primary schools.
• 12 all-through schools.
• 101 secondary schools.
• 23 special schools.
• 30 independent schools.

There are 58 schools that have not received a full inspection since academic year 2009/10 (more than 15 years ago). This is comprised of:

• 32 primary schools.
• 2 secondary schools.
• 1 special school.
• 23 independent schools.

Question 2

There are 83 currently open schools that have not yet received an inspection since their opening date.

Question 3 and 4

The enclosed Excel spreadsheet, Annex A, includes the information that you have requested.

Notes on the data provided in Annex A

• 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 Scotland Register as at November 2025 published on the Sottish Government website.
• 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 2019/20 or open prior to AY 2019/20 and never inspected.
10 years	Last inspected prior to AY 2014/15 or open prior to AY 2014/15 and never inspected.
15 years	Last inspected prior to AY 2009/10 or open prior to AY 2009/10 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 202600504603 - Information released - Annex A

File type

PDF

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150.8 kB