Inspections and accreditation

The Independent Schools Inspectorate, know an ISI, is an independent inspectorate appointed by the Department for Education to inspect independent schools in England. Their inspection reports inform the DfE on the extent to which the statutory Independent School Standards are met. 

Key documentation such as the framework, inspection handbook and other documents and advice can be found here. 

Schools that do not meet all inspection standards are encouraged to contact us early for advice and guidance. We will receive a copy of your report, but not until some time after the inspection has taken place, therefore we urge you to get in touch as early as possible to allow us to assist you. 

If you have a query about inspection and IAPS membership, please contact our Membership Officer Laura Twynholm. 

Chief Executive Emilie Darwin and Nick Robinson, Director of International, can also offer advice and assist with any inspection-related queries, including reviewing action plans.

Our Supporting Quality and Compliance Service provides one day of in-school support from an experienced consultant, who can offer guidance on the specific improvement priorities you choose to focus on.

While the consultant will not assess compliance or conduct a mock inspection, they will draw upon their leadership experience in IAPS schools and their strong understanding of the Independent School Standards to discuss selected areas with you and your team.

To help you plan the visit, you will be provided with a list of all available discussion topics and their typical durations in a single document, enabling you to decide what you want to cover and which dates work best. Full‑day visits can be booked based on the availability of the consultant nearest to your school. 

Please see further information about the service for UK schools and for international schools.

Schools are inspected against several regulatory requirements, and preparing for inspection means understanding each set clearly: 

Key Regulatory frameworks: 

• Independent School Standards - ISI inspects compliance with the ISSRs (Education Regulations). 

• Boarding Standards - applied where boarding is offered. 

• Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework - applied where EYFS provision exists. 

• Equality, rights and citizenship - schools must have an accessibility plan based on the Equality Act and must not use corporal punishment.

• The DfE provides non‑statutory  guidance explaining each ISSR part (1–8) and what compliance looks like. 

• The Independent School Standards: ISI 

• The ISI Inspection Handbook and ISI Framework outline how inspections are conducted, what inspectors expect, and how compliance is judged.  

These documents should be read by all key staff, especially those responsible for recruitment and the Single Central Register. 

Schools may contact ISI directly regarding regulatory queries. 

Schools receiving a DfE Action Plan Notice should refer to the Independent School Action Plan Guidance.

 This guidance explains how to produce an action plan that demonstrates how failed standards or EYFS requirements will be fully met.

• Any concerns should be raised immediately with the Reporting Inspector so that issues can be clarified or resolved during the visit. 

• If concerns relate to the Reporting Inspector, schools should contact ISI directly, on 020 7600 0100, and state that the call concerns an on‑inspection issue. 

• The process for making complaints is outlined here. 

As you prepare for inspection, please be assured that you have our support. We can work with you in preparation for your inspection. 

Please see Supporting quality and compliance in UK schools for further information about how we can help .  

Please also use our Courses Calendar to search for events in our Professional Development programme that may aid the preparation process. 

 Useful contacts:

Independent Schools Inspectorate 

Tel: 0207 600 0100  

Email: [email protected] 

IAPS Membership team 

Tel: 01926 887833

Email: [email protected]  

IAPS Employee Assistance Programme 
  
Wellbeing support and advice, including counselling, is available to all full members through our Employee Assistance Programme. To access the EAP services, opt-in here.  
  
Full details for all UK and overseas schools are available on our website.  

UK schools planning or making material changes should seek Secretary of State approval in advance of making any changes and be aware that changes may require an inspection for approval. More information can be found here. 

ISI Guidance - Inspecting in mixed schools that separate by gender  

Please also see this DfE 'note' regarding non-routine inspections such as progress monitoring inspections, material change inspections and additional inspections.

It is desirable for International member schools to have an in-date British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection. Further information on BSO accreditation can be found here. 

Where the Membership Committee has accepted an alternative inspectorate or accreditation, schools are required to forward the reports to the Membership team. 

Please contact Membership or our Director of International Nick Robinson for any questions relating to International membership eligibility. 

Our Supporting Quality and Compliance service is also available to International member schools and further details can be found here.

If an unmet inspection is received, IAPS can support you in moving forward. 

Our Director of International Nick Robinson has extensive experience working with schools which have had this experience and is happy to offer guidance as you prepare for the upcoming Progress Monitoring Inspection.