A Framework for Inspection of Church in Wales schools

This framework sets out the expectations of the Church in Wales for the conduct of statutory school inspections under Section 50 of the Education Act 2005. It incorporates changes in structure and emphasis that reflect the requirements of the Curriculum for Wales 2022 and developments in school inspections.

In the Education Act 2005 (Section 50) the governing body or foundation governors of Church in Wales schools are responsible in law for the appointment of a person to undertake the inspection of denominational education and collective worship in schools, which have a religious character.

The responsibility for the appointment of a Section 50 inspector ultimately rests with the governing body or foundation governors who are required to agree an inspector after consultation with the Church in Wales Education Office. (Section 50(2))

This framework sets out expectations for the Statutory Inspection of Church in Wales schools under Section 50 of the Education Act 2005. It has been approved by the Bench of Bishops and approved for use in all Church in Wales schools.

The purposes and procedures for Section 50 inspection are set out in this Framework and its supporting documentation.

The documents provide a process for evaluating the extent to which church schools are distinctively and recognisably Christian institutions. This can be summarised as follows:

1. Distinctiveness must include a wholehearted commitment to putting faith and spiritual development at the heart of the curriculum.
2. The Christian ethos must permeate the whole education experience.
3. The importance of clearly ascribed Christian values and their outworking in the life of the school is widely accepted.
4. High quality religion, values and ethics and collective worship should make major contributions to the Church school’s Christian ethos.
5. Learners should be enabled to engage seriously with and develop an understanding of the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Every child should be enabled to flourish in their potential as a child of God, as a sign and expression of the Kingdom. This is at the heart of the Church’s distinctive mission.

• Introduction
• The main features of Section 50 inspection
  • The purpose of a Section 50 inspection
  • The key principles for a Section 50 inspection
  • Code of practice for a Section 50 inspection
  • The principal objective of a Section 50 inspection
• The inspection
  • The focus for self-evaluation and inspection
  • School self-evaluation
  • Differentiation of inspection activity
  • Evaluation of the self-evaluation findings
  • Some ground rules for evaluation
• Conclusions and Reporting
  • Drawing conclusions
  • Writing the report
  • The summary conclusion
  • Reporting on the admissions policy of the school
• Section 50 inspection procedures
  • Contractual procedures under the Education Act 2005
  • Section 50 Updates

In the Education Act 2005 (Section 50) the governing body or foundation governors of schools which have a religious character are held responsible in law for the appointment of a person to undertake the inspection of denominational education and collective worship. The governing body or foundation governors are, however, required to choose the inspector after consultation with the central Church in Wales Education Office.

The purposes of a Section 50 inspection are:

• To provide an evaluation of the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the church school for the governing body, the school, the parents, the diocese, the Church in Wales Education Office and the wider public
• To meet the requirements of Section 50 of the Education Act 2005 for schools which have a religious character
• To make a significant contribution to improvement in Church schools

Section 50 inspection focuses on the impact that the Christian character of the church school has on the learner. Schools will become effective by means of a variety of strategies, approaches and styles, which reflect their local context or church tradition. Inspectors should carefully diagnose how the impact that each school has on the learner is achieved and how the learner’s personal and educational needs are met. They will not apply a preconceived template of what a distinctive or effective church school should be like.

The key principles for a Section 50 inspection are:

• To focus on learners
• To relate sensitively to the context of the school
• To apply the highest possible standards of inspection practice
• To focus on the evaluation of distinctiveness and effectiveness
• To stimulate and evaluate improvement and affirm success

Section 50 inspectors will always maintain the highest standards of professional practice. They will always seek to secure the full co-operation of everyone involved in the process, inspire confidence in the fairness and accuracy of their findings and make a valuable contribution to improvement.

Inspectors are expected:

• To work with integrity, treating all those they meet with courtesy and sensitivity
• To be aware of the relationships the school has with its local community, church/es and diocese
• To do all they can to minimise the pressure on those involved with the inspection in the school giving priority to their best interests and well-being
• To respect the confidentiality of information about individuals and the work they do
• To maintain purposeful and formative dialogue with all those being inspected and communicate findings clearly and frankly
• To evaluate objectively, be impartial and have no previous connection with the school, which could compromise their objectivity
• To report honestly and fairly, ensuring that conclusions are accurate, reliable and based on secure and sufficient evidence
• All inspectors must ensure they follow best practice for safeguarding children and are familiar with any updates from Welsh Government or the Church in Wales Education office

Inspectors must:

• Ensure that their DBS check and insurance cover is current
• Understand the procedures for raising a safeguarding concern both within the school and through the Church in Wales
• Not take any photographs of learners during the inspection
• Know the school’s safeguarding policies

The inspection’s main objective is to evaluate the school’s distinctiveness and effectiveness as a church school to ensure that learners’ academic, personal and spiritual needs are being met.

Towards this objective, inspectors should seek answers to four key questions.

The order of the key questions is not hierarchical. Together they provide a basis for evaluation that meets the principal objective.

Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools

In a Voluntary Controlled school, inspectors are required to investigate and draw conclusions on Key Questions 1,2 and 4. Key Question 3, which looks at the effectiveness of religion, values and ethics curriculum should be inspected under Key Question 1, which considers the impact on its distinctive Christian character.

The key questions address the four main areas of focus for self-evaluation and inspection in voluntary aided church schools and, normally three in voluntary controlled schools.

• Distinctive Christian character
• Collective worship
• Religion, values and ethics (*)
• Leadership

Each area of focus identifies the areas of evidence upon which the inspection findings are made.

*Whilst the effectiveness of religion, values and ethics is inspected by statute in voluntary aided schools, it is expected that the broader impact of religion, values and ethics on the character of all church schools will be evaluated and verified through Section 50 inspection.

Inspectors will need as complete a picture as possible of how the school sees itself before the inspection. This may be submitted in a short (two sides of A4 report), and the school improvement plan. This will assist the inspector to formulate hypotheses and plan specific areas of focus for the inspection. The school’s supporting documentation should indicate how well the school develops the whole child or young person by means of its Christian character, principles and values. In the case of religion, values and ethics in voluntary aided schools, inspectors will also evaluate the school’s assessment of learner progression and achievement.

Evidence on which the school’s assessment are based, may be drawn from a number of sources. These will include:

• Feedback from learners, staff, parents, governors and members of the school’s wider community
• Evaluation of collective worship and learning activities
• Evaluation of learners’ work and achievement

The starting point for a Section 50 inspection is the school improvement plan and supporting summary. This provides an account of the school’s improvement priorities.

As the inspector’s time in school is at a premium, an inspection strategy is required in which an early analysis of the school’s improvement planning processes and performance will determine the focus, pattern and nature of inspection activities. .

Inspection is predicated on school improvement planning and self-evaluation processes and is most effective when conducted with the school's active co-operation. This means that evaluation and evidence can be reviewed with the school’s governors, teachers, leaders, learners, parents and other key stakeholders. Verifying some of the school’s findings on its effectiveness and impact as a church school will rest on the views of learners. Inspection will verify those findings and draw conclusions on the impact of the Church school on its learners.

Questions should be carefully formulated to form the basis of discussions with the key people involved in the school; including learners, teachers, RVE coordinators/subject leaders, school leaders, foundation governors, parishioners, clergy, chaplains and parents.

Policies plans and assertions, whether communicated orally or in writing, are not in themselves indicators of effectiveness. Inspectors will need to determine whether key events, such as acts of worship, are a regular and embedded feature of the school’s life, whether there is evidence of a genuine pattern of regular evaluation of their impact on the ethos of the school and the extent of learner involvement in these processes.

Church schools make up a highly diverse ‘family’ of institutions across nursery, primary and secondary phases. The Section 50 Framework seeks to evaluate the impact that these church schools have on all their learners’ academic and personal development. This is not achieved by description of the quality or style of provision alone.

The inspector will report progress on the issues identified in the previous Focus for Development under the appropriate key question/s.

Inspectors should satisfy themselves that school improvement priorities are based on secure evidence and accurate evaluation processes by:

Listening to learners. Reflection on the views and experiences of learners will be the most effective way of judging the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a church school. Inspectors should take account of the views of learners expressed through relevant school focus groups and learner voice.

Inspectors are encouraged to be familiar with Supplementary guidance: listening to learners on inspection - September 2021

Discussion with staff, governors, clergy, parents and others, to verify the school’s assertions on the Christian distinctiveness of the school as it impacts on learners.

Observation of lessons and acts of worship, in whole or in part. Where possible this should be undertaken in conjunction with members of the school leadership team.

Dialogue with the school leadership during the inspection day(s) will ensure that the leaders are aware of the picture which is emerging; this will enable them to supply additional evidence where appropriate and prepares them for the final summary feedback.

The Section 50 inspection involved arriving at several qualitative conclusions, which may be supported by quantitative information. This type of conclusion will be best secured by triangulation of different types and sources of evidence and the use of professional judgement.

• Take all relevant evidence into account when coming to conclusions
• Ensure that evidence is sufficient before coming to a conclusion
• Probe deeper where there is concern or uncertainty about evidence
• Provide evidence for conclusions on all key questions
• Check the school’s assertions or policies against evidence of their impact

Inspection reports will no longer include summative grading (Excellent, Good Adequate etc.). Reports will now detail how well the school is fulfilling its distinctiveness and effectiveness as a church school.

In coming to conclusions inspectors should provide answers to the key questions. These answers will underpin the evaluation of the overall distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a church school in meeting the needs of learners and meeting the statutory requirements for Section 50 inspection. The evidence to meet them will be drawn from the areas of focus as noted in the school’s summary. The report will describe how distinctive and effective the school is as a church school.

This should be a carefully balanced evaluation of all the evidence available from across the inspection. Each contribution needs to be weighed according to its importance; Inspectors should record whether the school meets the statutory requirements for collective worship and RVE (where inspected under Section 50).It should also include a comment as to whether the school is delivering Religion, values and ethics that is objective, critical and pluralistic as described in the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2022.

The summary conclusion will be in written form and will reflect the overall comments for the Key Questions. The reports will provide valuable information from all schools inspected so that best practice and trends for improvement can be identified

A record will also be made of adherence to the statutory requirements for collective worship and Religion, values and ethics (when inspected):

• The school meets the statutory requirement for collective acts of worship
• The school meets the statutory requirement for religion, values and ethics including that it is objective, critical and pluralistic

It is essential to the Section 50 inspection process that inspectors underpin their inspection with a reliable evidence base in which they record their evaluation and related evidence. Forms which may be used to record evidence can be found in the Forms and Templates section.

The audience for Section 50 inspection reports includes parents, school governors, parishioners and church members, and the wider public, as well as headteachers and other education professionals. Therefore, this framework for inspection and its inspection training programmes are designed to assist inspectors to produce accessible, succinct and evaluative reports.

Each key question will require a succinct evaluation and at least one example of underpinning evidence. The evaluation statements are likely to be a rich source of such examples, but the report should not attempt to answer each one in turn but draw on them as required to justify findings

The final inspection report should be in A4 format, in 12pt Arial font, and follow the Proforma.

One copy of the completed Section 50 inspection report (after being quality assured by a Section 50 appointed critical reader) is sent to the school for distribution, and another copy should be sent electronically to the Diocesan Education Lead and a third retained at the Central Education Office. All inspection reports will be posted to the Church in Wales website and should also be posted to the school’s website.

How distinctive and effective is the school as a Church in Wales school?

The main report will open with a statement that sets out the inspector’s overall conclusions on the school’s distinctiveness and effectiveness. In drawing this conclusion, the inspector must consider the impact of the school’s Christian character on meeting the needs of learners as priority and consider the evidence provided under each key question.

1. How well does the school through its distinctive Christian character meet the needs of all learners?
2. What is the impact of collective worship on the school community?
3. How effective is religion, values and ethics?
4. How effective is the leadership of the school as a Church school?

The summary conclusion should also include a statement as to whether the school’s religion, values and ethics curriculum has regard for the Church in Wales Supporting Guidance for RVE and whether it is objective, critical and pluralistic.

The school’s effectiveness must also be considered in the light of the requirement that a school should enable every child to flourish in their potential as a child of God. This will include not only their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their well-being, but also their academic development.

Inspectors should be mindful that the remit of the Section 50 and Estyn inspections is different and that all conclusions reached in respect of Section 50 inspection should be secured on relevant evidence.

Where any significant concerns arise in relation to a school’s admissions policy they should be addressed under the evaluation statement: “How well do foundation governors understand and discharge their responsibilities as foundation governors specifically to what extent they:” as an element of the key question on leadership. Inspectors should not make any judgement on admissions arrangements which are already in accordance with the legal framework under which the school is governed.

This section covers the contractual procedures for the governing body of the school and the actions to be taken by the school, the inspector, the central Church in Wales Education Office and the diocese.

It is the responsibility of the governing body of all voluntary and foundation schools to ensure that the school has a denominational inspection. The law states that in voluntary aided schools the whole governing body selects the inspector, while in controlled and foundation schools it is the responsibility of the foundation governors alone.

In each case the choice must be made in consultation with the Central Education Office.

Inspectors appointed to conduct Section 50 inspections must have had no contact with the school which might compromise their objectivity. This includes completing the previous Section 50 inspection or having worked as a consultant for the school.

A model contract can be found in the Forms and Templates section.

For each inspection the inspector will be paid according to the Church in Wales and Welsh Government’s Section 50 grant rate in force at the time.

Inspections will operate on an approximately five-year cycle and in general will be scheduled according to the length of time from the last inspection. However, Diocesan Education teams may request an inspection if they believe that it would support a school to better fulfil its mission as a Church in Wales school.

Schools should refer to the Central Education Office for further guidance on the timetable of the inspection process.

The Section 50 framework for inspection of Church in Wales schools will be updated in the light of inspection experience and any changes to statutory regulations that may occur from time to time. Regular Section 50 Inspection Updates will identify any official changes that inspectors will be required, by the Church in Wales, to make to Section 50 inspection procedures.