During the intervening year, before Ofsted takes over in September 2019, schools and colleges in the two islands will be inspected by Terry Carr Consultancy using the current inspection framework which was developed by Education Scotland. Mr Carr is a HMI Scotland Inspector so ESC said this will offer consistency in the meantime, before the changeover. 

Deputy Matt Fallaize, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:

"Since its election in February the Committee has explored various options for future inspections and has spoken to several inspectorates as well as taking into account the views of head teachers. In the short term continuity will be maintained because Terry Carr is a HMI Scotland Inspector and for the next academic year he and his colleagues will inspect our schools using the current inspection framework which was developed by Education Scotland.

"At the same time we will work with Ofsted to develop an inspection framework appropriate for local circumstances and then from September 2019 Ofsted will become the inspector of our schools and colleges."

Deputy Fallaize (pictured) said Ofsted will amend its current inspection framework so it can work with the model of education used in Guernsey and Alderney, while changes will also be made locally to the inspection regime. 

"The withdrawal of Education Scotland obviously required us to form a partnership with a different inspectorate and coincidentally presented a timely opportunity to reconsider the shape of our inspection regime.

"Ofsted is a very experienced inspector of state schools and is well placed to provide all stakeholders with assessments of how our schools are performing. They are also prepared to work with us to adapt their inspection framework to ensure it is fully relevant to local circumstances."

Deputy Fallaize said he also wanted to thank Education Scotland for its contribution in recent years. His comments were echoed by Andrew Warren, Director of Education, who said they are looking forward to the new regime. 

"I look forward to working with Terry Carr and his colleagues before developing an inspection framework alongside Ofsted from September 2019," said Mr Warren. "Self-evaluation has been a very important part of our previous inspection systems, and we intend to maintain the key role that it plays in ensuring that schools and colleges are continuously adapting and improving to suit the needs of the Bailiwick’s children and young people."