The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is an organisation responsible for the inspection of independent schools in England which are members of organisations affiliated to the Independent Schools Council (ISC). The Inspectorate is a separate company and has its work monitored by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). It is one of three independent schools inspectorates empowered to carry out inspections through an agreement with the Department for Education (DfE). ISI's work is monitored by Ofsted on behalf of the DfE. Independent schools which are not members of the ISC are mostly inspected by Ofsted but some are inspected by the Schools Inspection Service (SIS) or Bridge Schools Inspectorate (BSI). Ofsted was also responsible for all boarding school welfare inspection but ISI has, as of January 2012, taken this on for schools belonging to organisations affiliated to the ISC.
The service is run by a Board of Directors, some members of which are representatives of individual school associations, plus three other independent representatives including Mark Stephens.
The head of the service, known as the Chief Inspector, is Christine Ryan.
Independent schools in other parts of the United Kingdom are inspected by the relevant national inspectorate:
- Northern Ireland: Education and Training Inspectorate
- Wales: Estyn
- Scotland: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Famous quotes containing the words independent and/or schools:
“The real, then, is that which, sooner or later, information and reasoning would finally result in, and which is therefore independent of the vagaries of me and you. Thus, the very origin of the conception of reality shows that this conception essentially involves the notion of a COMMUNITY, without definite limits, and capable of a definite increase of knowledge.”
—Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)
“Columbus stood in his age as the pioneer of progress and enlightenment. The system of universal education is in our age the most prominent and salutary feature of the spirit of enlightenment, and it is peculiarly appropriate that the schools be made by the people the center of the day’s demonstration. Let the national flag float over every schoolhouse in the country and the exercises be such as shall impress upon our youth the patriotic duties of American citizenship.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)