Accountability and school inspections

We are an established world authority on school inspection and evaluation, having inspected schools around the world for almost 30 years. We work with governments to raise standards in schools through accountability: we support better education metrics, inspection and quality assurance systems and help policymakers and practitioners use data for decision-making and accountability at all levels.

Excellence in school inspections around the world

We work hand-in-hand with governments to design and implement effective inspections frameworks that suit local contexts and demands. We have a long history of expertise in inspections and accountability, having collaborated with Ofsted – the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills – in England, since its establishment in 1993.

As a world leader in accountability, we continue to develop evidence-informed accountability and school evaluation methodologies specifically designed to meet the needs of individual education systems – in both high-income and low-and-middle-income contexts. Our expertise ranges from the earliest stages of education right through to technical and vocational education for older students and school leavers.

Our international footprint extends to working in partnership with government agencies in places as diverse as India, Thailand, Jamaica, and the Middle East.

An established authority in accountability and inspections in the Middle East

We have an excellent track record of improving school standards through inspection in the Middle East. From setting up Dubai’s very first inspections framework with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, to reviewing school quality on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Education Council, we have built up extensive expertise in the region.

Our achievements in the Middle East include:

delivering evaluations in early years settings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to support the Ministry of Education (MoE) in developing and implementing a new framework for early years education
supporting Bahrain’s Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA) to develop a fully nationalised Bahraini inspector force, enabling Bahrain to become the first country in the Gulf to conduct inspections through a highly capable cadre of 100% local inspectors
supporting the delivery of inspections across a range of private schools on behalf of the UAE MoE
delivering evaluations in schools in Dubai and the Northern Emirates on behalf of the UAE MoE to pilot its new School Evaluation and Inspection Framework
conducting institutional reviews of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges on behalf of the Colleges of Excellence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Reviewer Competency Quality Mark (RCQM)

The Reviewer Competency Quality Mark (RCQM) is EDT’s inspector certification, which develops the skills, knowledge, and competencies of inspectors to international standards.

The RCQM combines face-to-face instruction with practical, on-the-job training, supported by intensive coaching and mentoring. The programme is built on a competency framework that covers key areas of professional expertise at Team Inspector and Lead Inspector levels.

Successful completion of the RCQM leads to the endorsement of inspector performance against the best internationally recognised standards.

Download our School inspector training brochure

Inspecting British schools overseas

We are authorised by the Department for Education (DfE) in England to inspect British schools overseas – international schools offering a UK curriculum – through the British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection process. With endorsement from the DfE and using a transparent framework of quality expectations, inspection under this system is benchmarked against the standards expected of effective independent schools in England. The BSO process is monitored and quality-assured by Ofsted.

The value of the BSO inspection lies, above all, in the rigour of the inspection process that gives recognition to a school and highlights both its strengths and weaknesses in relation to clearly defined standards and expectations. This reference provides reassurance for current and prospective parents and a focus for further development.

We provide schools with an inspection service delivered by quality-assured and respected inspectors with high levels of credibility and relevant experience. Our BSO inspections also benefit from local intelligence derived from our global presence through our offices in many of the key markets for British schools overseas.

Our International Schools Quality Mark accreditation

Our world-leading expertise now extends not only to countries around the world, but also to our own international school inspection framework, the International Schools Quality Mark (ISQM). This accreditation for international schools is awarded subject to rigorous quality standards, demonstrating that a school has shown high standards of student achievement, an effective curriculum, effective use of resources, a successful leadership team, and partnerships with parents and the community. Alongside inspection for accreditation, our teams also offer continued advice and support to ISQM-accredited schools.

Contact us to find out more about our work in quality assurance, accountability, and school inspections around the world.