New HMIE publication: Improving Our Curriculum through Self-Evaluation

This new document published by HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) supplements the advice given in ‘How good is our school?’ (HGIOS) third edition and ‘The Child at the Centre’ second edition which set out comprehensive quality frameworks and provided helpful advice on the process of improvement through self-evaluation.

It focuses on the use of Quality Indicator 5.1: The curriculum, to help schools and centres to evaluate and improve their curriculum. It has been written primarily for pre-school centres and primary, special and secondary schools. Colleges and other partner providers will also find it useful in evaluating their contributions to the curriculum for learners from 3 to 18.

It has been designed to support schools and centres by:

• encouraging a consistent approach to evaluating QI 5.1: The curriculum; and
• providing sets of questions and examples from schools that have engaged with Curriculum for Excellence which can be used to evaluate the quality of the curriculum.

This guide will help school staff evaluate and improve the quality of the curriculum. It will be useful to staff in education authorities and national agencies involved in supporting Curriculum for Excellence and improvement through self-evaluation. It will be used by HMIE in evaluating the curriculum in all school and pre-school inspections.

The new inspections, commencing in September 2008, will build directly on the school or centre’s self-evaluation as the starting point for inspection. The inspections will involve dialogue between inspectors and staff about their progress in improving their curriculum and the emerging benefits for learners.

This is an important guide in the most central aspect of a school or centre’s work to improve outcomes for learners.

HMIE publication: Improving Our Curriculum through Self-Evaluation