Summary Report on Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland Inspections
Perth and Kinross Council · 25 March 2026
Back to Scrutiny and Performance Committee — 25 March 2026 and its agenda
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Scrutiny and Performance Committee (Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee (1 June 2026)) Date of Meeting: 25 March 2026 Report Title: Summary Report on Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland Inspections Report Number: 26/77 Report Author(s): James Chiles, Performance & Improvement Officer, (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the performance of Education and Learning services inspected and reported on over the past year by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland, since the previous report of this type in 2025, and to set out the service’s approach to implementing improvement actions arising out of inspection. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation 3. Background 4. Summary of Inspections 5. Conclusion 6. Impact Value Assessment 7. Appendices 2. Recommendation It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Scrutinises and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report.
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3. Background 3.1 Care Inspectorate 3.1.1 Regulated care services in Scotland are inspected by the Care Inspectorate using a range of quality frameworks, each with key questions and quality indicators. Services are measured against the National Health and Social Care Standards. 3.1.2 Where inspected, each key question and contributing quality indicator is graded on a six-point scale as follows: 1. Unsatisfactory 2. Weak 3. Adequate 4. Good 5. Very Good 6. Excellent 3.1.3 The updated quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare has been in place for inspections carried out since 1 June 2022. 3.1.4 The framework is framed around four key questions. Each of these include a number of quality indicators for actual inspection which are: How good is our care, play and learning? How good is our setting? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? The final key question is: What is our overall capacity for improvement? This requires a global judgement based on evidence and evaluations from all the other key areas but is not evaluated specifically. 3.1.5 The Care Inspectorate conducts unannounced inspections for all regulated services as the main inspection method, unless there are practical reasons that this is not appropriate. There are longer intervals between inspections for better performing services and a greater focus on risk-based inspections for poorly performing and high-risk services, such as those which provide 24-hour residential care. 3.1.6 Following an inspection, the Care Inspectorate publishes a report that may set out a series of: Recommendations: statements that set out actions that the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service; and
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Requirements: statements which set out what is required of the care service provider to comply with relevant legislation. 3.1.7 Care service providers must submit an action plan to the Care Inspectorate addressing any requirements and recommendations identified. Progress against the action plan is monitored by the Care Inspectorate through annual return and self-assessment forms submitted by the care service provider and through subsequent inspection. 3.2 Education Scotland 3.2.1 Education Scotland inspects and reports on the quality of education in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings, primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, community learning and development services, colleges, and residential educational provision. 3.2.2 ELC settings are subject to inspection by both the Care Inspectorate, and Education Scotland. There are overlaps between the two inspection frameworks, and sometimes inspections are carried out on a joint basis, but in general, Care Inspectorate inspections focus on the care aspects of service provision, and Education Scotland have a focus on Education and Learning. 3.2.3 For ELC inspections, the joint Quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors framework is used. For school inspections, a selection of the How good is our school? (HGIOS4) quality indicators are evaluated on a six-point scale. 3.2.4 A short letter is provided to report the inspection, highlighting strengths and aspects for development, and includes a table indicating the quality indicator evaluations against the six-point scale. The inspection evidence gathered during the inspection is published online as a document called the Summarised Inspection Findings. 3.3 Analysis of Inspection Outcomes 3.3.1 There are a number of factors which make the analysis of the inspection gradings complex. These factors include: Improvements and changes to the inspection models and quality frameworks is such that it is not possible to make direct comparisons across each year; The number of inspections carried out within the local authority area varies from year to year; The selection of quality indicators and themes can vary from inspection to inspection; and
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Partnerships with private providers may change between inspections, meaning that some included inspection results may be for services which are no longer partner providers. 4. Summary of Inspections 4.1 Services Providing Day Care for Children 4.1.1 This section presents an overview of the performance of services providing day care for children inspected over the past year where Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) is the registered provider, and for services registered as funded partners; this includes childminders with funded childcare places. 4.1.2 A total of 15 inspections were carried out and published by the Care Inspectorate since the last presentation of this report in 2025. The Care Inspectorate inspection reports are reported to the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee by exception, where any grading has been awarded an evaluation of unsatisfactory, weak, or excellent. In the last year, no services have been reported for receiving unsatisfactory, weak, or excellent gradings. 4.1.3 Of the 56 gradings awarded, 91% were ‘good’ or better, compared to 88% last year), whilst 38% were ‘very good’ or better, which is a decrease from the 46% achieved last year. 4.1.4 Appendix A (Summary of performance, services providing day care of children inspected by the Care Inspectorate), provides further details and interpretation of the overall figures on an annual basis, as well as comparator and national benchmarks, and a summary of the current position for all settings. 4.2 ELC Settings and Schools – Education Scotland Inspections 4.2.1 This section presents an overview of the performance of PKC ELC settings, including partner providers, and schools, inspected by Education Scotland and reported to the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee. 4.2.2 A total of 8 inspections were carried out and published by Education Scotland since the last presentation of this report in 2025, which included 2 primary inspections, 2 joint inspections of a nursery and primary setting, 1 secondary inspection and 1 follow-up report on a secondary setting. 4.2.3 A combined summary of achievement (2016/17 to date) as well as performance against comparator local authorities and Scotland as a whole, is shown in Appendix B (Overview and Comparison of Education Scotland Inspections 2016/17 - 2025/26 by Performance Indicator).
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PKC consistently outperforms both the comparator group of local authorities and the Scotland average across both the primary school and ELC sectors. Performance for secondary inspections is generally lower than the Scotland average, and similar to or slightly below our comparator authorities. 4.2.4 Areas for improvement, identified during an inspection, are addressed through a School Action Plan. Progress against the plan is monitored and a report prepared for parents/carers (and is also shared with the PKC Area Lead Officer) within one year of the report being published. 4.2.5 Inspection reports are scrutinised by members of the Executive Sub- Committee of the Learning and Families Committee. 5. Conclusion 5.1 The analysis of the gradings and reports by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland provide positive confirmation that the standards and quality in our services remain high and set a clear agenda for continuous improvement. 6. Impact Value Assessment 6.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. 7. Appendices 7.1 Appendix A: Summary of performance, services providing day care of children inspected by the Care Inspectorate. 7.2 Appendix B: Overview and Comparison of Education Scotland Inspections 2016/17 - 2025/26 by Performance Indicator.