Deputy Chief Inspector (DCI)

The Independent Schools Inspectorate is an independent, expert organisation appointed by the Secretary of State for Education to conduct high-quality inspections against the regulations for independent schools in England.  These regulations are The Independent School Standards and are set by Parliament.  All independent schools in England must meet these Standards and we report to the Department for Education on the extent to which these Standards are met. For schools providing pupil accommodation, we also inspect against additional requirements set out in the National Minimum Standards (NMS) for Boarding Compliance and against the Early years inspection framework where relevant. All inspection reports are published on the ISI website. The Department for Education sets out detailed requirements that all independent inspectorates must meet in order to retain continued approval.

There are approximately 2,300 independent schools in England, and ISI inspects those which are members of the associations which make up the Independent Schools Council (approximately 1,300 schools).  The remaining schools are inspected by Ofsted.  The schools we inspect tend to be the larger independent schools; over 85% of pupils in independent education in England attend schools inspected by ISI.  The schools we inspect vary greatly in character, from small day schools to large boarding schools, single sex, specialist schools like music and dance schools and schools with a specific religious ethos.