We believe there is much that is good about our schools, yet we also know that there is more we can all learn. Building a healthy system of knowledge management requires a moral commitment to sharing and learning. Collaboration is at the heart of that all we do in the Challenge Partnership, and the activities within the group are underpinned by an ethos of open accountability and trust. Within this we recognise the importance of strong quality assurance.

The Challenge Partners quality assurance and assessment is built around a professionally led peer review focused on teaching and learning. The review highlights areas of strength, including outstanding knowledge within hubs and across the Partners; and it also identifies those areas for development, bringing key challenges to schools for the coming year.

The strength of the review lies in how it brings together the rigour and professionalism of Ofsted with the care and collaborative approach of a partnership. This is a joint exercise between the review team and the school. All observations and meetings include a member of school team working alongside the reviewers. Discussion about the findings and even the writing of the report are a collaborative effort between the review team and the school’s senior leadership team. This approach enables honest and open conversations about where the school is and where it is going, to the benefit of all concerned.

Another of the significant benefits that the review brings is the development opportunities for senior staff. By nature of being a peer review, conducted by current practitioners, those on the review team itself receive a rich developmental experience as they step into another environment working alongside a trained Ofsted inspector; experiences and learning which they can then take back to their own school.

Following the review, Partners meet together in their hubs to discuss the outcome of the review and determine how they can best work together to capitalise on their strengths and address their areas for development.

As you participate in the review, whether as a reviewer or one being reviewed, we trust you will find it both a beneficial and enjoyable experience.