
Quality Assurance Review
Honest and insightful conversations driving school improvement.
The Quality Assurance Review (QA Review) is Challenge Partners’ sector-leading peer audit, with its laser focus on teaching and learning, curriculum and outcomes, narrowing achievement gaps, and leadership at all levels. Most schools in our partnership opt to have a QA Review each year, seeing it as a catalysing comma in an ongoing school improvement dialogue among colleagues and peers.
Overview
Our popular flagship programme is a three-day rigorous peer evaluation. Headed by an expert lead reviewer, reviews are conducted by a trained team of headteachers and senior leaders from schools within Challenge Partners.
Working with the host school, they celebrate the school’s strengths and identify areas for development, looking closely at the experiences of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds or with additional needs.
All review activities are joint and all outputs are agreed with the school – in a robust process that is done with, not to.
“The review gave us the opportunity to thoroughly examine the school and validate our evaluation with external input. We have also built connections with other senior leaders and plan to collaborate on future projects”
James Aldred, Headteacher, The Garibaldi School

How does it work?
Each school hosts an annual review, and reciprocates by sending their headteacher and senior leaders to review other schools in the partnership, providing unique experiential learning and continuous professional development for all involved.
Schools have the option to apply for accreditation in Areas of Excellence to celebrate exceptional practice and share with the network.
“It is quality assurance, but it is not Ofsted. That's fundamental because it is genuinely rooted in school improvement and mutual peer co-reflection together, about what can and should be the next step. Because no school has completely got to a point where there isn't more that could be done. So it's a massive vehicle for improvement.”
Vicky Barwell, Principal of Rushey Mead Academy

The Review Report
Following the QA Review, host schools will receive a report that captures the agreed What Works Wells and Even Better Ifs as discussed in the reflection meeting.
Benefits of participating in a QA review

An annual audit of school improvement
An audit of strengths and development areas as part of your evaluation and school improvement cycle

Hosting a review
Unique experiential leadership development opportunities for leaders and senior staff through hosting a review, and reviewing other schools, with coaching from the lead reviewer

A review report
A review report to highlight strengths, areas for development and next steps

Optional accreditation
Optional accreditation of areas of excellent practice to celebrate with your staff and share across the partnership
97%
of schools said participating in the QA Review had left their school in a better place

95%
of reviewers brought an idea back to their own schools to discuss as a result of taking part in a QA Review in the past year
2024/25 School Brochure
Find out the full details including pricing of our 2024/25 QA Review, testimonials and more in our brochure.