Recently there was a Scottish Government consultation on the School Inspection Process. STARME have submitted the following postion statement regarding this.
STARME: Position Statement on Future Inspection Frameworks and Inspectorate Practice
The Scottish Teachers’ Association of Religious and Moral Education (STARME) starts by affirming the fundamental necessity of the inspectorate’s role in upholding the statutory requirement for the provision of Religious and Moral Education (RME) in non-denominational schools and Religious Education – Roman Catholic (RERC) in the denominational sector. However, recent research pertaining to inspection reports clearly demonstrates that the current highly variable and inconsistent approach to RME/RERC inspection contributes significantly to the subject’s precarious status and widespread non-compliance across the Scottish educational landscape (Scholes, 2025 & 2022). This inconsistency represents a systemic failure to support a legally unique curriculum area.
Consequently, STARME asserts that any forthcoming inspection model and associated inspectorate practice must prioritise the following core principles. These principles are designed to address the statutory position of religious education across all state-funded schools and ensure its effective, high-quality implementation in both the non-denominational and denominational sectors.
1. Specialism and Leadership
To directly mitigate the systemic inconsistency and evident lack of specialist oversight identified in current practice, the inspection process for RME/RERC must be immediately reformed. This reform must guarantee expert professional knowledge is consistently applied across both RME and RERC curricula.
- Expert Inspectors and Curricular Knowledge
- It is required that the inspection of RME and RERC is conducted solely by personnel who are demonstrably knowledgeable about the curricular, policy, and distinct legal aspects of provision in both the non-denominational and denominational contexts. The complexity of these separate curricular schemes, particularly in relation to the legal ‘Conscience Clause’ and the specific educational goals of RME versus RERC, necessitates a high degree of specialism that cannot be fulfilled by generalist inspectors. This is a non-negotiable imperative, particularly given the ongoing legislative developments with the Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill, which necessitate a deep understanding of RME’s legal base and its implications.
1.2 National Leadership
- The inspectorate must proactively identify and maintain an Inspector with National Responsibility for RME/RERC provision. This leadership role is essential for driving a coherent, knowledge-focused curriculum agenda across the country (aligning with the Curriculum Improvement Cycle’s focus on knowledge). This individual must oversee a national team of specialists or, at least specialist professional learning for other inspectors, to ensure the highest standards of inspection practice, drawing inspiration from curriculum-focused inspectorate models observed in other jurisdictions (e.g., England) where such expertise is central to subject evaluation (OFSTED, 2024).
2. Clarity
Inspection documentation and subsequent practice must cease the conflation of RME and RERC with other aspects of schooling. This ensures that school leadership teams receive clarity regarding their legal obligations and the possibilities for the curriculum.
2.1 Distinction between Religious Instruction and Observance
- Inspectors must be explicitly trained and required to clearly distinguish RME/RERC from Religious Observance (RO) within the inspection model and resulting reports. This clear delineation is crucial across both primary and secondary sectors.
3. Consistency
The inspection of RME/RERC cannot be treated as a discretionary or optional element that is omitted during curtailed inspection models. The reporting of RME and RERC must be systematic and furnish evidence-based data to inform national policy-making.
3.1 Consistent Inspection Approach Across All Models
- We require a consistent approach to inspecting RME and RERC across all inspection models and school stages, including “short” or thematic inspections. The current practice of omitting RME/RERC from “short” inspections represents a fundamental oversight of the subject’s statutory nature. This consistency must ensure the statutory compliance regarding RME/RERC is reviewed and evaluated in every school.
3.2 Consistent Reporting
- The inspectorate must implement a consistent approach to reporting on RME and RERC. As inspectorate reporting constitutes a major source of evidence for policy formation, local authority intervention, and national development, this data must be systematically collected and clearly communicated across all reports. This detailed, systematic reporting ensures transparency regarding the quality and extent of RME/RERC provision, irrespective of whether a specific ‘quality indicator’ is utilised. The reporting should provide clear evidence regarding the quality of the curriculum, its progression, and its capacity to meet the diverse needs of learners.
4. Recognition of Implementation Challenges
To secure sustainable and consistent provision across all state-funded schools, the inspection model must acknowledge the systemic pressures confronting RME/RERC departments and school leaders that lead to non-compliance (Scholes, 2025).
4.1 Recognising Systemic Challenges
- The positive practice observed in more recent reports must be continued and formalised as an essential part of the inspection process: inspectors must recognise and provide an explanation for inadequate RME/RERC provision where systemic challenges, such as chronic staffing shortages (e.g., lack of qualified specialist teachers) or insufficient resourcing, are identified as the causative factors. This acknowledgement is not an absolution of responsibility but a necessary shift in focus. It moves inspection from merely documenting punitive non-compliance toward supporting the necessary systemic improvements required at the local authority and national level to deliver this mandatory subject across all of Scotland’s state-funded schools. By explicitly citing these challenges, the inspectorate provides the evidence base required by policy makers to allocate appropriate resources and secure the statutory integrity of religious education provision.
References
Scholes, S. C. (2022). Precarious provision and mixed messages: religious education, school inspection, and the law in Scottish non-denominational secondary schools. British Journal of Religious Education 44 (4): 512-527. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2022.2036101
Scholes, S. C. (2025). The Marginalization of Religious Education: Solutions for a Shared Challenge from Scotland. Religious Education 120 (5): 473-498. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2025.2541484
OFSTED. (2024). Deep and Meaningful? The Religious Education Subject Report. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/subject-report-series-religious-education/deep-and-meaningful-the-religious-education-subject-report
0 Comments