Working with Independent School Review
Introduction and overview of Independent School Review features The options and benefits of scoring management practice
Help, advice and guidance Managing performance using balanced scorecard principles
The self-evaluation structure Outputs from the Balanced Scorecard features
Department self-evaluation and improvement Strategic analysis using S.W.O.T. principles
Collated self-evaluation and improvement options at school level


The self-evaluation structure


Independent School Review has a self-evaluation structure that is designed to address the quality statements in all the standards that independent schools are required to meet, or those that they may seek to achieve. Consequently the structure addresses the quality statements of:
  • The Independent Schools Council Inspection Framework
  • The Commission for Social Care minimum standards for Boarding
  • The Every Child Matters Framework for Joint Area Reviews
  • The EFQM Excellence Model
  • The Investors in People Standard
  • ISO 14001:2004 (environment management)
  • OHSAS 18001:1999 (occupational health and safety management)

To address, and cross reference to, the criteria of all these standards Independent School Review has 80 quality statements (issues) listed in 8 sections. The sections reflect the framework of the most important quality standard, i.e. The Independent Schools Council Inspection Framework. Click here to download these 80 quality statements.

The text of these quality statements is drawn in the main from the text of the quality statements in the ISI Inspection Framework. Additional text has been added, carefully, to reflect the criteria of the CSCI inpection framework thje the criteria of the other external quality statements.

These 80 quality statements underpin self-evaluation for both departments and the school as a whole.

Click an image to enlarge - If necessary Click for Options>Allow blocked content>Yes


There are several illustration files that enable you to view the quality statements in Independent School Review:

  • to access a suitable file either click Open on the Quickstart screen or click File>Open on the menu bar;
  • then highlight the Illustration Consensus 092006.ada file and click Open.

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The first screen introduces the 8 self-assessment sections and the available quality standards. Clicjk the text of a section to access guidance on the content of each section.

Because the CSCI standards only apply to boarding schools, there is a choice of 4 terminology options for the quality statements - School Boarding, School Day Only, Department Boarding and Department Day Only. Selecting the correct terminology for the user 's school makes the text of the quality statements more friendly. 3 of the quality statements only apply to Boarding and these are hidden when Day Only is selected.


Clicking the Index button at the bottom of the screen accesses a screen which lists all 8 sections on the left hand screen and the quality standards.

Highlighting a section lists the short headings of all the quality statements (issues) in a section on the right hand screen together with other screens, e.g. QuickStart.

Clicking the short heading of any quality statement (issue) or screen location on the right hand screen, or a quality standard will take you to the quality statement screen.

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 You can also view the quality statements in the majority of the 13 workbooks in Independent School Review. The workbook range provides relevant quality statements in either boarding or day only terminology for the school, academic or non-academic departments or Department/ House Management.

These workbooks can be accessed either by clicking the Text button on the QuickStart screen or by clicking Help>View Workbooks on the main menu bar.

The workbooks, which group the quality statements together, are used for self-evaluation at Department or School level, and can form the basis of self-evaluation reports .


The illustrated workbook shows how the quality statements are grouped together to aid debate in group sessions.

All the workbooks are in MS Word table format and users can type 'notepad' information into the appropriate boxes which are coloured to ensure that the text information is put in the correct cell.

These workbooks using quality statements are an important feature of self-evaluation

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Each quality statement (issue) has an individual screen in it's relevant section. For each quality statement (issue):

  • the full text is displayed with any reference to the criteria of the ISI Inspection Framework. ;
  • a priority for the quality statement can be set using the 'traffic lights' - red = critical, yellow = important and blue = relevant;
  • self-evaluation information is entered by clicking the Notepad button;
  • there is an option to score performance using a simple scale that has appropriate marker points;
  • if appropriate, there is a button to access the school's management information system;
  • action points to be included in medium term improvement plans are entered by clicking the Action button .
  • relevant criteria for quality standards can be viewed by clicking the Quality Standards button;


Guidance on the quality statements is provided by clicking the Issue Guidance button which displays a screen which shows the relationship to:
  • the text of related ISI Inspection framework criteria;
  • the text of related criteria for the Commission for Social Care minimum standards for Boarding Schools;
  • the text of related outcomes of Every Child Matters

If 'Day Only' terminology is selected the Issue Guidance will not refer to the CSCI standard which is only appropriate to boarding schools

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For product background details, prices etc. go to the website product page. Click here to download Independent School Review 3.4 and here to access a rapid software evaluation routine in .pdf format for department self-evaluation.