More than 120 schools in Tayside and Fife have not been inspected since 2011, figures have revealed.
Data published by the Scottish Government show that a total of 126 primary and secondary schools across Dundee, Angus, Perth and Kinross and Fife have not been inspected in at least a decade.
The data also shows that at least two schools in the regions have not been inspected for 15 years.
The majority of schools not inspected since 2011 or before are primary schools.
When was your child’s school last inspected? Use our table below to find out:
Some schools not inspected since 2006
In Courier Country, Fife had the most schools that have not been inspected in at least a decade.
The Scottish Government publication showed that there are 57 schools in the Kingdom which have gone ten years or more without a visit from Education Scotland.
Tulliallan Primary School, in the village of Kincardine, was last inspected in December 2006, with Balmerino Primary School and Cardenden Primary last inspected in 2007.
In Perth and Kinross, there were 30 schools which were last inspected in 2011 or before.
Rattray Primary School, in Blairgowrie and Rattray, was last visited by Education Scotland in December 2007, whilst Balhousie Primary and Pitlochry High School were last inspected in 2008.
In Angus, there were 26 schools which were last inspected a decade or more ago. Similar to Tulliallan Primary School in Fife, Newtyle Primary School was last inspected in February 2006.
Glamis Primary School, in Forfar, has not been inspected since 2007, whilst Birkhill Primary, Borrowfield Primary and Lochside Primary, as well as Arbroath Academy were last inspected in 2008.
In Dundee, there are 13 schools which have not been inspected since 2011 or before.
Four of them, St John’s High School, Downfield Primary, Claypotts Primary and Criagowl Primary, have not been inspected since 2009.
What do school inspectors look at?
Education Scotland inspectors will evaluate how well a school or early learning and childcare establishment is performing in a range of key areas.
Inspectors focus on the “quality of children’s learning and achievement“, with a particular interest in how the school is developing children’s skills and understanding in literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing.
School inspections ‘significantly increased’ before Covid
School inspections in Scotland are carried out by Education Scotland, a Scottish Government executive agency aimed at “supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education”.
Education Scotland paused all inspection activity due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 and in the 2020-21 school year no school inspections were carried out in Scotland.
However, last month the authority announced its intention to restart inspection after the 18-month hiatus.
A spokeswoman for Education Scotland said: “Schools are selected for inspection on a proportionate basis, using a sampling approach and predetermined set criteria rather than a cyclical approach. Prior to Covid-19, Education Scotland significantly increased the number of school inspections.
“In the academic year 2018/19, Education Scotland completed 252 school inspection – an increase of over 30% on the previous year. In academic year 2019/20, Education Scotland had committed to carrying out at least 250 school inspections. This was on track to be achieved.
“However, the inspection programme was paused on 13 March 2020 due to Covid-19, which meant that the programme for the academic year could not be completed as planned.
“We announced last month that HM Inspectors will visit schools and settings where they made a commitment before the pandemic to return for a further inspection.
“Timing arrangements will be planned in advance with local authorities and the relevant schools and the visits. There are over 90 visits planned to be carried out before the end of 2021.”
Schools Catchment Checker: Find out about the schools in your catchment area in Tayside and Fife