School inspection in England needs reform. That is hardly a controversial statement these days.

The recent Beyond Ofsted report, outlining numerous ideas for change, shows how much is up for discussion, and no doubt the soon-to-be-appointed new Ofsted chief inspector, Sir Martyn Olivier, will hear plenty more calls for reform as he prepares to take over.

The idea of scrapping one-word inspection judgements in favour of report cards will perhaps be one of the biggest debates, but, for many, more fundamental reform is needed.

Changing Ofsted school inspections

Of course, revamping an entire school inspection regime is not easy. But it’s not as if England is the only nation with school inspections, so perhaps we can draw inspiration from around the world?

As international director for Wellington College International, I have responsibility for the quality assurance process for eight schools in China, Thailand and India. This means regularly coming into contact with other inspection regimes, including those specific to international schools.

And that is where I think some useful lessons could be learned for England - not least that the word “accreditation” is often used rather than “inspection”.

There is more to this difference than just semantics. In an inspection, judgements are handed down. During an accreditation, the standards to be met are explored in professional conversations about continuing school development.

Ideas from international schools

For example, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) accredits schools with the philosophy that “school development lies at the heart of our non-judgemental approach, based on professional partnership and rigorous standards”.

The Council of International Schools (CIS) says its accreditation is a “rigorous school-wide evaluative process that measures alignment with internationally benchmarked standards and provides guidance for continuous improvement”.

Ofsted declares, on the corresponding part of its website, that: “We inspect services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.” What it doesn’t say there speaks volumes. The difference in ethos and approach is clear just from these opening lines.

Meanwhile, British Schools Overseas’ (BSO) reports shun one-word judgements and instead provide detailed reports that list areas of strengths and areas for improvement. If such reports are suitable for schools teaching the British curriculum around the world, why not at home, too?

Seeing this from the other side, when I trained to be an evaluator for CIS, showed me how things could be better for state schools, too.

In particular, the training asks that any evaluation should start from a position of appreciation for all that the school is doing - helping to set a clear tone for the visit as collaborative and supportive.

Enforcing high standards

This does not mean that standards are not robust or not enforced. When a school is not yet meeting the standards, the visiting team will engage in dialogue with the school and write clear recommendations that it needs to address.

This is not done in an overly prescriptive way but it simply makes clear where issues lie and the outcomes needed to achieve accreditation. This is how CIS manages to find a middle way between being an inspection body and a school improvement body - though some argue that Ofsted cannot have a school improvement role.

Meanwhile, areas of strength are articulated clearly across each standard. Commendations are then published for all to read so other schools can draw on this good practice and visited schools can celebrate what is going well for them.

COBIS reports go even further with beacons of good practice, so schools in their community know where to turn for support. Available on its website is a list of the schools that have achieved beacon status, when they did so and the area where they excel.

So if you want support with values and ethos, for example, you would be directed to Wellington College International Hangzhou; for support with extracurricular, enrichment and engagement, it would be Jerudong International School, Brunei; or for student welfare, it would be Marlborough College Malaysia.

A similar system for Ofsted could lead to instant networks of school support, targeting support where it is needed most from those most willing to provide it.

Put all of this together and you can perhaps start to see that there is another way: school review rather than inspection. A system of recommendations to develop, where schools get some support with that, rather than everything hinging on one word at the end of two days.

Perhaps reform of school inspection doesn’t need to start from scratch. There is a system here that already works that has school improvement at its heart. Schools get better together when everyone shares what works - and that can only be for the benefit of all pupils, wherever they are in the country or, indeed, the world.

Chris Woolf is international director at Wellington College International