BASIC INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE CZECH SCHOOL INSPECTORATE
The Czech School Inspectorate is an administrative body of the Czech Republic and an organizational component of the state. The institution is established by the School Act
(Act No. 561/2014 on Pre-school, Basic, Secondary, Tertiary Professional and Other Education). It is headed by
the Chief School Inspector, appointed (and dismissed) by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
The Czech School Inspectorate (CSI) consists of
headquarters based in Prague and
14 regional inspectorates the location of which corresponds to 14 regional territories of the Czech Republic.
The Czech School Inspectorate
evaluates and analyses operation in nursery, primary, secondary and vocational schools, as well as in school facilities (e.g. school canteens, youth dormitories) which have been entered
into the Register of Schools and School Facilities. The CSI evaluates also facilities providing vocational training or job practice. In this way, the CSI acquires relevant and broadly usable data on conditions and quality of the education system in the Czech Republic.
Inspectors visit schools established by various founders - state, private or church schools.
Beside evaluation and monitoring, the CSI executes
also control activities, namely a compliance with legal regulations related to provision of education and school services check and public-legal audit of state budget funding.
Schools and school facilities are usually inspected within regular inspection cycles. Since the school year 2013/2014, this inspection cycle has been changed from 3 years to 6 years.
The inspection activity itself is based on two key documents, namely the
Plan of Principle Assignments of the CSI for the respective year and the set of
Criteria for Evaluation of Conditions, Course and Outcomes of Education. Both documents are to be yearly approved by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) before the beginning of the respective school year.
According to the School Act the CSI especially:
a) acquire and analyse information on the education of children, pupils and students, on the activities of schools and school facilities registered in the Register of Schools and School Facilities, and monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the educational system;
b) determine and assess the conditions, course and results of education in accordance with relevant school educational programmes;
c) determine and assess to what extent the school educational programme is met and whether it is in compliance with legal regulations and the framework educational programme;
d) perform state checks to determine whether legal regulations relating to provision of education and school services are met;
e) perform a public-legal audit focused on the use of funds allocated from the state budget.
Standard and quality of provided education is assessed from the perspective of a child/pupil/student’s personal development support and from the perspective of required educational outcomes achieved by individual schools.
The CSI monitors fulfilment of the above mentioned duties also in foreign schools.
CSI staff comprise also inspectors responsible for the
European Schools, which are supranational educational institutions established on the basis of international agreements between the European Union countries. These institutions provide pre-school, primary and secondary general education, completed by European Baccalaureate. Each Member State nominates two inspectors guaranteeing the content and quality of education provided by European Schools.
Inspection work is performed also on the basis of incentives and complaints of parents, pupils, school employees, founders or other state administrative bodies, belonging in terms of their content to the CSI competence. Such investigations are carried out in addition to the regular inspection cycle, i.e.
ad hoc after receiving respective incentive, complaint or petition.
Besides the activities mentioned above, CSI representatives take part in selection procedure for a principal of school or school facility.
Furtheremore, the CSI
collects data on pupils' injuries coming about during educational process and/or during activities directly related to education and provision of school services. CSI has been collecting or continuously registering entries about accidents and injuries since 2005. Schools and school facilities are obliged to provide this data via electronic forms.
Evaluation scale
External evaluation is carried out according to a four point scale:
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1. State of crisis adequate for removal from the School Register. A school or a school facility does not provide education in compliance with principles and rules stipulated in the School Act; health or security of children/pupils/students or school employees is endangered; the school does not accomplish personal, material or financial requirements. A legal entity carrying out the school activities gave intentionally false data in obligatory reports.
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2. State of risk with a chance for correction within a given deadline. Evaluated areas are found to be mostly in a negative state, current activities are not in compliance with legal regulations, the School Educational Programme (approved teaching documents) is not observed, planning, quality and sustainable development management is inefficient or unprovable, serious imperfections occur. The internal control and self-evaluation system is insufficient, incomplete or ineffective.
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3. Required state. Ordinary (standard) operational state prevails in the evaluated areas, school activities are in compliance with legal regulations and with the School Educational Programme (approved teaching documents), legal regulations are breached only exceptionally. Observed imperfections are mostly negligible and possible to be removed in a very short time or even on the spot during the inspection activity. The internal control and self-evaluation system is sufficient and complete.
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4. Extraordinary state. Perfect conditions unambiguously prevail in the evaluated areas, school activities are in conformity with legal regulations and with the School Educational Programme (approved teaching documents). The school has an internal control and self-evaluation system functional at all levels. The school participates successfully in national and international projects (e.g. development programs, ESF projects). In case of partial imperfections, the school takes measures continuously and succeeds in their realization.
Inspection activity outcomes
Main outcomes of inspection activities at the school level are inspection reports, thematic reports and public-legal audit protocols.
An inspection report contains ascertained facts presented according to the evaluation scale. It includes conclusions listing both strong and weak points of the particular school as well as deadlines for imperfections removal or improvement suggestions in the assessed areas. In case of private schools an evaluation statement is additionally included into the inspection report which has an impact on financial funding from the state budget.
So called thematic reports are elaborated on the basis of thematically focused inspections carried out several times in a school year. The CSI Annual Report contains summarized evidence on conditions, course and outcomes of education in the monitored areas in the respective school year.
All the documents listed above with an exception of public-legal audit protocols are public and accessible on the CSI website.