The Catholic Schools Inspectorate (CSI), which brings together the diocesan school inspectors of England and Wales into one body, recently started its inaugural work of inspecting Catholic schools.

It acts under the new National Inspection Framework which was agreed by the Bishops earlier this year.

The CSI and National Inspection Framework have been developed with the support of the Catholic Education Service (CES) and the National Board of Religious Inspectors and Advisors (NBRIA).

Catholic schools have been subject to inspection frameworks set by the Bishops ever since the Catholic dioceses were first restored in 1848.

The CSI and new National Inspection Framework aim to improve the rigour, consistency, objectivity, oversight, and accountability of inspections. 

The CSI logo takes as its logo the bishop's crosier, which is a symbol of his pastoral office. Inspection is one of the ways the bishop acts as a 'good shepherd' to his schools.

The different parts of the crosier have traditionally been interpreted in ways that reflect the ways this care will be evident in the inspection process. The curve of the crosier directs the straying back onto the right path; the pointy end prods those who are stuck and prompts them to get moving; and the bar between the two supports all the rest.

Pupils, parents, teachers, inspectors, and generations to come will benefit from the CSI and the new framework which advance the Catholic mission of Catholic schools.