Almost half of state schools in Scotland have not been inspected in a decade, figures have shown. Figures obtained through a freedom of information request show just 57 per cent of state schools, and 54 per cent of independent schools, were inspected after 2012/13.
Education Scotland is tasked with assessing the conditions of Scottish schools, however, the Scottish Government confirmed it plans to replace the organisation with a new inspections agency. Inspections were halted during the Covid-19 pandemic but resumed at the start of the 2022 academic year.
Liam Kerr, education spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said the figures were "completely unacceptable" as they left parents in the dark about potential failings at their children's schools. He urged Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth to act to ensure all schools are inspected on a routine basis.
Mr Kerr said: "The fact that's more than half of Scottish schools have gone a decade without inspection is completely unacceptable. We need a rigorous, reliable and, above all, regular inspections system so that parents are aware of how their child's school is performing and so that schools know what they need to do to improve what they are offering pupils.
"That's particularly crucial post-Covid because of the toll that the various lockdowns have taken on pupils' education and the need for them to get back on track. But these figures show that, in too many cases, we are kept in the dark over the performance of our schools on the SNP's watch.
"That's not good enough when, despite the best efforts of dedicated teachers, Scotland's education system is stretched to breaking point after 16 years of SNP neglect. Jenny Gilruth must urgently get on top of this issue and ensure that regular school inspections are put in place, for the benefit of parents, pupils and teachers.
"At a time when the attainment gap remains enormous, teacher morale is at rock bottom and classroom violence is rising, these staggering statistics are proof that education never was and never will be a priority of this SNP government."
An Education Scotland spokesperson said: "In Scotland schools are inspected on a proportionate basis, using a sampling approach rather than a cyclical model. The criteria used to select schools includes the type of school, deprivation, balance across local authorities as well as other factors including local circumstances.
"Additionally, in Scotland overall responsibility for the quality of education and securing continuous improvement sits with the local authority in line with the three-level approach to evaluating and improving education. Firstly schools have a responsibility to evaluate their performance; secondly local authorities have responsibility for the quality of education in their area; and the third level is inspection carried out by HM Inspectors of Education."
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