Independent Schools Inspectorate

The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is an organisation responsible for the inspection of independent schools in England which are members of organisations affiliated to the Independent Schools Council (ISC). It is one of three independent schools inspectorates empowered to carry out inspections through an agreement with the Department for Education (DfE). As of January 2012, ISI also inspects all boarding school welfare provision for the schools within its remit, making it the largest inspectorate of school boarding provision in the UK. ISI's work is monitored by Ofsted on behalf of the DfE. Independent schools which are not members of the ISC are mostly inspected by Ofsted but some are inspected by the Schools Inspection Service (SIS) or Bridge Schools Inspectorate (BSI). ISI is a DfE approved inspectorate for British Schools Overseas and provides education services, including inspection, in all the continents of the world with the exception of the Arctic, Antarctica and currently Australia. ISI also conducts Educational Oversight inspections of private further education colleges and English language schools in England and Wales on behalf of the Home Office. These inspections provide published reports on the quality of education in organisations holding a Tier 4 licence to sponsor international students under the Points Based System. The inspections are for the benefit of the students and seeks to improve the quality and effectiveness of their education.

The service is run by a Board of Directors under the Independent Chairmanship of Peter Williamson. Some board members are nominated by associations but not representatives of them, plus three other independent directors including Mark Stephens.

The head of the service, known as the Chief Inspector, is Christine Ryan.

Independent schools in other parts of the United Kingdom are inspected by the relevant national inspectorate: