Q is for Quality (Over Quantity)

Why doing fewer things well is easier to evidence than doing everything

One of the clearest messages coming through the new EIF is this: inspectors are far less interested in how much a school is doing, and far more interested in how well it understands the choices it has made.

That’s a shift that's worth paying attention to.

For a long time, schools have felt pressure to demonstrate activity. More initiatives. More training. More strategies. More evidence folders. But volume has never been the same thing as quality — and under the new framework, that difference is becoming harder to ignore.

Inspectors want to know what you’ve prioritised, why those priorities matter for your pupils, and how you know your approach is starting to work. Doing fewer things well makes that story clearer, calmer, and far more credible.

Where quality shows up under the new EIF

Quality isn’t about polish. It’s about depth. It shows up when staff can explain why they’re doing something, not just what they’re doing. It shows up when leaders can describe how practice has changed over time, rather than listing initiatives.

Schools that are confident in inspection conversations tend to share a common trait: they’ve resisted the urge to chase everything. Instead, they’ve focused on a small number of priorities and paid close attention to how those priorities are landing in classrooms, corridors, and everyday routines.

This is where SkillsBridge supports schools in a practical way. Rather than encouraging more CPD for the sake of it, it helps leaders see which training is being used, what staff are reflecting on, and where confidence is growing. That insight makes it easier to judge quality without relying on volume.

Five practical ways to keep focus without adding more

Be clear about what you’re concentrating on this term.

Inspectors are interested in clarity. They will ask what your priorities are and why those choices were made.

Make sure staff understand the ‘why’, not just the task.

When staff can explain the purpose behind a focus area, conversations feel confident and consistent.

Check whether initiatives have had time to settle.

Embedding matters more than starting something new.

Use reflection to see what’s landing.

Staff insight helps leaders understand whether practice is actually changing.

Be honest about capacity.

Knowing what you can’t do right now is part of strong leadership, not a weakness.

Quality is easier to evidence because it leaves a much clearer trail. Your conversations are more consistent, your practice is easier to describe, and your evidence feels connected rather than scattered.

And under the new EIF, that clarity really, really matters.

If you’d like a simple structure for reviewing your priorities against the EIF evaluation areas, the Smart Steps Guide to the New EIF  offers a practical starting point. And if talking it through would be more helpful, our Training Partnership Managers are always happy to have a focused CPD conversation about what quality looks like in your setting.

Speak with a Training Partnership Manager