Jane l'Anson, Head of Partnership Reach and Experience, Challenge Partners
Last week, I had the privilege of shadowing my first Challenge Partners Quality Assurance Review.
I was warmly welcomed at Iqra Primary Academy in Bradford by the headteacher and senior leadership team, as well as the incredible peer reviewers—headteachers and senior leaders who travelled from Oldham, Leicester, and Tameside to complete the review team. Over three days, I witnessed first-hand the collaborative magic of this process.
Having spent my career as a teacher, school leader, and trustee, I’ve been through more Ofsted inspections than I care to count and have been part of, designed, and sometimes led countless internal quality assurance processes. Yet the Challenge Partners Quality Assurance Review felt entirely new to me and is clearly something different.
This isn’t about proving anything—it’s about improving. It’s a collaborative process, led by an experienced Lead Reviewer, where visiting educators work alongside the school’s own leaders to reflect on strengths, celebrate successes, and dig deep into areas for development. It is professional dialogue at its finest—affirming, challenging, and ultimately empowering. As the team at Iqra put it:
- “As challenging as an Ofsted inspection but in a completely different way.”
- “This is so affirming.”
- “We aren’t proving. We’re looking for evidence.”
- “This pace gives us chances to think.”
- “We truly discuss, collaborate, and reflect.”
Of many things that struck me, one was the exceptional professional development for the peer reviewers. This was an immersive exploration deep into a partner school—one in a different region but with familiar challenges and opportunities. The relationships formed during the review were genuine and collegiate, built on trust, warmth, and a shared purpose. I could already see these connections evolving into long-term professional partnerships.
There were also moments of organic joy—peer reviewers swapping AI tools and tech tips, sharing best practices as they emerged naturally during discussions and informal interactions. Some of the most valuable professional conversations took root during those informal in-between times, over lunch (cooked and served by Year 6 pupils, who also joined us to enjoy the meal and chat- a delight) or as the team reflected together informally between pupil meetings and lesson visits.
The Challenge Partners Quality Assurance Review is a truly unique experience—one that challenges, inspires, and brings schools and leaders closer together on the journey of improvement. I left feeling inspired by what Challenge Partners can offer to schools and trusts, with a renewed belief in the power of partnership to drive meaningful change for schools and, ultimately, for pupils.
#Collaboration #ChallengePartners #SchoolImprovement #ProfessionalLearning #Education