staff, as well as lay people who do not have a professional background in education. Inspectors spend a high proportion of their time in lessons, with learners, and in professional dialogue with staff. Inspectors use the same evaluation tools as teachers, which helps them to develop a shared understanding with teachers as they evaluate the impact of learning activities. Scottish children, young people and adults face unprecedented, uncertain and as yet unrecognised challenges posed by fast and far-reaching change. In particular, much more needs to be done to improve life opportunities for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. I have no doubt that collaborative professional learning has an essential part to play in achieving our aspirations for all learners. HMIE will continue to gather examples of good practice and share these through our website and through case studies as part of The Journey to Excellence. We will publish further reports in this new series of Learning Together guides which will focus on different aspects of learning. I hope that you will find these resources stimulating, informative and helpful.
HM Senior Chief Inspector
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