The problem
Before an inspection, the head needs to know where the school's evidence for each standard sits: which policy, which section, which record. With an inspection framework, the independent school standards guidance and 30 school policies to cross-reference, building that map by hand can take 10 hours a month in the run-up, time away from teaching and leadership.
What the AI does
Claude Projects hold a set of documents together, and Claude reads PDFs of up to 1,000 pages. The head adds the current inspection framework and handbook, the standards guidance and the school's policies to a Project, and asks for an evidence map: each standard, the policy and section that address it, and gaps where no document does, with page references in both. The head checks each row at the source, assigns gaps to staff and keeps the checked map with the inspection evidence. No pupil, parent or staff details go in, so the personal Pro plan, with unlimited Projects, is enough.
A worked example
A 250-pupil independent prep school in Surrey expects an inspection this year. The head uses Claude Pro to build the evidence map from the framework and the school's policies, then checks every row.
Before
About 10 hours a month cross-referencing policies and standards in the run-up
After
About 5 hours, including checking each row at the source
What it's worth
About $299£225€268A$432C$423 a month in the head's time saved in the run-up to inspection, against about $17£13€15A$25C$24 to $20£15€18A$29C$28 for Claude Pro. 5 hours saved a month, at an assumed $60£45€54A$86C$85 an hour.
How to set it up
- Sign up for Claude Pro, $17 (about $17£13€15A$25C$24) a month billed annually or $20 (about $20£15€18A$29C$28) monthly, and create a Project for inspection preparation.
- Download the current inspection framework, handbook and standards guidance and add them to the Project with the school's policies, removing any personal details.
- Ask for an evidence map: each standard, the policy and section that address it, and any gaps, with page references in both.
- Check each row at the source and delete anything you can't find.
- Give each gap an owner and a date, and keep the checked map with the inspection evidence.
What goes wrong
- Claude can say a policy meets a standard when it only mentions it. The head judges whether it's met, and inspectors look at practice as well as paper.
- Frameworks and handbooks are revised. Use the current versions and check the date on each.
- Project files are limited to 30 MB each, and in PDFs over 100 pages only text is read, so diagrams in long handbooks can be missed.
- Pro is a personal plan where training on chats is opt-out. Never upload safeguarding records or anything about pupils, parents or staff.