Read how Intelligent Evidence helped The Divine Mercy to surface the evidence they already had and map it confidently to a new inspection framework.
About the school
The Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic primary school based in Manchester. The headteacher, Dr Clare Campbell, leads the school with a strong focus on improvement, care, and community. The school is in the Ofsted inspection window and preparing under the new inspection framework.
The challenge
Following their most recent inspection, the school faced a familiar leadership challenge: having the right evidence, but not in a way that was easy to use.
As Clare explains, “Getting to grips with a new framework is difficult.” While she knew the documentation already existed, gathering it, mapping it to Ofsted grade descriptors, and identifying gaps took significant time and caused unnecessary worry. This manual process was often supported by external consultancy at a considerable cost.
Despite having strong practice in place, the workload and costs involved made self-evaluation and inspection preparation feel overwhelming for Clare and the SLT.
The solution
Clare first heard about Intelligent Evidence on LinkedIn. With the school already in the Ofsted window, the timing felt right to try something new.
Following a demo, she began using Intelligent Evidence immediately. Within a day, all core documents had been uploaded, evidence was mapped to the new framework, and gaps were clearly identified. Within a second day, those gaps were filled.
Uploading evidence was straightforward, which meant other members of the SLT could contribute without additional training. This included the SENDCo and Early Years lead, who were able to upload missing evidence such as policies and local offers. Documents could be uploaded in any format (e.g. Word, Excel, PDF) and were recognised within minutes, meaning the team didn’t need to adapt how they already worked.
The platform made suggestions about how existing documents aligned to the framework, but all decisions remained with the leadership team. Clare and the SLT reviewed and approved the evidence, ensuring professional judgement stayed firmly in human hands.
“I’m not a techy person at all, but it was easy to use from day one. The support is brilliant – any questions are answered swiftly and expertly.”
Clare Campbell, Headteacher
The Divine Mercy
The results
Clear, mapped evidence from day one
Within the first day, The Divine Mercy had a clear, well-organised evidence base mapped to the new framework.
“Within a day I had uploaded all my documents, found where the gaps were, and it took another day to fill those gaps.”
Clare Campbell, Headteacher
The Divine Mercy
Clare’s routine is now simple and sustainable: upload core documents (such as the SEF, SDP, QA reports and headteacher reports to governors), review gaps, and then add further evidence as it becomes available across the half-termly and termly school improvement cycle.
The evidence base now includes a balanced mix of peer-reviewed and quality-assured documentation, governance minutes, anonymised safeguarding and SEND reports – clearly showing how pupils are supported and cared for.
Clare plans to continue uploading QA documents and governor minutes as they’re produced, ensuring the evidence base stays current and inspection-ready throughout the year.
Saves hours of manual work for SLT
What was once a time-consuming, manual process is now far more manageable. Evidence collation no longer requires re-reading reports, manual filing, or external consultancy support. SLT members can upload documentation directly, building a shared and accurate picture together.
The time saved has been significant – not only in leadership capacity, but financially too.
“Using Intelligent Evidence has saved me days, if not weeks, of time and thousands in consultancy fees. It fits perfectly into our existing self-evaluation and QA process.”
Clare Campbell, Headteacher
The Divine Mercy
A confident team going into inspection
Intelligent Evidence has helped the whole leadership team approach inspection preparation with greater confidence by making gaps visible and manageable. By having the whole team input existing evidence together and mapping it clearly to the new framework, we can see exactly where coverage is strong, where further evidence is needed and address it together.
This shared clarity has reduced pressure across the team and increased confidence.
“My stress levels about the new framework have really dropped. I now feel confident going into inspection knowing the documents I need are there. It’s helped me feel more in control of my school’s narrative.”
Clare Campbell, Headteacher
The Divine Mercy
Transparent view of evidence
Intelligent Evidence has made it easier for the wider team and governors to peer review the school’s evidence and see clearly where the school is doing well and where further work is needed. Rather than evidence being spread across different documents and folders, everything is organised in one place, making it easier to have focused, meaningful conversations.
This clearer, shared view has supported more constructive discussions around quality assurance and Ofsted readiness.
“Intelligent Evidence helps my governors see exactly where our strengths and areas to work on are. Governors are impressed with the level of detail.”
Clare Campbell, Headteacher
The Divine Mercy
Final thoughts
“Intelligent Evidence is written by headteachers for headteachers. It uses AI technology intelligently to support headteachers and leadership teams to prepare for inspections using evidence they already have. It doesn’t create work, it saves time and makes you feel more confident going into an Ofsted inspection. Getting to grips with a new framework is difficult, but Intelligent Evidence does the legwork for you.”
“In a time when budgets and capacity are stretched, this is an essential investment and fantastic value for money.”
Clare Campbell, Headteacher
The Divine Mercy
