EVERY day across Worcestershire a school is visited by an inspector.

In fact 20 schools could be visited each day as part of the mission to raise standards across the county.

That's not to say Worcestershire's schools are failing, in fact it is an effort to make sure teachers keep improving.

There are 20 inspectors in the county council's education directorate, with a responsibility of 300 schools.

Contrary to popular belief they do not pick on schools that have received a damning Ofsted report, and they don't inspect the school in order to write a report.

Instead they are a team of former teachers who assist schools, ensure teachers are properly trained and implement the county's education development plan.

As Chief Inspector Clive Wilkinson oversees the work that goes on.

He has been involved in education for 32 years, having spent time as a teacher, headteacher and inspector.

"We classify schools within the county and through that we will work with them either a little or a lot," said Mr Wilkinson.

"We try as far as possible to prevent schools from going into any kind of Ofsted category, such as special measures, but at times you are overtaken by events, such as staff shortages.

"If they do go into special measures we work with that school all the way through until it comes out of them and beyond.

"You could be working intensively with a school for two to three years to try to stabilise it and make it robust for the future."

It is a hard task at the moment as the primary inspectors have the responsibility for 35 schools each.

"It is a stressful job but people enjoy their jobs and are passionate about education.

"They enjoy the processes of working with schools to develop and improve them."

The inspectors are currently involved in raising literacy and numeracy at Key Stage 2.

The aim of the county's education directorate is to improve Worcestershire schools so they are beyond the national average at all levels.

"We spend more time with schools that are not doing as well rather than spending equal time with all schools," said Mr Wilkinson.

"That has obvious benefits but also downsides.

"More successful schools want to see us as well, only by seeing them we can pick up and disseminate best practice.

"We have strategies to get to see schools that are successful as well.

All inspectors are former teachers, primary school inspectors are former primary heads, while secondary inspectors are from senior management positions and usually appointed for a specific subject.

They are all instrumental in appointing headteachers as advisors to the governing body.

They will also be involved in appointing heads of departments, again in an advisory role.

"Another of our roles is developing curriculum in schools," said Mr Wilkinson.

"One success would be the instigation of a strategy for achievement in arts.

"Part of that was Voices and Visions, which covers music, drama, dance and literature.

"It's been successful in that our GCSE results have gone up by 16 per cent. It's provided another dimension in schools that's been very well received and has been a motivating influence."

The role of an inspector is varied, taking in a wide amount of work during a week.

One morning an inspector could be meeting a headteacher at 7.30am before school starts.

Then during the day they could be training teachers with new initiatives and then attending a governors' meeting until late at night.

"The average working week is about 55 to 60 hours," said Mr Wilkinson.

"There's not enough people in the team so the load is heavy and we have to work around other people's commitments.

"There isn't a routine to this job, when people first come into it they initially find the absence of a routine quite difficult to get used to.

"The heads like having us in. They see us as firm, but fair and supportive to what the school is trying to do.

"We're open and honest with schools, which they value.

"The feedback we get most of the time is that they'd like to see more of the inspectors rather than less.

"But due to the code of practice we have to work in inverse proportion to success.

"We can't just drop into schools when we want."