Perspective supports the CSI framework, allowing Catholic schools to complete and manage their Catholic School Evaluation Document (CSED) directly within the Self Evaluation area.
The CSI framework works in a very similar way to the existing SEF frameworks in Perspective. You can add and refine content, answer Bite-Sized Questions (BSQs), upload supporting evidence, agree sections and download your draft or agreed reports from one central dashboard.
This guide gives an overview of the CSI-specific features and how they fit into the wider Self Evaluation workflow.
Before you start
If you are already familiar with the SEF area in Perspective, the CSI workflow should feel familiar.
For general help with the core Self Evaluation tools, you may also find these guides useful:
- Self Evaluation Dashboard
- Creating Your SEF
- Using TILDA to Import your SEF
- Using TILDA to Refine your SEF
- Gathering Evidence to Support Your SEF (BSQs)
- SEF Documentation
Note: Some wording, section names and report titles may differ when working in the CSI framework, but the main tools and workflow remain largely the same.
Accessing the CSI framework
- Go to Self Evaluation > School.
- Use the Inspection Framework drop-down at the top of the page.
- Select CSI.
The dashboard will update to show the CSI/CSED sections available to your school. Each section tile shows the current grade status and when it was last edited.
Using the CSI dashboard
From the CSI dashboard, you can:
- Open each section
- View and complete Bite-Sized Questions
- Upload or manage supporting evidence
- Agree individual sections
- Agree all completed content
- Download draft and agreed reports
- Download your evidence base or evidence files
The Downloads panel on the right-hand side gives quick access to:
- Draft CSED Report
- Agreed CSED Report
- Evidence Base Report
- Evidence Files (Zip)
You may also see useful links such as the archive in which previous iterations of your CSI in Perspective will be located, the Catholic Schools Inspectorate website and preparation resources.
Uploading an existing CSED with TILDA
If you have already written your CSED in a separate Word document, TILDA can help place your content into the correct sections.
- Make sure the Inspection Framework is set to CSI.
- Click Upload & Autofill in the banner at the top of the dashboard.
- Drag and drop your file into the upload area, or click choose a file.
- Click Import CSED Sections.
Please note: Only Word documents (.doc and .docx files) are supported for CSED upload.
TILDA will scan the document and, where possible, place the content into the most relevant CSI sections. This saves time and reduces the need to copy and paste content manually.
Tip: If your document contains tables, TILDA will try to retain them where possible. Tables are treated as intentional supporting content, so they are not automatically stripped out during import or refinement.
Larger documents, or documents with detailed formatting, may take a little longer to process. Once the import has completed, review each section carefully before agreeing your content.
Working in a CSI section
Click on any SEF area to open it and use the drop-down menu on the left-hand side to expand the section. Your SEF sections are made up of overall grades for each area, along with text boxes for you to evidence how you believe the school has achieved the grade.
For more information on what constitutes each grade, hover over it and click Open Guidance.
Select a grade to assign it to that section. If you make a mistake, you can reset the grade to Not Graded.
You should then add evidence to support this grade. Begin typing directly into the Make a Judgement text box to add your contribution. Formatting tools (including bullet points and tables) are available, and everything saves automatically. You should Use the guidance notes to ensure your language and grading align with expectations.
Make Full Use of BSQs
If you or your leadership team used the Bite Sized Questions to gather evidence before starting, you can access and pull data from those via the Bite-Sized Questions option via the left-hand menu.
One of the most powerful features of the Self Evaluation module is that you can quickly see and add answers from other SLT into your main answers. To do this:
Navigate to Bite-Sized Questions
Click SLT Answers to view all staff submissions
Click Copy to Clipboard for any answer you want to add
Paste it directly into your Make a Judgement section
This enables collaboration and ensures your CSI Framework incorporates the best contributions from the whole leadership team.
Agreeing a Section
Once you’re satisfied with the content of your section and grade, click Agree Grade & Text.
You can revisit and update any section at any time; new agreements will overwrite previous content. Agreeing a section ensures that your contributions are formally recognised and incorporated into the final document, which will be shared with stakeholders.
Refining CSI content with TILDA
TILDA can also help refine your existing CSED content directly within each section.
- Open the CSI section you want to work on.
- Go to Make a Judgement.
- Click TILDA: Refine above the text box.
- Choose the information you want TILDA to use, such as your context section or BSQ answers.
- Add any optional additional context.
- Click Refine Section.
The School Context section of your CSED gives TILDA important background about your school, such as your parish, local community, pupil profile, key data and any wider factors that shape school life. Including this helps TILDA refine your CSED content in a way that feels more specific to your school, rather than producing a generic response. It can also help TILDA make better connections between your evaluation, your evidence and the unique Catholic context of your school. So, it's important to have a high-quality School Context section within your CSED.
Note: If the 'Answers to the Bite-Sized Questions' section is greyed out, this means that your Bite-Sized Questions are unanswered. Answer them, and TILDA will use your responses to make better suggestions for your CSED section refinement.
TILDA’s suggestions in the CSI framework are designed to be more CSI-focused, helping your writing remain aligned to the selected framework rather than producing a generic response.
You can use the optional context box to guide TILDA. For example, you may want to ask TILDA to:
- Make the response more concise
- Strengthen the Catholic life and mission focus
- Avoid repeating a point already covered elsewhere
- Emphasise impact more clearly
- Retain a particular tone or structure
Note: CSI refinement may take a little longer than some other TILDA actions because the response is being shaped around the selected framework and the information available in that section.
Always review TILDA’s suggested content before inserting it into your CSED. TILDA is there to support your professional judgement, not replace it.
Using targets for next steps
When identifying next steps, you may find it clearer to create linked targets rather than adding lengthy improvement text directly into the CSED section.
Tip: Consider leaving the What could be improved area brief, then create SEF-linked targets for your next steps. For example, your target title could be Improve quality of provision, with the supporting detail added as success criteria or sub-actions.
This keeps your CSED focused as an evaluation document, while your targets capture the practical actions you plan to take next.
Agreeing your CSED content
Once you are happy with a section, click Agree Grade & Text.
Agreeing a section confirms it as the agreed version for that part of your CSED. Any further edits will remain in draft until they are agreed again.
You can also use Agree All from the dashboard to agree all available sections at once.
Remember: Draft content and agreed content are treated separately. If information is missing from your Agreed CSED Report, check whether the latest section content has been agreed.
Downloading your CSED reports
The Downloads panel allows you to export your CSED and supporting evidence.
- Draft CSED Report – includes your current draft content, including sections that may not yet have been agreed.
- Agreed CSED Report – includes the latest agreed content and judgements.
- Evidence Base Report – includes supporting information such as judgement text, grades, BSQs, targets and notes.
- Evidence Files (Zip) – downloads the evidence files attached to your CSED.
These reports can be used to review your current position, share agreed content with stakeholders or retain a snapshot of your evidence.
Good practice when using the CSI framework
- Check the correct framework is selected before adding or importing content.
- Review imported content section by section before agreeing it.
- Use BSQs to gather detail before refining or finalising your judgement text.
- Use TILDA’s additional context box to guide tone, emphasis and structure.
- Keep your evaluation focused, and use linked targets for practical next steps.
- Download the Draft CSED Report to review current content before agreeing.
- Download the Agreed CSED Report when you need the final agreed version.
If you cannot see the CSI framework, or you need help with access, please contact perspectivesupport@angelsolutions.co.uk.