What is effective self-evaluation ?
Self-evaluation is the process by which a school comes to understand better its present position and performance, identifying its strengths and also its weaknesses. It is an ongoing process, which involves gathering and analysing information from a range of sources in order to provide a focused, but constantly evolving image of the school. It is this continuous process of gathering, interpreting and re-interpreting information that leads to a comprehensive view of the school, accepting that there is no single, accurate picture of it: no one ‘true story’ to be found.
The statutory inspection process now relies heavily on schools’ own self-evaluation. Estyn maintains in its Guidance document:
“The school has prime responsibility for raising standards and quality. Self-evaluation lies at the heart of this process of continuous improvement and is essential to good management . . . Inspection starts with self-evaluation.”
Maintaining a Balance
At the heart of the process of self-evaluation is the desire to ensure a balance of similar or differing perspectives on the school in order to produce a comprehensive image. The viewpoints of different individuals and groups – pupils, parents, staff, headteachers, members of the governing body, members of the local community, LEA – all have a part to play. They may confirm or challenge the image the school has of itself or indeed help to shade the colours already painted. Effective schools also make use of a broad range of data to draw comparisons with other schools or establishments at local, national, and even international level in order to enhance understanding of the school.
‘Transforming Schools’, Estyn’s discussion paper (2007) notes that:
“Schools are already getting better at setting goals in the light of the feedback they receive from their customers and stakeholders. Future improvement will depend on the success of leaders and managers in extending a self-critical culture in order to be more responsive to learner and community needs.”
The Impact of Self-evaluation
Self-evaluation per se is of little value. The school must be able to interpret the outcomes of its self-evaluation in order to identify areas for improvement. Then it must establish priorities, plan and successfully implement the changes it wishes to make.
In the final analysis, the usefulness of the self-evaluation system is measured by its impact on school improvement. Schools need to show that they have recognised areas for improvement (through self-evaluation), planned to improve the situation (through school or departmental development plans) and then demonstrate measurable improvement.
How does Estyn define effective self-evaluation ?
- It is open and honest
- It principally addresses standards and the quality of education
- It is embedded in strategic planning and draws on regular quality assurance procedures
- It involves all staff in assessing outcomes and their performance
- It takes account of the views of pupils and other stakeholders, such as employers and partners, where appropriate
- It seeks to make judgements in the light of measurable performance data and to identify trends over time
- It leads to development plans which are monitored against clear targets and success criteria
- It results in improvement in standards and quality
Furthermore, the judgements made during self-evaluation should be:
secure – based on sufficiently robust, reliable and accessible evidence ;
first hand – based on direct observation ;
reliable – based on common, well-understood criteria ;
valid – accurately reflecting what is achieved and provided ;
free of bias – valuing equality of opportunity and diversity ;
comprehensive – covering all parts of the common inspection framework ; and
corporate – reflecting the collective view of staff and other stakeholders.