External Inspection or School Self‐evaluation? A Comparative Analysis of Policy and Practice in Primary Schools in England and Finland

Abstract

AbstractThe findings reported in this article form part of a wider comparative research project investigating the processes of curriculum change in primary schools in England and Finland during the period 1994–97. The two countries’ policies on inspection and monitoring were moving in opposite directions. Finland has abandoned its national inspection system and is promoting school self‐evaluation, whilst in England external accountability has been imposed on schools through Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspections. Using data from case studies of six schools in each country, it is argued that each country has something to learn from the practice of the other. In England, the impact of OFSTED inspections has been mainly on policies and procedures, rather than on classroom practice, and the effects on teacher morale have been debilitating. In Finland, although early attempts at school self‐evaluation have lacked a whole‐school strategy, ownership of the evaluation process by teachers, together with inputs from parental feedback and pupil self‐assessment, have contributed to positive changes in classroom practice.