School self-evaluation in action: A case study in the North-West of England

research examines the development of a self-evaluation model within a secondary school environment. The study investigates the contributing factors that influence the development of a school and suggests an evaluative model that measures pupil performance, encourages school staff to be self-reflective and enables a trustworthy indication of school attainment and improvement.

Data collection included the use of surveys at the beginning and end of the investigation and also in-depth individual semi-structured interviews with school staff and local authority educational advisers.

The outcome of the research provided a self-audit model that enabled judgements to be made on pupil progress across the full range of the curriculum and measured the strengths and weaknesses of the school compared with national standards.

Emerging from the research was the realisation that managing the process of change was fundamental to the success of the model. It is this change process and its management that are the key findings of this research.