The standards and thresholds are first of all supposed to promote the improvement of
schools through the expectations they set. The criteria and descriptors set out in the
inspection frameworks are designed to illustrate standards of performance and effectiveness
expected of schools; they identify what is meant by a ‘good school’. These expectations
are often illustrated by national publications of examples of good practice that are
expected to serve as a ‘national knowledge base’. Schools should use these standards to
guide their work. Acceptance and internalisation of them by key stakeholders (schools,
teacher unions, local authorities or the wider public) is also considered key to their use in
schools. The Inspectorate of Education in the Netherlands promotes acceptance of
standards through an intensive process of collaboration and consultation with stakeholders
in developing the standards. In Styria and Ireland, inspectors meet with schools
before an inspection to outline the inspection process and standards. The procedures of
Educ Asse Eval Acc
data collection, interpretation and feedback used during inspection can be an equally
important method of communicating to schools what it means to monitor quality and
what elements in-school quality management systems ought to include. Ofsted relies on
good relationships between inspector and head teacher (enhanced through joint observations
of lessons) to increase acceptance of standards and feedback in schools. A similar
assumption can be found in Ireland where schools are explicitly invited to respond to the
inspection report and feedback as a means to promote acceptance of the feedback in the
report. In Styria, schools’ acceptance of the feedback is made visible in an obligatory
‘school development plan; a feedback conference with school staff is also held at the end
of an inspection visit to promote acceptance of feedback.