The specific approaches towards the inspection of schools differ greatly across
education systems. An OECD commissioned literature review (Faubert 2009) for
example shows differences in the scope, methods, standards, data and instruments of
inspection between countries. The scope of school inspections varies according to the
level of power and influence granted to each inspectorate and the inspection style
used to evaluate schools. Hughes et al. (1997) suggest an inspection continuum,
ranging from ‘non-punitive’ inspections based on peer review controlled by the
profession to ‘punitive’ regimes characterized by managerial approaches subject to