Final word on self-review
Self-review is:
- a way of thinking and acting
- a key tool for school improvement and meaningful change
- a systematic approach to identifying priorities, asking good questions, and taking action based on relevant evidence.
Checklist to get started
1. Ensure that you are familiar with the school charter.
2. Find out about any current self-review processes in your school. Is there an existing review calendar/timetable?
3. Check out the answers to these questions:
- What do you know about the school and the community?
- How do you know? What evidence do you have for the judgments you have made from first impressions?
- What sources of evidence are currently available?
- What further information or evidence might you need in order to get a more complete picture of the school?
4. Check which of these sources of evidence are available:
- Student achievement data
- Documentation (policies, procedures, guidelines)
- Appraisal documentation
- Questionnaires/surveys
- Notes/summaries from interviews
- Statistics (attendance, roll numbers)
- Audit of resources
- Anecdotal feedback
- Meeting minutes
- Records of consultation meetings
- ERO reports and any other external reviews
5. Identify your priority area/s for review.
6. Discuss and evaluate the school’s current self-review processes with your board and staff.
7. Outline and plan a review — refer to the review cycle.
8. Engage key people in a more detailed plan for the review.
