What is School Self-Evaluation?
SSE is a collaborative, reflective, inclusive process of internal school review. During SSE, the Principal, Deputy Principal and Teachers, under the direction of the Board of Management and the Patron and in consultation with the Parents and Students, engage in reflective enquiry on the work of the school.
School self-evaluation is primarily about school improvement and development.
School self-evaluation enables schools:
- To take the initiative in improving the quality of education that they provide for their students.
- To affirm and build on what is working well.
- To identify areas in need of development and to decide on actions that should be taken to bring about improvements in those areas.
- To report to the school community about the strengths in the work of the school and its priorities for improvement and development.
Teachers reflect on their work and on the learning that their students achieve as part of their daily professional work. For many years schools have used the school development planning process to identify what is working well and what might need to be improved. School self-evaluation is a way in which this process of reflection, improvement and development can take place in a more systematic way.
School self-evaluation places greater emphasis on collecting, examining and sharing evidence about the work of the school when making decisions about what is working well and what areas need to be improved and developed.
School self-evaluation improves students’ learning. Experience in Ireland and in other countries shows that when teachers reflect on their own practice regularly and focus on improving teaching and learning in classrooms, they can improve the learning achieved by students.
School self-evaluation enriches the professional lives of teachers. Teachers who engage in SSE reflect on how they teach and share ideas and questions with their colleagues in a professionally rewarding and supportive way.