ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the new inspection programme from the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). It explores the relationship between the changing ways of working of Her Majesty's Inspectorate during the 1970s and 1980s and their impact on policy and pedagogy. The book reviews the explicit purposes and implicit consequences of the OFSTED model of inspection, drawing to our attention the powerful influence of the OFSTED model over school practice. It focuses on the impact of inspection on the school and its governors and parents. The OFSTED logo is 'Improvement through Inspection' and it is in these chapters that the authors assess whether this is likely to happen. The book looks at schools' responses to inspection and presents a mixed picture. Some teachers are distressed by the inspection experience, and it may take some time for professional confidence to return.
