ABSTRACT
In this chapter we discuss the action that schools can take to review, evaluate and improve the provision they make for children’s learning. It falls into two main parts. The first describes some self-evaluation frameworks supplied by various agencies in the UK to help schools conduct evaluation of their performance. These documents provide criteria that schools can use in judging their performance across a wide range of their activities. Although of value in schools’ preparation for an inspection, their more important function is to help a school to keep its work under regular review. In the second part of the chapter we look particularly at how primary schools can review their provision for science. This requires a view of good practice and of standards to aim for at the school level. The chapter ends with a case study of effective school self-evaluation, emphasising the importance of involving all staff and keeping the process manageable by focusing on what has relevance for children’s learning.
