ABSTRACT
School evaluation, like that of pupils, can become an end in itself. Profligacy is wasteful whether it occurs in excessive testing, elaborate profiling, obese records or management by too many objectives. While internal review and evaluation are extensions of the everyday running of the school, the production of information for those outside the school is more sensitive. The movement to self-evaluation by school staffs, whether on their own initiative or through the publication of a London Education Authority (LEA) scheme for their use, has been rapid. Late in 1980 Elliott found that out of 105 LEAs that responded to his enquiries, 69 had initiated discussions about self-evaluation in school. Most documents on self-evaluation produced by LEAs realistically stick to suggesting questions that staff can ask about important aspects of school organisation. Similarly, many school staffs have decided to review their work by producing lists of questions as an agenda.
