"Looking at our School" is designed to assist the school community in reviewing and evaluating the work of their school. Its publication reflects the Inspectorate's advisory remit under the Education Act 1998 to promote excellence in all aspects of the functioning of schools and to provide advice and support to schools, teachers, boards of management, and parents on matters relating to educational provision.

Quality in schools is a matter for all concerned with, and involved in, the education of our children. Schools have a crucial role to play in ensuring that every aspect of their activity is carried out at a level commensurate with best practice, taking their particular context factors into account. Under the Education Act 1998 a school is required to establish and maintain systems whereby the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations can be assessed. The School Development Planning Support initiative provides assistance to primary schools in the process of internal review and in formulating their school plans. This set of themes for self-evaluation has been prepared by the Inspectorate to further assist school communities in fulfilling their quality assurance obligations. I hope that they will make use of this publication as they engage with the process of looking critically at their own school. It will also provide a clear framework within which external evaluation of schools and centres for education by the Inspectorate will be carried out.

I wish to acknowledge the contribution made by the education partners to the development of this publication. In the interest of improving its usefulness in school self-evaluation and development planning activities, I would welcome views from schools on any aspect of the document as they make use of it. The Inspectorate plans further publications in support of all those engaged in the work of schools, with a view to improving quality and standards in the education of our children and young people.

Eamon Stack
Chief Inspector

May 2003