An inspector calls! School leaders’ perceptions of inspection in Wales

Accountability in education takes many forms. One of the most prominent in the Welsh context is school inspection, which is considered an important measure of school performance and a way of holding schools accountable for the public money they receive. However, inspections are not accepted as adding value to the system without exception, and much has been written internationally about the negative impact of inspection on teachers and leaders. This small-scale study was interested in better understanding the perception of school leaders, as those with ultimate responsibility for the direction and performance of schools, based on their experience of the inspection process in Wales. It used a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore school leaders’ feelings about and responses to inspection, using Foucauldian insights on power and discourse as a frame. Findings from the study suggest that the conduct of inspectors was more of a concern to participants than the judgements they awarded. While school leaders accepted inspection was a necessary process linked to the need to build and maintain public confidence, they were in broad agreement that the inspectors themselves did not communicate appropriately with school staff, were too authoritarian, and were at times disrespectful.