Approaches to Scoring the Quality of Schools by Inspection Teams

This chapter examines how school inspectors approach scoring boundary cases where the appropriate score is ambiguous or disputed. Two main strategies are identified: ‘going micro’ by focusing on specific criteria, indicators and evidence to resolve scoring challenges; and ‘going macro’ by considering the overall picture, narrative and potential consequences of scores to influence school improvement. Inspectors navigate the tension between standardised procedures and responsiveness to school circumstances, with ‘going micro’ serving accountability aims and ‘going macro’ allowing flexibility for improvement goals. The impact-focused, forward-looking orientation of ‘going macro’ reflects a key tension in school inspection policy between control and development. These findings highlight how scoring decisions may serve as policy levers for school improvement, but also how accountability pressures and central criteria constrain inspectors’ discretion.