This paper offers a reflection on school self-evaluation in Ireland as we approach the end of its first decade of requisiteness.  It documents the development and rise of school self-evaluation in Ireland and considers the purpose(s) of school self-evaluation in light of these. In doing this, this paper is mindful of Janssens and van Amelsvoort’s (2008, p.18) contention that the role school self-evaluation plays within a country and the manner in which it is formed depends very much on, inter alia, the political and historical context in which schools operate. Similarly, we are cognisant that, as Chapman and Sammons (2013) point out, imperatives such as those relating to economics can lead to uncertainty about the purpose of school self-evaluation in each context. Arguably a lighter and softer approach to evaluation than traditional forms of inspection, school self-evaluation is an internal mode of school review which helps schools to identify their strengths and weaknesses and put improvement plans in place. However, while improvement is often purported as being the main purpose of school self-evaluation in official discourse, it can also act as a form of hidden accountability; or, in countries with more stringent evaluation regimes, the accountability tends to be more transparent. In reflecting on school self-evaluation in Ireland, we focus on a country in which school self-evaluation and school evaluation more broadly is relatively new and where the concept of accountability must be treated with delicacy.

Drawing on John MacBeath’s work, Chapman and Sammons (2013, p.11) outline three drivers that help to bring some clarity to the possible purposes of SSE:

1. Economic logic: Self-evaluation is cheaper than expensive external inspection frameworks particularly where money is devolved directly to schools.
2. Accountability logic: Schools must provide proof to key stakeholders (i.e. parents and the local community) as well as to the government that they are providing value for money.
3. Improvement logic: It is seen as obvious that in order to know how to improve, a school must be able to evaluate where it is, what it needs to improve, and what indicators will suggest that it has achieved its aims.

These three logics inform and guide the analytical reasoning employed in this paper and will be fleshed out in relation to school self-evaluation specifically in the Irish context.

Three particular reasons for the rise of school self-evaluation in Ireland are put forward: the influence of the OECD, the perceived need for more accountability, and the drive towards self-managing schools. In debating the purpose of school self-evaluation in Ireland it is put forward that there is no single logic behind it but an assemblage of overlapping logics that complement and contradict one another. It is concluded that while improvement is promoted in official discourse, accountability and economic logics dominate.

This paper offers a reflection on school self-evaluation in Ireland as we approach the end of its first decade of requisiteness. It documents the development and rise of school self-evaluation in Ireland and considers the purpose(s) of school self-evaluation in light of these. The current authors are based in the Centre for Evaluation, Quality and Inspection (EQI) in Dublin City university, a research centre where the majority of work undertaken on school evaluation in Ireland occurs (McNamara and O’Hara, 2012, p.90). The approach taken is one of reflection, utilising the current authors' experiences and expertise in evaluation, policy, and sociology. The current literature, which is predominantly authored by the current authors, is considered in light of the three logics of school self-evaluation put forward by John MacBeath.

While school self-evaluation is no doubt used to improve schools, it is also evident that it acts as an accountability mechanism. Along this double-edged sword, however, is an economic logic. While the economic logic may be based on school self-evaluation being a more economically viable option than external evaluation, there is also the influence of supranational organisations such as the OECD and the economic incentives on offer. In Ireland, there is no single logic behind school self-evaluation but an assemblage of logics. School self-evaluation in Ireland serves three overlapping purposes that complement and contradict one another. While improvement is promoted in official discourse, it would appear that it is the accountability and economic logics that dominate. A key concern here is that this unbalanced assemblage could potentially undermine the improvement logic. With compulsory school self-evaluation in operation in Ireland for almost a decade, and with a new cycle of self-evaluation being rolled out in September 2021, this paper concludes by calling for a more open discussion on school self-evaluation and the purposes it should serve between researchers, policymakers, and the education stakeholders. From consultation to completion, there must be more openness and transparency about school self-evaluation policy and purposes. It is hoped that in publishing this reflection awareness will be raised, further reflections will follow, and future school self-evaluation policy in Ireland will present a more straightforward direction. Until now it appears that school self-evaluation in Ireland has been guided by accountability and economics under the guise of improvement.

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