School peer review is a model of school evaluation that is carried out by school leaders or other school practitioners, of whole schools, parts of schools (such as departments, curriculum areas or year groups) or aspects of practice. This model of school evaluation has gained prominence as part of evaluation and school improvement across Europe, Australia, Chile (Godfrey, 2020) following the OECD’s recommendation for a greater use of peer learning among schools to develop capacity for self-evaluation and improvement (OECD, 2013). Interest in English education sector towards school peer review intensified with the Coalition government’s 2010 White Paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’. In light of this official document, both the Department of Education and OFSTED strongly encouraged schools to become part of a network, arguing that isolation of schools is the main factor in underperformance (Matthews and Ehren, 2017).
Although school peer review is not a statutory national policy in England, it has now been entrenched in the English school system. To date, various local authorities, groups of schools, and organizations designed, trialled, and implemented this form of school evaluation in England. Each model follows an agreed procedure; though some practices and purposes of peer review may differ, i.e. providing training to reviewers, having a lead reviewer for quality assuring team review, rejecting the role of review as ‘mock’ inspection or assuming, subscription fee, reporting the end product, frequency of visit (see more in Devon Teaching School Partnership, National Association of Headteachers Instead peer-reviews, Challenge Partner’s Quality Assurance model). In the most general sense, peer schools visit other schools and spend some time in each other’s context to review practice, share their expertise, recommend strategies for development, and challenge each other. School to school peer review is seen by its designers and advocates as a tool for achieving continuous improvement towards and a self-improving school system.
Further to the interest in the school sector, the Labour Party in 2015 and 2019 elections vowed for a nationwide school-led peer review improvement programme to replace Ofsted. Christine Gilbert (2012), who was Head of Ofsted from 2006 to 2011, in her think-pieces ‘Towards a self-improving system: the role of school accountability’ proposed a system which has school improvement networks at a regional level, ensuring that robust arrangements for peer review were in place for member schools. In a similar speech, Sean Harford, reflecting on Ofsted's work and the future of education inspection in 2015, shared his prediction for the inspectorate-supported peer reviews which ‘moderate judgements and assess the robustness of peer-review arrangements – making sure they weren’t just cosy fireside chats between colleagues.’.
Aligned with the political agenda and Ofsted prediction, a research study suggested peer review by schools deserves to be recognized and encouraged more explicitly through national policy because it promises to reduce the frequency of Ofsted inspection, securing greater value for money for the DfE and reducing the burden of inspections (Matthews and Headon, 2015). On the other hand, Ozsezer-Kurnuc (2020), while recognising its benefits to schools’ improvement strategies and senior leaders’ professional development and its contribution to school quality assurance, questioned the consequences of performing it as a national policy and noted the need for further research.
This study aimed to explore expert views on the future of school to school peer review. The significance of the study is to describe and develop practical advice from various experts with in-depth experience of working in the school evaluation field and to support decision-makers in their efforts to improve accountability systems.