Book excerpt: This book looks at the relationship between school inspection and school improvement. The authors show how heads have used inspectors' reports to put in place real school improvement. They deal with the contexts of inspection and comparisons are made with the Australian experience of school self-review. The book focuses on how schools have developed a culture of self-inspection. The authors consider the system of OfSTED inspections and ask how beneficial inspection has been in encouraging schools to develop and improve. They suggest there is need for a change and that there are alternative approaches to school assessment and improvement, which could be more effective. They argue that the school's own evaluation processes sh