Abstract
This study examined the experiences of School Management Teams and teachers in implementing external whole-school evaluation (EWSE) in the Tshwane West District, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Also referred to as school inspection or school review in other countries, EWSE is a compulsory exercise in South Africa, conducted by a team of trained supervisors who evaluate schools across nine focus areas. As a key component of South Africa’s whole-school evaluation, comprising both EWSE and internal whole-school evaluation and School Improvement Plans after both evaluations, the EWSE supervisory team provides the evaluated schools with recommendations, with the intention of improving the quality of teaching, learning and overall performance of the school. The study was guided by the constructivist/interpretive research paradigm and a qualitative approach. Data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with six participants from two public secondary schools. The participants comprised two members of the School Management Team and one educator from one school, and one member of the School Management Team and two educators from another school. Data analysis was completed through thematic analysis. The study found that although School Management Teams and teachers appreciate EWSE for promoting accountability and quality assurance. However, they also warn about its limited effectiveness. One main challenge that impacts its effectiveness is the limited training received on the whole-school evaluation policy and EWSE implementation. Other challenges included heavy administrative demands (in terms of paperwork) and insufficient feedback from the supervisory team after evaluations. The study concludes that EWSE has the potential to be a constructive tool for school development, but the challenges need to be addressed and mitigated.