At the workshop “The Essential Role of Inspection in a Dynamic Educational Environment: Challenges, Opportunities, and Impact”, it was emphasised that the role of inspection is not static – limited to assessing standards, but also includes providing support and improving educational quality.
The event was opened by Anna Stolz, Bavarian Minister of Education and Culture, followed by the address from SICI President Janie McManus, Dr Allons Frey, Director of the Institute for School Quality and Educational Research, and Margit Schmidbauer, National Coordinator from the same institution.
The keynote lecture was delivered by Prof. Dr Anne Sliwka of Heidelberg University on the concept of the school as a learning system. Her presentation was followed by group discussions reflecting on the lecture. A joint presentation was given by Marielle Klerks of the Netherlands’ Inspectorate of Education and Amy Quintelier of the Inspectorate of Education in Flanders, on “Making School Supervision Measurable: The Policy Theory Behind the Impact,” with practical examples from Flanders.
The second keynote lecture, “From Regulatory Delivery to Impact,” was delivered by Guissepa Ottimofiore, Deputy Head of the OECD Programme for Regulatory Delivery. This was followed by small-group discussions and a round table dedicated to the relevance of external school inspection, where participants exchanged examples of good practice from their respective countries.
The workshop concluded with an announcement of activities to be discussed at the forthcoming SICI General Assembly in The Hague in November.
The Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation actively participates in the work of SICI (The Standing International Conference of Inspectorates), a network bringing together inspectorates and external evaluators from 45 European countries. Founded in 1995, SICI promotes the development of inspection and evaluation practices in preschool, primary, and secondary education, and organises a series of workshops each year dedicated to knowledge-sharing and the professional development of inspectors.
