Quality Audit Tool for School Leaders

This application was for funding to support the development of a Quality Audit Tool for School Leaders (QATSL). The project partners (five European HEIs, The University of Oslo (UO), The University of Murcia (UM), Jagiellonainan University (JU), University College Dublin (UCD) and Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU)) have substantial and successful experience of collaboration over six Erasmus Intensive Programmes for Masters students of school leadership. The name of this audit tool was changed very early on in the funded project from QATSL to iQerel (International Quality Evaluation Resource for Education Leaders). The resource was designed to encourage Masters students of education leadership, and school leaders, about their settings and their practice in an effort to engage them in a school improvement agenda that augments those currently offered by their national inspection organisations. The audit tool, which is presented as a virtual learning environment , offers literature and case studies to support the school improvement agenda. It also offers opportunities for discussion and forums on issues of joint educational interest to school leaders. The project has fostered and encouraged a network of European school leaders as it has developed from initially being a tool for Masters students on leadership programmes to something that school leaders and schools generally can access.This project aimed to collaboratively involve future and practicing school leaders and their workplaces while offering them the chance to develop as critical change agents able to lead more participative and democratic schools and environments and contribute to the discourse on school improvement. The primary modes of learning reflected an inclusive democratic approach recognising participants' diversity and needs and promoting active engagement. Concurrent with this, other outputs relevant to development and dissemination of innovative teaching materials (using ICT) and to sharing views, ideas, experiences and good practice have also been generated. The project built on our previous Erasmus funded Intensive Programmes, and used the same Higher Education consortium. It also built on our experience of working with the target beneficiaries.The project has had benefits for Masters students of educational leadership, school leaders, schools and also the Higher Education Institutions of the project partners who have been able to benefit from a more modernised provision by using technological approaches (the created website) that has enhanced their curriculum. The project began with a state-of–the-art report that captured the current context of evaluation in education in the participating countries as well as other topical issues related with school improvement. The online tool (website) has been developed, reviewed and redeveloped. The final stages of the project has involved embedding this resource into the curriculum in the participating universities and developing a wider use of this resource to support school leaders in improving their practice.The development of this project has been a self-conscious process which was continually reviewed and examined by the project partners to support the development of future working. The website developed by the project has not only provided a resource for Masters students of education leadership but has offered opportunities for learning about and from collaboration and using technology to support the development of networks for school leaders throughout Europe.