ABSTRACT: This article presents the main findings of a 2015 Eurydice report which compares the development and organisation of school evaluation in Europe. School evaluation focuses on the school as whole and is a widespread approach for assuring and improving the quality of education, a key objective throughout the European Union. Central level inspectorates are responsible for external school evaluation in the majority of countries. External evaluators often use centrally standardised criteria. The range of school activities that are evaluated varies across countries. The basic stages for external evaluation are the same everywhere, but only a small group of countries practices risk–based approaches and profile–raising activities. Internal evaluation of schools is compulsory or recommended almost everywhere and there are support measures and tools available. European countries tend to promote bottom–up participatory approaches to external and internal evaluation of schools.

KEYWORDS: school evaluation, external and internal evaluation, criteria.