Malta

Summary Profile: Malta

The Quality Assurance Department (QAD) is organised at a central/top level department within the Ministry for Education and Employment. Quality Assurance in schools was introduced in Malta in 2005. Following that, the Quality Assurance Department has been given the responsibility to carry out External Reviews (inspections), as per Education Act of 2006. Since their inception, External Reviews have fallen under the remit of the Ministry for Education and Employment. External Reviews are carried out in all pre-compulsory (0-5 years) and compulsory school age (5-16 years) educational institutions within the State, Church and Independent sectors.
External reviews aim to evaluate how far schools are planning to and actually managing to achieve the required quality standards so that the curricular and equitable entitlement of all learners is fulfilled. The Quality Assurance Department’s current vision for effective quality assurance mechanisms is based on a principle which aims to create a balance between autonomy and accountability. Therefore, greater coherence between external review and internal review (school self-evaluation) is continuously promoted through a developmental approach founded on a meaningful professional dialogue and which bases itself on openness and honesty about the school’s strengths and areas for development. This developmental approach, rather than placing an educational institution in one quadrant on level scales, promotes the concept of ipsative evaluation, focuses on school improvement and rewards progress.  
The Quality Assurance Department has invested in developing nationally agreed criteria for school quality and in aligning internal and external review processes which form the basis of its functions and which mirrors the National Curriculum Framework (2012:32) which states that “Quality Assurance is to be realised through a system of ongoing self-evaluation, monitoring and review within schools complemented by an external review system that together foster school improvement.” Therefore, schools are guided to use the established standards and success criteria to steer their internal evaluation and school development planning. Success criteria are not binding but provide clear guidance as to how one can evaluate the extent to which a standard is being achieved. This is complemented with External Reviews that evaluate schools according to the set standards. Following the external review, reports are issued to the school outlining areas of strengths and recommend a way forward to progress in the achievement of the said standards.

All details are given in the following link and in the sources given there.