This paper seeks to describe and discuss the impact of inspections of schools in Sweden. It outlines the political context, based on New Public Management, and what role Schools Inspectorate is supposed to play in order to govern and control. Special attention is devoted, referring to an on-going case study, to how inspections influence head teachers and their leadership.
As the reports from the Schools inspectorate are made public, the politicians will be forced to act. They then try to pressure the head teachers to take measures. The head teachers perceived, however, from their point of view, that the report gave them a confirmation of what they already knew, but also as a tool to push on the development of their school. During the first year after the inspection, the head teachers mainly strived to adjusting deficiencies in formal documents and later on started various types of development works. The result of this, for example in terms of increased goal fulfilment, is still an open question, despite there are research that in most cases show small improvement in this aspect.