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- The aim of this study was to investigate principals' preparedness for whole school evaluation. As a leader and manager of the school the principal is responsible and accountable for the smooth and effective functioning of the school. The principal as an educational leader is also required to offer creative solutions to emerging problems and to establish a climate conducive to the development of the creative potential of others in the organisation that would enhance the culture of teaching and learning. Principals are the most important and influential individuals in any school. It is his leadership that sets the tone of the school, the climate for learning and the level of professionalism. Obtaining a favourable report from the supervisors during the whole school evaluation will depend to a large extend on the principal’s effective leadership and managerial skills. The primary goal of whole school evaluation is to improve the quality of education by giving more attention to underachieving schools. The strengths and weaknesses of a school are measured against national and international criteria and then a judgement will be passed on how well the school is functioning. The process is transparent, accountable, supportive, developmental and inclusive. Schools will be evaluated in their entirety, and the focus will not be on individuals. The areas for evaluation form the most important aspects of the school's work. These areas have been identified by the department of education as being the key to the future development of education in South Africa. The main function of the supervisors is to report on the quality of provision in these areas and any other that the school may consider relevant and make recommendations on how it might be improved. The areas for evaluation are: Basic functionality of the school. Leadership. Management and communication. Governance and relationship. Quality of teaching and learning. Educator development. Curriculum provision and curriculum enhancement. Standards of achievement and progress of learners. School safety, security and discipline. School infrastructure, resource and staffing. Links with parents and the community. For the purpose of the empirical investigation, a self-structured questionnaire for educators was utilised. The data obtained from the completed questionnaires was processed and analysed by means of descriptive statistics. The findings confirmed that school principals have a significant role to play in improving the quality of education at schools and maintain an effective administration. The following are some of the recommendations that were made: School principals must attend workshops and seminars to enhance their evaluation skills. Principals must be trained for in self-evaluation. Principals need to implement knowledge gained from these workshops. Further research should be conducted on the changing role of the principal and its impact on whole school evaluation.
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