Different systems, different identities : school inspectors in England and Sweden a comparative study

School inspection has formed part of both English and Swedish approaches to governing education for some time now (Maclure, 2000; Segerholm, 2009) But latterly both countries have begun to adopt different approaches to the process, reflected in in the recruitment, training and development of their inspectors. In Sweden the inception of a new inspectorate in 2008 introduced an intensified scheme and a sharper mission, but also a departure from the recruitment of teachers and those with an educational background in a move to recruit individuals with backgrounds in either law or investigation. In England the inception of a New Inspection Framework early in 2012 (Ofsted, 2012a, 2012b) was accompanied by a drive to re-model the inspectorate workforce in aiming to recruit in-service school leaders as part time inspectors (Baxter and Clarke, 2013;Baxter, 2012) Using Jacobsson's theory of governance as a regulative, meditative and inquisitive activity, this paper investigates the effects that these shifts have had on the recruitment and training of inspectors and the shifts have had on the inspection experience .(Hult & Segerholm, 2012; Lindgren et.al., 2012). The research questions within the study are : -Which competencies are required for school inspectors within both systems, and why? -How do changes in the both systems affect school leader perceptions of inspection as a governing tool? The paper concludes that in spite of the concerted efforts of both inspectorates to ensure that their systems combine regulatory rigour with developmental impact, the changes are causing substantial tensions in the recruitment, training and operating capacity of inspector