Department of Education inspectors are to include students in discussions on the performance of second-level schools, as part of new assessment procedures.
According to guides to the inspection system - known as Whole School Evaluation (WSE) - inspectors will meet student council representatives to obtain their views on aspects of the work of the school.
The new guides, published yesterday, are aimed at helping schools, parents and pupils gain a fuller understanding of the WSE process before school inspection reports are published.
The first reports are expected to be published on the department's website shortly after the teacher conferences in April.
The guides say inspectors will meet the board of management, parents' representatives and staff before they visit classrooms.
In primary schools, inspectors will evaluate teaching throughout the school, while in post-primary schools they will largely focus on the teaching of particular subjects.
The department says that extensive discussions will take place between the inspectors, the principal and school management during the assessment.
WSE has been regarded as a relatively mild assessment procedure, although teachers say the overall inspection process has become more robust in the past year.
In the past, relatively few teachers at second level were inspected as many inspectors concentrated on exam work.
But the establishment of the State Exams Commission has given the inspectorate significant new resources.
After completing their evaluation, inspectors will present the main findings to school management and staff.
Copies of the report will be issued to the board of management, which is accorded a right of reply within 20 days. After this, the report and the school response, if any, will be published on the department website.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said: "The emphasis in WSE is on a professional engagement about ways to improve the quality of education provided by our schools and on the approach of the inspectorate to affirm good practice and work with the school staff to identify priorities for future planning."
The school inspection reports will not detail Leaving Cert or other exam results.
