IQAA was established in 2004 and has subsequently quality assured over 800 schools in Southern Africa, including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ghana and Swaziland.

The IQAA's quality assurance processes bring a dimension to the quality assurance of school education that was not previously present in the education system, which focused on compliance and external scrutiny - that of school-motivated, self-evaluation and continuous improvement, under the guidance of professional mentors. IQAA's model accommodates difference rather than seeking to enforce sameness through compliance, and in so doing enhances the "independence" of schools, to develop their own culture, philosophies and practices in education.

Each school evaluated, its pupils, staff, parents and community, are given complete respect and concern by IQAA, especially in relation to the school's own distinctive mission, ethos and aims. All of IQAA’s quality assurance services can be tailor made to suit the specific needs of individual schools and other clients.

The IQAA model is relevant to a wide range of schools including early childhood development centres, junior primary or foundation phase schools, primary and senior schools.

The IQAA model also accommodates Montessori schools, Waldorf schools, all faith-based schools ( e.g. Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Moslem), and Cambridge International schools, amongst others.