The fortunes of the education service in Britain have been intimately bound up with the vitality of the local education authorities, particularly in the decades following the 1944 Education Act. The passing of the 1988 Education Reform Act saw the LEAs in serious—perhaps terminal—decline.First published in 1992, Policy and Power in Education sets out to map the contours of this decline in power. It relates these changing fortunes not only to the social and political enviro...

The blame game, with its finger-pointing and mutual buck-passing, is a familiar feature of politics and organizational life, and blame avoidance pervades government and public organizations at every level. Political and bureaucratic blame games and blame avoidance are more often condemned than analyzed. In The Blame Game, Christopher Hood takes a different approach by showing how blame avoidance shapes the workings of government and public services. Arguing that the blaming phenom...

This text offers descriptions and analyses of some of the different ways in which schools and other educational institutions have started to establish new collaborative relationships in today's competitive educational marketplace. Using case studies, the book describes examples of such collaborative structures.; Educational consortia have been established as a vehicle for professional and curriculum development, as a source of mutual support and as a condition of mutual survival. As the "L...

Drawing on lessons from the recent history of social work to identify how and why it has lost its privilege and influence, this book challenges social work students to understand why social work has failed to maintain its position as a driver of social reform. Bamford looks forward to a new model of practice that places a commitment to put social justice back at the heart of professional practice.The book contributes to the topical debates about social work education and the identi...

In this unique and passionate book, Doug Nicholls proposes a cultural revolution within youth work. He draws on the best of youth work's past to redesign the youth work map for today. He speaks with wit, wisdom and warmth to youth workers about their craft. Yet he takes no intellectual prisoners in proposing a new role for youth work in the struggle for social justice. No student or practitioner should miss it.

School leadership and management are fundamental components of school improvement. This is the first study of its kind to relate the principles of effective leadership to the broad spectrum of school life in Ireland.A key resource for school leaders in their personal and professional study, this book critically appraises issues in leading and managing schools. The editors bring together an array of renowned scholars to inform and stimulate the debate on the future of leadership dev...

This book adopts a highly critical approach to the ways in which organisations have been analysed by orthodox theories and offers instead a perspective on elements of organisational behaviour including leadership and its failures, structures, cultures, bullying and the denial of individual voice, firmly rooted in the critical understanding of power and control. Professor Fenwick draws from international examples of practice and finds grounds for optimism in the distinctive positive values ...

Reforming Lessons provides a first-hand account of the ambitious programme of reform that has led to a transformation in English schools since 2010 and seen pupils rise through the ranks of international comparison tests such as PIRLS and PISA.Co-authored by former Schools Minister Nick Gibb and Headteacher Robert Peal, the book explores the key principles behind the reforms and reveals the impact they had on school leadership, accountability, teaching methods, curriculum ...

At a time when education is considered crucial to a country’s economic success, recent UK governments have insisted their reforms are the only way to make England’s system world class. Yet pupils are tested rather than educated, teachers bullied rather than trusted and parents cast as winners or losers in a gamble for school places.Education under siege considers the English education system as it is and as it might be. In a highly accessible style, Peter Mortimore, an author with ...

In the light of changes the government has launched as part of its welfare to work initiatives, this text explores apprenticeship. The authors set the historical context and discuss the theoretical and practical aspects of acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills for competence.

The reorganisation of the education system within Britain has vastly increased the managerial responsibilities of those working in schools, although the staff generally have received little management training. In this book, the various issues related to management are teased out and a selection of ideas and pragmatic solutions informing good practice are examined.

This book is about curriculum change in secondary schools and shows how the quality of education has been affected by increasing intervention from central government. Following the story of one secondary school between 1957 and 2004, Norman Evans looks at:* the school before and after the introduction of the National Curriculum* the changing role of LEAs and governors* the characteristics since 1992 of school inspections responsible for policing the operation of the n...