Making sense of policy in London secondary education : what can be learned from the London Challenge
Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis presents an examination of the policy process in education, focusing on \nthe London Challenge as an exemplifying case study. The policy problem of the \nLondon Challenge was the poorer performance of London secondary schools \ncompared to other regions and considerable between-school variation. Social \npolarisation was intensified by the relationship between education, 'place' and social \ndisadvantage and so the London Challenge was designed to intervene in this \nsituation. \nA critique of the London Challenge policy over the course of its eight year life is \npresented in the thesis, identifying that a significant shift in the leadership of the \npolicy — from policy-maker to practitioner — took place as it evolved, altering the \ncharacter of the policy. The thesis finds that practitioners, especially headteachers, \nplayed a central role in the success of the London Challenge because they re-shaped \nthe policy as they implemented it. \nAn examination of the policy process of the London Challenge follows, together with \nan empirical study in this thesis. They show that there was a gradual ceding of power \nfrom policy-makers to headteachers and London Challenge advisers who led the \npolicy's implementation. It created a 'high trust / high accountability' model for \neducation policy-making which paired professional autonomy and expertise with \naccountability to government for improvement in London's secondary schools. This \ntook place within a framework of conditions that required shared moral purpose, \nstrong leadership, high challenge with an openness to supportive and fair datainformed \nscrutiny and a regional commitment to collegial partnership. \nThe thesis concludes that what can be learned from the London Challenge is that \n`mature' self-improving education systems should provide the right conditions for \nheadteachers to act as system leaders with the transformative power to create and lead \neducation policy to the benefit of all a region's schools and its children.
Source: IOE EPrints
Author: Vanessa Jane Ogden
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1599512831