Higher education is becoming increasingly market-oriented. In a bid to enhance performance, reputation and competitive positioning, universities are increasingly embracing managerialist axioms and discourses. In the process, a new class of professional administrator has been created. Increasingly specialist in nature, the professionalised…

The national picture of school behaviour is complex, but numerous indicators suggest that it can be better in a great number of schools and contexts. Every leader should consciously aspire to the very best behaviour possible in their schools as a matter of priority. There are a number of strategies that schools with outstanding behaviour use…

The governing bodies of publicly funded schools in England are currently facing a number of substantive challenges of various kinds. Many of the challenges are long-standing, while others relate to the current context for governing wrought by recent education policy developments initiated by central government. A number of the challenges are…

The Local Government Association (LGA) initially commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to explore: (1) whether Lead Members for Children's Services (LMCS) have sufficient information and support to carry out their role effectively, especially in relation to their corporate parenting role; (2) LMCSs' personal…

This research, commissioned by the LGA (Local Government Association), explores whether Lead Members for Children's Services [LMCS] have enough information and support to carry out their role effectively, especially for their corporate parenting role. It also explored the overall role, including issues like manageability; commissioning;…

Discusses the active role that practicing managers are expected to take in managing information and using information technology, and reports the results of a survey of middle and senior managers in a business school environment that examined issues of concern relating to information management. The implications of the findings for business…

Examines personal variables for their effect on attitudes and survey responses of primary school principals and deputy principals when questioned about the role of principal. Significant differences were observed between men and women respondents and minor differences were noted in accordance with age and experience. (Author/DB)

Examines academic middle managers' monitoring role in British secondary schools since implementation of the 1988 Education Reform Act, drawing on a large-scale postal survey of middle managers in three local authorities and three case-study schools. Participants acknowledge the need for monitoring colleagues' teaching, but experience departmental…

New heads taking up their appointments in English schools in recent years have had supportive programmes to help them, both prior to headship and on taking up the role. This study examines the experience of heads new to their role in primary and secondary schools over the period 2002-2004. All were participants in the National College for School…

A survey of 50 local education authorities in England and Wales found that support and training available to governing bodies of mainstream schools in the area of special educational needs are minimal or nonexistent, that governing bodies and governors are confused about their role in this area, and that school policymaking was left to teaching…