Emerging schooling landscapes in England: How primary system leaders are responding to new school groupings

Simkins, Timothy; Coldron, John; Crawford, Megan; Maxwell, Bronwen

doi:10.1177/1741143217751079

Cited by 20 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…The local authority level analysis of academisation showed a lower level and rate of change over time for primary schools compared to secondary schools. Simkins et al (2018) suggest this is due to differences in distinctive educational and institutional practices. These differences may make academisation, and the kind of autonomy it offers, less attractive to many primary schools, leading them to have a stronger identification with, and commitment to, their LA than is usual with secondary schools (Keddie, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academisation of Schools in England and Placements of Pupils With Special Educational Needs: An Analysis of Trends, 2011–2017

et al. 2019

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This paper aims to examine the changes in school composition in England from 2011 to 2017 by school type and school phase; the speed of academisation by region; and the changes in the proportions of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) at SEN Support and EHC Plan levels overall. We analyse publicly available school level data from the National Pupil Database (NPD) to document two simultaneous trends in English education between 2011 and 2017. First, we observe an increasing percentage of the schools that have become Academies, especially in the secondary mainstream sector, but also among primary schools, special schools and pupil referral units. Second, we document a decreasing percentage of pupils who were classified as having SEN. While the decrease happened across all types of schools, it was particularly steep in Sponsored Academies. This evidence does not necessarily imply that the academisation of English schools has had a negative effect on the inclusion of pupils with SEN. However, the findings have significance to provide the basis for a more in-depth analysis of these trends and the causal effects of academisation involving individual and school level analyses. They can also inform national and local policy review of how pupils are identified as having SEN and in the context of international moves toward greater inclusive education.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academisation of Schools in England and Placements of Pupils With Special Educational Needs: An Analysis of Trends, 2011–2017

et al. 2019

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“…The primary education system in England is dominated by a range of statutory assessments in Reception and Years 1, 2, 4, 6 (ages 4/5, 5/6, 6/7, 8/9 and 10/11 years). These assessments, of which the Key Stage 2 SATs in Year 6 are the most significant, are used to assess the education provided by the primary school within a neoliberal marketized, accountability-driven system, as has been well-documented (Ball 2017;Keddie 2017;Simkins et al 2018). The Key Stage 2 SATs have been used since the 1990s, but they have evolved with different governments' priorities and preoccupations, such as the aim of requiring schools to teach grammar formally.…”

Section: Sats and The Accountability Regime In Englandmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Poor or declining results are a trigger for an Ofsted inspection, leading one headteacher in the study to declare 'I'm only as good as the last set of my results' (HT School P). Headteachers' jobs and salaries are dependent on these results, and there is also a risk that a poor inspection may result in academisation within a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) (Simkins et al 2018). While overall the process of academisation has been slower in the primary sector, with 67% of primaries remaining in local authority (LA) control compared to 24% of secondaries in 2019 (DfE 2019b), press reports suggest over 300 primaries have been removed from LA control after inadequate Ofsted judgements in the last three years (McIntyre and Weale 2019).…”

Section: Sats and The Accountability Regime In Englandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intervention culture, grouping and triage: high-stakes tests and practices of division in English primary schools

Bradbury

Braun

Quick

2021

British Journal of Sociology of Education

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This paper explores the practices of division in operation in primary schools in England in response to the pressures of high stakes tests at age 10/11, known as SATs. Using data from interviews with 20 primary headteachers and information from a survey of nearly 300 primary heads, we argue that the organisation of pupils in preparation for SATs involves 1) the use of grouping by 'ability' in sets, despite the increasing evidence of the disadvantages; 2) forms of educational triage, where borderline or 'cusp' children are prioritised, and more complex forms of 'double triage'; and 3) the growth of 'intervention culture' where some children are withdrawn from normal lessons to resolve 'gaps' in their learning. In this article these practices are understood through a Foucauldian lens as micropractices of power which label and categorise pupils within an accountability system that seeks to classify pupils on a norm/Other binary.

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“…The education landscape in England has become increasingly diverse. In this paradoxical self-improving school-led system, a rhetoric of school autonomy grows in the midst of increasing central accountabilities (Simkins et al., 2019; Woods et al, 2020). Indeed, uncertainty and complex expectations continue, a performativity agenda increases, local authority control is declining, and new school structures have emerged (Courtney, 2015a; Coldron et al, 2014; Hargreaves, 2012; Rayner, 2018; Woods, 2014, 2017).…”

Section: Positioning School Business Leadership In the Field Of Educamentioning

confidence: 99%

Positioning school business practitioners in the English school system

Creaby

2021

Management in Education

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This article explores the increasing professionalisation of school business practitioners in the state school system in England. Often referred to a ‘school business managers’ or ‘school business leaders’, this cohort of the school workforce have been increasingly tasked with leading crucial site-based management functions in schools, such as finance and budgeting, human resources and school operations. As this area of practitioner activity has grown over the last two decades, ‘school business leadership’ has increasingly been positioned by education policy makers and professional bodies as a distinct field of practice within the school system. However, despite increasing recognition of the value of school business leadership within the school system, there is evidence of continued tensions around the inclusion of such practitioners in matters of leadership. Further, there is a paucity of scholarly research exploring school business activity and the increasing professionalisation of its practitioners. Therefore, this article serves to contribute to this gap by exploring the evolution of school business practitioners and their positioning within the wider field of education in England. It argues for further research in England and for knowledge exchange with other education contexts to share insight and explore future potential.

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Emerging schooling landscapes in England: How primary system leaders are responding to new school groupings

Abstract: Bronwen (2018). Emerging schooling landscapes in England: how primary system leaders are responding to new school groupings. Educational Management Administration & Leadership.

Cited by 20 publications

References 17 publications

Academisation of Schools in England and Placements of Pupils With Special Educational Needs: An Analysis of Trends, 2011–2017

Academisation of Schools in England and Placements of Pupils With Special Educational Needs: An Analysis of Trends, 2011–2017

Intervention culture, grouping and triage: high-stakes tests and practices of division in English primary schools

Positioning school business practitioners in the English school system

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