A report by the schools inspectorate highlighted the importance of developing and managing the culture and ethos of schools, providing a good working environment, tackling excessive workloads, providing well-targeted staff development opportunities, and introducing change with sensitivity.
Source: Leadership and Management: Managing the school workforce, HMI 1764, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release
Date: 2003-Dec
A review set out to identify research evidence for the widely held belief that school leadership makes a difference to pupils' performance.
Source: Les Bell, Ray Bolam and Leela Cubillo, A Systematic Review of the Impact of School Headteachers and Principals on Student Outcomes, Institute of Education/University of London (020 7612 6050)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2003-Dec
A report warned of a looming shortage of headteachers, with a large proportion due to retire in the coming 5-10 years.
Source: Frank Hartle and Katherine Thomas, Growing Tomorrow's School Leaders: The challenge, National College for School Leadership (0870 001 1155)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Dec
A research report examined barriers to the recruitment of school governors from six under-represented groups - black and other minority ethnic groups, young people, disabled people, lone parents, people on low incomes and people who are unemployed, and business people.
Source: Angela Ellis, Barriers to Participation for Under-represented Groups in School Governance, Research Report 500, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (Word file) | Brief (Word file)
Date: 2003-Dec
A research report said that the 400,000 volunteer school governors and school board members contributed to school improvement, but did not yet fully represent the parents or communities they served.
Source: Stewart Ranson, Jane Martin, Margaret Arnott and Penny McKeown, The Participation of Volunteer Citizens in the Governance of Education, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | ESRC press release
Date: 2003-Sep
Researchers found that more than half of schools thought that the introduction of 'home school agreements' (in 1999) had improved communication of school expectations and responsibilities: 30 per cent or more thought it had had a positive effect on factors such as parental involvement and pupil behaviour.
Source: Mike Coldwell, Kathy Stephenson, Ihsan Fathallah-Callau and John Coldron, Evaluation of Home School Agreements, Research Brief 455, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
A report acknowledged the 'very real progress' that schools had made in ensuring that transfers for children aged between 7 and 14 were a relatively anxiety-free experience for pupils and their families. It said that key issues for further review included the academic (as opposed to social) dimensions of transfer, and the specific strategies which help to sustain pupils progress.
Source: Maurice Galton, John Gray and Jean Rudduck, Transfer and Transitions in the Middle Years of Schooling (7-14): Continuities and discontinuities in learning, Research Report 443, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf) | Brief (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jun
The schools inspectorate said that the proportion of headteachers providing excellent leadership and management had doubled between 1996-97 and 2001-02. Leadership and management were 'very good' or 'excellent' in 40 per cent of primary schools, and in 47 per cent of secondary schools (compared to 15 per cent and 19 per cent respectively in 1996-97).
Source: Leadership and Management: What inspection tells us, HMI 1646, Office for Standards in Education (07002 637833)
Links: Report (pdf) | OFSTED press release
Date: 2003-Jun
The government began consultation on proposals to relax the requirement to hold an annual parents' meeting, in cases where schools have a good record of parental involvement in consultation and decision making.
Source: Draft Annual Parents' Meetings (Exemptions) (England) Regulations 2003, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Draft regulations (Word file)
Date: 2003-Mar
The Catholic Church in England and Wales defended their decision (against criticism from Catholic school headteachers) to support the phasing out of interviews as a permitted part of the admissions procedures to Church schools (as proposed by the government from 2005). It said that interviews, however carefully managed, run the risk of being divisive or selective, and that schools would continue to be able to assess the faith practice of children by means of an objective reference from the parish priest. But the Secretary of State for Education was reported as suggesting that parish priests should have no say in admissions either.
Source: Press release 28.1.03, Catholic Church in England & Wales (020 7901 4800) | Sunday Times, 26.1.03
Links: CC press release | C of E press release
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/2, Digest 122, paragraph 3.3
Date: 2003-Jan
