In recent years the UK secondary educational landscape has witnessed significant change, with the introduction of an ever-extending spectrum of competing government initiatives and policies. This has resulted in the steady erosion of the traditionally recognized role of headteacher. This paper presents the results of a practitioner-based study…

Discusses ways in which the distinctive nature of the subject being taught has important implications for the management of teaching and learning by department heads. Reports the perceptions of department heads working in four areas of the curriculum--English, Mathematics, Science, and Technology--in secondary schools in Wales. Finds range of…

Traces introduction and implementation of one strand of UK government's performance-related pay strategy, Performance Management, from the perspective of 12 primary and secondary head teachers of schools located in three different regions of England. Finds that while heads may not be against performance-related pay in principle, its practical…

Addresses the responses of four mixed-comprehensive schools to the apparent "under-achievement" of males. Classifies approaches as organizational, individual, pedagogical, and sociocultural, and evaluates the potential of each approach for raising achievement levels of males and females. Considers the extent to which approaches might contribute to…

Findings from a study of teachers' views of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in England and Wales as a mechanism for improving secondary schools. Examines how teachers perceive the inspection process, whether Ofsted's process generates changes, and whether Ofsted's priorities agree with the school's. (Contains 44 references.) (WFA)

Report of a study of the experience of subject leaders (SLs) in Wales in improving the practice of members of their departments. Findings reveal that the SLs worked to create a culture of collaboration that controlled the development of practice and contained the anxiety associated with teaching. (Contains 41 references.) (WFA)

Outlines findings from study funded by the National College for School Leadership that explored effective leadership in a group of secondary schools in challenging circumstances. Highlights the key characteristics and features of leadership approaches adopted, and argues that the heads in the study operated a shared or distributed model of…

Examines grouping practices in 45 secondary schools in England based on information provided by curriculum managers and department heads about allocation procedures, factors affecting the size and number of student groups, movement between groups, pressures and constraints on movement, and behavioral and motivational factors. Finds wide variety of…

Study of a 6-member Senior Management Team in a large urban secondary school in New Zealand using 17-item questionnaire rating team performance by board members and middle-management staff. While both groups are generally well satisfied with team performance, they find the team needs to improve communications and appropriate consultation.…

Work-related self-identities are central to middle leaders' work. Their development takes place in social, policy and personal contexts. At the core of middle leaders' work-related identities lie values that guide how they interact with colleagues, students and senior management staff when trying to shape and implement departmental and school…

This article aims at presenting some of the findings from the Norwegian part of the "Successful School Leadership Project". In order to adequately capture the complicated and dynamic nature of leadership in the participating schools, a distributed and micro-political perspective on leadership is chosen. The Norwegian team has been investigating…

The context of this study is an "improving" 11?18 secondary school in a small English market town, where the role of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) is being developed as prime supporters of the renewed emphasis on improving teaching and learning processes. National initiatives, including the teachers workload agreement and national remodelling…

Reports findings from a preliminary study evaluating effects of the UK's Office for Standards in Education inspections on classroom change, based on teachers' perceptions, responses, and intentions to change practice (resulting from the inspection process) at five comprehensive secondary schools. School context and culture figure prominently.…

Examines reasons for the paucity of female secondary headteachers, employing a large-scale survey of all English and Welsh secondary principals that achieved a 70 percent response rate. Considers demographic characteristics, work constraints associated with domestic commitments, and overt and covert discrimination factors. High discrimination…

A pilot study into the preparation and training of women administrators conducted semistructured interviews with nine women headteachers in UK independent secondary schools. Leadership roles were learned at school, not in training. Those working in girls' schools experienced less discrimination than those working in Headmasters' Conference…