School autonomy and accountability in England: Therhetoric and the reality?

This paper considers school autonomy and the related issue of accountability in the English education system. It begins with a discussion of the context in which English schools and their leaders are currently operating and the challenges they face. A brief historical account of the development of school autonomy and accountability is then offered which follows closely the historical analysis provided for English schools by Trevor Male in his chapter. The part that leadership – more specifi ally school headteachers – play in school improvement is next discussed which in turn leads, partly as a result of the unintended consequences of accountability, to the more philosophical question of leadership for what educational purpose. The growth of academies and school-led improvement – or what has been referred to as the self-improving school system – is further considered in the penultimate section. Lastly the question raised in the paper’s title about the rhetoric and the reality of school autonomy is discussed along with some concluding comments.