Indeed, I contend that they are being openly expressed and reproduced within and beyond government circles.

Policy tensions being played out in practice. The Specialist Schools initiative in England

Published in The Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies

Citations: 15

2004

Abstract

This paper explores policy tensions inherent in the development of Specialist Schools in England under the New Labour Government. It outlines the dual agendas currently at play in the Specialist School policy, which is central to the government’s moves to transform secondary education and raise standards in teaching and learning. Schools achieving specialist status are automatically recognised as being different from other schools, but at the same time, inherit a remit to work closely with neighbouring schools in the drive to raise educational standards and spread innovative practice. The expectation is that Specialist Schools will be proactive in collaborative activity, yet they continue to be publicly judged by their ability to outperform other schools. Data and experiences from a project focusing on Specialist Sports Colleges within England is used to illustrate the ways in which these collaborative-competitive tensions are being played out in practice. Recent observations made in Adnett and Davies’ (2003) analysis of the contemporary policy context in England provide a framework for discussion. Particular attention is drawn to the partnerships that colleges have been inclined to pursue and have yet to firmly establish. Links are demonstrated between the collaborative-competitive tensions and the government’s ongoing concern with ‘standards’ amidst an increasing focus on the reform of ‘structures’. In conclusion discussion addresses the scope for researchers to challenge the dominant reference points used in evaluations of performance and thereby facilitate compatibility between currently oppositional policy agendas. Policy tensions being played out in practice 228 | P a g e Introduction This paper focuses on a development that has become one of the centre pieces of the Blair government’s endeavour’s to ‘transform’ secondary education in England and raise standards in teaching and learning within and beyond that sector. The Specialist Schools initiative was inherited by the New Labour government when it took office in 1997. Perhaps to the surprise of some observers, it was embraced, adapted and has since repeatedly been accorded a high profile in education policy debates and development. It remains an initiative that is being rapidly expanded amidst many claimed benefits, some probing questioning, and a lack of sustained, ‘in depth’ investigation of the effects that it is having within and beyond those schools designated ‘specialist’. In this paper I aim to explore arguably key tensions inherent in this policy development that seem yet to be acknowledged by government, far less alleviated. Indeed, I contend that they are being openly expressed and reproduced within and beyond government circles. The tensions that I refer to relate to the mix of values and interests that the New Labour government has been variously grappling with and promoting since it has been in office. Stated simply, competitive and cooperative / collaborative agendas have been openly combined in policy developments and the combination treated as non-problematic. From another angle we can observe that cooperative / collaborative agendas have entered into policy contexts dominated by competitive discourses, with the dominance of those discourses then being openly reaffirmed and reinforced by New Labour. I will argue that it is this latter characteristic of contemporary policy development in England that may well be the most problematic – if, that is, one is interested in promoting collaborative and cooperative interests in education. Adnett and Davies (2003) have pointed out that “Market-based reforms have generally sought to increase inter-school competition, neglecting its impact upon the nature and extent of co-operative behaviour in local schooling markets” (p.393). They also stated that “The extent to which the current policy mix represents a complementary and effective package is not immediately clear” (p.393). The Specialist Schools initiative vividly illustrates the policy tensions at play in government arenas but also brings to the fore the ways in which these are now being

Authors

D. Penney