Resources, unit costs and the curriculum : an analysis of changing priorities in local education authority secondary schools in England
There are major variations in education provision between areas yet their analysis remains undeveloped. This thesis examines variations in resources and the curriculum in English education in the early 1980s. It argues that these variations are one of the major outcomes of the relationships between actors in the education service established in the post-war era. Despite their importance, the patterns of provision have been subject to little previous systematic empirical assessment. The first part of the thesis develops a framework for analysis of the relationships between actors in education: central government, local authority and school. This framework provides the structure for the empirical analyses which follow. A hierarchical research design is adopted which facilitates the examination of the effect of each level on the distribution of resources and their translation into curricula. Four contrasted case studies were selected for analysis. The results of original surveys are drawn upon to examine the management context. The second part of the thesis presents an original analysis of the impact of changes to the system of central grants to local authorities. National data sources are used to examine in detail the impact of these changes on secondary education expenditure. The focus then shifts to examine the distribution of resources within the four case study areas and their relationship to the socio-economic characteristics of school catchments and 'technical' factors such as size. Having established the patterns of resource distribution, the thesis moves to an original examination of the translation of these resources into curricula. The curriculum profiles of the case study authorities are compared, and, for two areas, changes over time are analysed. In the final section, the thesis examines variations in the curriculum between schools, examining their relationship to school background factors and resource levels.
Curriculum progress 5-16 : school subjects and the National Curriculum debate
Mathematics, G.T.Wain moral and religious education, Peter Mitchell social studies, Paul Armitage foreign languages in schools, Brian Page English, Robert Protherough craft design and technology, John Penfold Music, Morilynne J.R.Davies geography - new subject, new curricular contributions, Patrick Bailey home economics, Margaret Jepson history, Elizabeth Foster the physical education curriculum from 5-16, Jim Parry art and design - a parting of the ways?, Anthony Dyson science, John Nellist.
British Public Finances: Their Structure and Development 1880-1952
This book studies basic structural changes in British public finance between 1800 and 1952.