Policy enactments in the UK secondary school: examining policy, practice and school positioning

TY - JOUR

T1 - Policy enactments in the UK secondary school: examining policy, practice and school positioning

AU - Braun, Annette

AU - Maguire, Meg

AU - Ball, Stephen J.

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - This paper presents a first attempt in an ongoing research study of the policy environments in four UK secondary schools to examine policy enactment, where 'enactment' refers to an understanding that policies are interpreted and 'translated' by diverse policy actors in the school environment, rather than simply implemented. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part presents an audit of the policies encountered in four case study schools in the south-east of England. The second part looks at one current English government policy, namely personal learning and thinking skills, and how this is taken up in two of the case study schools. In this way, the paper not just explores why a policy is adopted but also illustrates the capacity for school-based policy elaboration, where schools produce their own 'take' on policy, drawing on aspects of their culture or ethos, as well as on the situated necessities.

AB - This paper presents a first attempt in an ongoing research study of the policy environments in four UK secondary schools to examine policy enactment, where 'enactment' refers to an understanding that policies are interpreted and 'translated' by diverse policy actors in the school environment, rather than simply implemented. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part presents an audit of the policies encountered in four case study schools in the south-east of England. The second part looks at one current English government policy, namely personal learning and thinking skills, and how this is taken up in two of the case study schools. In this way, the paper not just explores why a policy is adopted but also illustrates the capacity for school-based policy elaboration, where schools produce their own 'take' on policy, drawing on aspects of their culture or ethos, as well as on the situated necessities.

U2 - 10.1080/02680931003698544

DO - 10.1080/02680931003698544

M3 - Article

VL - 25

SP - 547

EP - 560

JO - JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY

JF - JOURNAL OF EDUCATION POLICY

IS - 4

ER -