The schools landscape is rapidly changing. With the education sector gradually moving away from school models which are under the direct influence of Local Authorities it is vital that we understand what this means for how schools will be working going forward, how they will be setting and delivering their curricula and connecting with local structures. The development and expansion of new school models also sits alongside an established sector of privately funded independent schools with their own budgets, admissions policies and governing boards, which adds to the variation and complexity of the school landscape.
In April 2013 A New Direction commissioned the Institute of Education (IoE) to investigate how cultural education varies across a range of school models, particularly those which are non Local Authority maintained. The aim of the study is to provide insights and evidence which will contribute to the current debate on the impact that new types of schools, policies and qualifications have on cultural education for children and young people in London.
The project comprised an audit of the structure and characteristics of London schools based on a number of public sources including Edubase and Ofsted inspection reports and an analysis of the current policy context around new school models. It also included a series of interviews with senior and middle leaders in schools from a range of governance models, drawing out some innovative approaches to cultural education in a series of case studies. Based on the research AND has also pulled together some reflections in a think piece which looks at the forces that are currently at play in the education sector and the challenges and opportunities that these may generate for schools and cultural partners to work together.
Case Studies
Download The Cavendish School Case Study
Download Susi Earnshaw Theatre School Case Study
Download St Paul's Way Trust School Case Study
