Higher Level Teaching Assistants in Primary Schools: a Policy Trajectory

University of London Institute of Education Doctor in Education (EdD) Programme Thesis Contemporary Education Policy New Professionals in the Classroom? Higher Level Teaching Assistants in Primary Schools: from Policy to Practice Rosslyn Jane Sendorek October 2009 2 Declaration and Word Count I hereby declare that, except where explicit attribution is made, the work presented in this thesis is entirely my own. I have received permission to submit up to 48,000 words. Word count (exclusive of appendices and references but including footnotes, glossary and tables) is: 47,977. Rosslyn Jane Sendorek October 2009 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank all the headteachers, HLTAs and teachers who gave so generously of their time to participate in this research, and without whose openness and honesty the project would not have been possible. I am indebted to the staff of Oakfield First School for their unending patience and willing co-operation in trialling research materials and proofreading, and to the Governors for allowing me an extremely valuable sabbatical half term when it was most needed. I am particularly grateful to my supervisor Professor Carol Vincent for her wisdom, guidance and support through both my Institution Focused Study (IFS) and this thesis. Her recognition and appreciation of the conflicting role demands of headteacher and EdD student have always kept me motivated. I also extend my thanks to Dr Barbara Cole for her helpful feedback on the first draft of the thesis. Many people have helped and encouraged me during my seven year journey towards the EdD, but I especially wish to thank all my friends and family whose love and practical assistance have sustained me throughout. Special thanks to Natalie, Alan and Juan Pablo for believing it could be done, to Sue and Derek for patiently sharing their holidays with some very unusual reading materials, and to Eileen, with congratulations on getting there first. Above all, very special thanks go to my husband Matt for his constant and consistent support, gentle encouragement and ICT expertise. This thesis is dedicated to Ann, whose work in school inspired me, and for whom the HLTA role could have been invented. 4 Abstract The introduction of Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) in 2005 is arguably one of the most controversial, and significant, changes to school staffing since teaching became an all-graduate profession in the 1970s. This study focuses on the first two years of the HLTA policy in four primary schools which adopted the HLTA role from its outset. Data from semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and a study of documents are used to build case studies which demonstrate how the HLTA role has evolved somewhat differently in the four schools, raising the question of the effects of practitioners upon policy at the local level. Using the policy cycle (Bowe et al 1992) as a theoretical framework, the study draws upon the literature on professionalism (Whitty 2008) and professional learning communities (Bolam et al 2007), on leadership (Fullan 2001, 2007) and micropolitics (Ball 1987), and on Stephen Ball's (1997, 2008) more recent work on policy analysis, to consider the power of primary practitioners to influence and reinterpret policy, thus adding to our understanding of the policy process. The study suggests that although there remains considerable ambiguity around perceptions of the HLTA role in schools nationally (Pye Tait 2006), in the case study schools, there has been evidence of strong and committed leadership for the HLTA project from the headteachers, and a well defined and widely accepted professional HLTA role has emerged in each site. It concludes that an understanding of, and commitment to, policy intentions within the 'context of practice' (Bowe et al 1992) can be crucial to the realisation of policy-makers' goals. 5 Contents Reflective Statement p. 9 Glossary p. 17 Chapter 1 HLTAs — New Professionals? p. 19 1.1 Introduction p. 19 1.2 The Context — Starting Point p. 20 1.3 The Policy Cycle p. 23 1.4 HLTA Status and the Discourse of Workforce Remodelling p. 25 1.5 The 'Context of Influence' p. 28 1.5.1 The 'Social Partnership' p. 28 1.5.2 The Wider Policy Agenda p. 30 1.6 The 'Context of Policy Text Production' p. 32 1.7 Professional Context p. 34 1.8 Research Questions p. 36 1.9 Key Themes p. 37 1.9.1 HLTA — a developing role p. 37 1.9.2 Professionalism p. 38 1.9.3 Headteachers' Influence in the Policy Process p. 39 1.9.4 Linking Policy and Practice p. 40 1.10 Summary p.41 Chapter 2 Policy, Power, Professionalism and Women p. 43 2.1 Introduction p. 43 2.2 The 'Context of Practice' p. 44 2.3 Power and Micro-politics p. 46 2.3.1 TAs and Power p. 48 2.3.2 Teachers and Power p. 50 2.4 Professionalism p. 52 2.4.1 `Professionalization' or `Deprofessionalization?' p. 52 2.4.2 'Post-Modern' Professionalism p. 55 2.4.3 Professional Learning Communities p. 58 2.5 Leadership p. 59 2.5.1 Headteachers and Leadership — the Government's Perspective p. 60 2.5.2 The Exercise of Professional Judgement p. 61 2.6 Women's Work? p. 63 2.7 Summary p. 65 Chapter 3 Developing a Case Study p. 67 3.1 Introduction p. 67 3.2 Practitioner Based Enquiry p. 67 3.2.1 What Counts as Knowledge? p. 68 3.2.2 Ethical Considerations p. 70 6 3.3 Research Design p. 71 3.3.1 Qualitative Research p. 71 3.3.2 A Case Study Approach p. 72 3.3.3 Case Studies and Generalization p. 72 3.3.4 Validity and Reliability p. 74 3.4 A Research Position p. 75 3.5 Research Perspectives p. 76 3.5.1 Policy Sociology p. 76 3.5.2 A Feminist Perspective p. 77 3.6 Research Methods p. 79 3.6.1 Semi-structured Interviews p. 80 3.6.2 Document Analysis p. 82 3.6.3 Questionnaires p. 82 3.6.4 Data Analysis p. 83 3.7 Identifying the Case — Introducing the Research Schools p. 85 3.7.1 Albany First School p. 86 3.7.2 Banford Primary School p. 87 3.7.3 Colnbury Junior School p. 88 3.7.4 Downsfield Primary School p. 89 3.8. Summary p.90 Chapter 4 HLTA — A Developing Role p. 91 4.1 Introduction p. 91 4.2 Locating the Impetus p. 91 4.2.1 Headteachers and Innovation p. 91 4.2.2 Headteachers as Supporters of Change p. 93 4.3 The Decision Making Process p. 95 4.3.1 An Initial Consultation? p. 95 4.3.2 Possible Participants p. 96 4.4 HLTA Status as Continuing Professional Development p. 98 4.4.1 The Needs of TAs p. 98 4.4.2 The Needs of the Schools p. 101 4.5 The HLTA Role p. 103 4.6 HLTA Pay and Conditions p. 106 4.7 Summary p. 108 Chapter 5 HLTAs, Teachers and Professionalism p. 109 5.1 Introduction p. 109 5.2 Experience and Expertise — Does It Count? p. 109 5.3 Developing Identities p. 111 5.4 HLTAs' Perceptions of Their Role p. 112 5.5 The Teacher's Perspectives p. 115 5.6 HLTA: TA or Teacher? p. 117 5.7 Do Teachers Understand the Role? p. 121 5.8 A New Professional Identity for Teachers? p. 125 5.9 A New Way of Working? p. 127 5.10 Summary p. 130 7 Chapter 6 Headteachers, Leadership and Power p. 131 6.1 Introduction p. 131 6.2 Leadership and New Labour Policy p. 131 6.3 Leadership, Culture and the Process of Change p. 134 6.4 The Micro-politics of 'Re-Culturing' p. 137 6.5 Headteachers and Power p. 142 6.6 Headteachers and the Sponsorship of HLTAs p. 145 6.7 Headteachers and the Policy Process p. 148 6.8 Summary p. 150 Chapter 7 Policy Trajectories and the Case of the HLTA p. 153 7.1 Introduction p. 153 7.2 New Labour and Public Sector Reform p. 154 7.2.1 The Discourse of Partnership p. 155 7.2.2 Practitioner Participation p. 156 7.3 Incremental Changes and Policy Texts p. 157 7.4 Headteachers' Power in the Context of Practice p. 161 7.4.1 Factors Influencing Headteachers' Behaviour p. 162 7.4.2 Calculating Risks p. 163 7.5 Micro-Politics, Change Management and the HLTA p. 164 7.5.1 Teachers and Change p. 165 7.5.2 The Principle of 'Empowerment' p. 166 7.5.3 Teachers — `De-skilled' or 'Re-skilled'? p. 167 7.6 Teachers as 'New Professionals' p. 169 7.6.1 A 'Sense' of Professionalism p. 170 7.6.2 'Governmental Professionalism' p. 172 7.7 Funding as a Mechanism of Control p. 174 7.8 Summary p. 176 Chapter 8 Looking To The Future p. 178 8.1 Introduction p. 178 8.2 The Structure/Agency Debate p. 178 8.3 The Policy Cycle — Two Further Contexts p. 182 8.3.1 The 'Context of Outcomes' p. 182 8.3.2 The 'Context of Political Strategy' p. 185 8.4 Implications of the Study p. 186 8.4.1 Implications for HLTAs p. 186 8.4.2 Implications for Teachers p. 187 8.4.3 Implications for Headteachers p. 187 8.4.4 Implications for Policymakers p. 189 8.5 Looking to the Future p. 189 8.5.1 The Spread of the HLTA Policy p. 189 8.5.2 Dissemination of the Findings p.

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