The University of Manchester Research Investigating school leadership at a time of system diversity, competition and flux Link to publication record in Manchester Research Explorer Citation for published version (APA): Courtney, S. (2015). Investigating school leadership at a time of system diversity, competition and flux. Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on Manchester Research Explorer is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Proof version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Research Explorer are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. 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Sep. 2021 Investigating school leadership at a time of system diversity, competition and flux A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of PhD in the Faculty of Humanities 2015 Steven John Courtney School of Environment, Education and Development, Manchester Institute of Education List of contents Abstract ...................................................................................................... 7 Declaration of Original Contribution ................................................................ 8 Copyright Statement .................................................................................... 9 List of Tables ............................................................................................. 10 Abbreviations ............................................................................................. 11 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................... 12 Chapter one: Introducing the study .............................................................. 13 1.1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 13 1.2. Rationale for the study ...................................................................... 14 1.3. Construction and structure of the thesis .............................................. 20 Chapter two: School-type diversification and its political, conceptual and ideological context ...................................................................................... 25 2.1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 25 2.2. The ideological context ...................................................................... 25 2.2.1. Welfarism .................................................................................. 26 2.2.2. Neoliberalism ............................................................................. 27 2.2.3. Neoconservatism ........................................................................ 31 2.3. From diversity to diversification .......................................................... 33 2.4. The diversification of school types within an educational quasi-market .... 35 2.5. Key initiatives in the diversification of school types ............................... 36 2.5.1. City Colleges .............................................................................. 38 2.5.2. Grant-Maintained (GM) schools .................................................... 39 2.5.3. Sponsored GM schools ................................................................ 39 2.5.4. Specialist schools ....................................................................... 40 2.5.5. Academies ................................................................................. 41 2.5.6. Free schools .............................................................................. 43 2.5.7. Studio schools ........................................................................... 43 2.6. School leadership and the reform agenda ............................................ 44 2.7. Summary of chapter two ................................................................... 47 2 Chapter three: Research design ................................................................... 48 3.1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 48 3.2. A critical policy scholarship approach to epistemology and methodology .. 48 3.3. The research questions ..................................................................... 50 3.4. Thinking with Bourdieu ...................................................................... 52 3.5. Study design.................................................................................... 54 3.6. Conducting the project ...................................................................... 57 3.6.1. Mapping education provision ........................................................ 57 3.6.2. Sampling ................................................................................... 60 3.6.3. The interviews ........................................................................... 62 3.6.4. Using documents ........................................................................ 65 3.6.5. Data analysis ............................................................................. 68 3.7. Trustworthiness ............................................................................... 74 3.8. Research integrity ............................................................................ 76 3.9. Constructing the thesis ..................................................................... 77 3.9.1. Mapping school types in England (chapter four) ............................. 78 3.9.2. Get off my bus! (chapter eight) .................................................... 78 3.9.3. Corporatised leadership in English schools (chapter seven) .............. 79 3.9.4. The courtier’s empire (chapter six) ............................................... 79 3.9.5. Corporatising school leadership through hysteresis (chapter nine) .... 80 3.9.6. Examining the policy and discursive conditions for pupil self-selection into hierarchised provision (chapter five) ................................................ 80 3.10. Summary of chapter three ............................................................... 81 Chapter four: Mapping school types in England .............................................. 82 Abstract ................................................................................................. 82 Introduction ........................................................................................... 82 On types and typologies .......................................................................... 85 Mapping school types in England ............................................................... 87 Types by legal status ........................................................................... 87 3 Types by curricular specialism ............................................................... 89 Types by pupil selection ....................................................................... 90 Types of academy ................................................................................ 92 Types of multi-school ........................................................................... 94 Conceptualising types through locus of legitimacy and branding ................... 96 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 101 References ............................................................................................ 103 Chapter five: Examining the policy and discursive conditions for pupil self-selection into hierarchised provision .......................................................................... 108 Abstract ................................................................................................ 108 Introduction .......................................................................................... 108 From schools’ selecting pupils to pupils’ selecting schools ........................... 111 The study ............................................................................................. 118 Creating the policy and discursive conditions for pupil self-selection ............. 120 Implications and conclusion ..................................................................... 125 References ............................................................................................ 127 Chapter six: The courtier’s empire: A case study of providers and provision ..... 133 Introduction .......................................................................................... 133 Gaining elite status as a system-leading Headteacher ................................. 134 The “follower” ........................................................................................ 137 The “acquired” ....................................................................................... 139 The “excluded” ...................................................................................... 141 Leading in a courtier’s empire .................................................................