Roles and Responsibilities in the Primary School: Changing Demands, Changing Practices

How are teachers planning and implementing the National Curriculum at Key Stage 2? How have the recent policy and legislative changes affected the roles and responsibilities of class teachers, curriculum coordinators, deputy headteachers and headteachers? How are primary schools managing the current plethora of innovations and what can be learned from their experience? Based on qualitative research in 50 schools throughout England and Wales, this book portrays teachers' work as it is currently experienced in the post-ERA context of multiple innovations. It examines the impact of the National Curriculum and assessment on classroom practice, curriculum organization and planning at Key Stage 2. Drawing on the wealth of ideas and successful practices shared with the authors by the teachers in the study, it demonstrates how class teachers, curriculum coordinators, deputy headteachers and headteachers are tackling the new demands of their expanding roles. An analysis of the management of change reveals a growing tension between collegial and top-down directive managerial styles, which is fundamentally affecting the culture of primary schools. Through presenting what is actually happening in primary schools in contrast to prescribed educational orthodoxies, this book makes a vital contribution to the debate on the future of primary education.