Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

School to school collaboration through Teaching School Alliances in England: ‘system leadership’ in a messy and hybrid governance context

Greany, Toby; Armstrong, Paul

School to school collaboration through Teaching School Alliances in England:  ‘system leadership’ in a messy and hybrid governance context Thumbnail


Authors

Paul Armstrong



Contributors

Paul Armstrong
Editor

Chris Brown
Editor

Abstract

This chapter explores school-to-school collaboration via Teaching School Alliances (TSAs) in one locality in England, drawing on governance theory (Bevir, 2011) - specifically hierarchy, markets and networks (Tenbensel, 2015). It focuses on three TSAs in detail, describing their individual development as ‘school-led’ networks, but also how they interact with each other and with other networks in the context of wider hierarchical and market-driven pressures and opportunities. It compares these examples to the three common TSA trajectories described by Greany and Higham (2018) – exclusive, marketised and hierarchical – showing how these trajectories overlap and interact in hybrid forms. It concludes by discussing these findings in relation to social regulation and cohesion (Hood, 1991; Chapman, 2019) and to the wider themes in this book. We argue that whilst collaboration between schools in the English system has been driven at the policy level by an egalitarian narrative, in reality such activity is enacted within a hierarchical and individualist framework which can be in tension with the professional values and ethics of school leaders. We conclude with recommendations, which include a need to: rethink of national and local accountability structures in order to encompass a broader range of outcomes; encourage more ambitious levels of experimentation in how the needs of children and families can best be addressed; focus on place-based coherence and collaboration; and, finally, develop the skills and capacity of front-line leaders to shape productive networks.

Citation

Greany, T., & Armstrong, P. (2022). School to school collaboration through Teaching School Alliances in England: ‘system leadership’ in a messy and hybrid governance context. In P. Armstrong, & C. Brown (Eds.), School to School Collaboration: Learning Across International Contexts. London: Emerald

Acceptance Date Mar 17, 2022
Online Publication Date Sep 26, 2022
Publication Date Sep 26, 2022
Deposit Date May 16, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Publisher Emerald Publishing Ltd
Book Title School to School Collaboration: Learning Across International Contexts
ISBN 9781800436695
Keywords school-to-school collaboration; partnership; leadership; governance; networks; Teaching School Alliances
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8129927
Related Public URLs https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/school-to-school-collaboration/?k=9781800436695

Files






You might also like



Downloadable Citations