"Headteachers and governing bodies run schools and that won't change"
About this Quote
Estelle Morris, Labour education secretary in the early 2000s, uses a simple, declarative sentence to set a boundary in a period of rapid reform. It reassures teachers, parents, and local communities that, notwithstanding new policies, the basic constitutional structure of English schooling remains intact: professionals lead, and lay governors provide oversight. Headteachers stand for expertise and day-to-day leadership, the people who carry the burden of standards, staffing, curriculum, and culture. Governing bodies represent democratic accountability, bringing parents, staff, and community voices into the strategic direction of the school, including finance and the appointment and appraisal of the head.
The promise that this will not change responds to anxieties sparked by New Labour’s modernization agenda: league tables, Ofsted’s sharper teeth, specialist schools, and, crucially, the early academy model with private sponsors. Critics feared creeping privatization or Whitehall micromanagement. Morris’s line draws a line between system-level steering and school-level control: government can set standards, publish data, and intervene in failure, but the locus of authority remains local and professional.
There is also a rhetorical calculation here. Reform endures only if those tasked with implementing it believe their craft and status are respected. By affirming headship and governance, Morris appeals to professional pride and civic legitimacy, signaling that change is about raising standards, not displacing those who know students and communities best.
History complicates the assurance. Subsequent waves of academization and the rise of multi-academy trusts shifted power upward, with trust boards and CEOs often outranking individual governing bodies and headteachers. The tension Morris sought to resolve did not disappear; it merely evolved. Yet the statement still articulates a principle many in education hold to be fundamental: schools work best when operational judgment rests with educators and their communities, and when accountability is exercised close to the people most affected by decisions.
The promise that this will not change responds to anxieties sparked by New Labour’s modernization agenda: league tables, Ofsted’s sharper teeth, specialist schools, and, crucially, the early academy model with private sponsors. Critics feared creeping privatization or Whitehall micromanagement. Morris’s line draws a line between system-level steering and school-level control: government can set standards, publish data, and intervene in failure, but the locus of authority remains local and professional.
There is also a rhetorical calculation here. Reform endures only if those tasked with implementing it believe their craft and status are respected. By affirming headship and governance, Morris appeals to professional pride and civic legitimacy, signaling that change is about raising standards, not displacing those who know students and communities best.
History complicates the assurance. Subsequent waves of academization and the rise of multi-academy trusts shifted power upward, with trust boards and CEOs often outranking individual governing bodies and headteachers. The tension Morris sought to resolve did not disappear; it merely evolved. Yet the statement still articulates a principle many in education hold to be fundamental: schools work best when operational judgment rests with educators and their communities, and when accountability is exercised close to the people most affected by decisions.
Quote Details
| Topic | Management |
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