Market Relationships and the Management of Teachers

The key elements of the new management regime which is being installed in the school system are the intensification and regulation of teachers’ work, an attack on conditions of employment, and the creation of a new organisational culture in the schools.

Abstract

Abstract The success of the Conservative government's project for education depends upon securing the compliance of teachers. The key elements of the new management regime which is being installed in the school system are the intensification and regulation of teachers' work, an attack on conditions of employment, and the creation of a new organisational culture in the schools. The new management regime in the schools has both similarities and differences with new workforce management strategies in the private sector and other sectors of the welfare state. It is the product of a specific combination of state regulation and quasi‐market relationships. It is however facing growing resistance from teachers and their unions.