Beleagured by information? The reactions of headteachers to school effectiveness initiatives

There are many initiatives associated with current concern with school effectiveness and school improvement (SESI). Some of these are based on the dissemination of information, given the need for schools to understand their own performance when measured against others which are similar in socio-economic intake. If any sense is to be made of league tables or 'value added' input then there must be clear statistics about various aspects of the school. This research describes the reaction of headteachers to the plethora of information and explores their reactions to the political climate and relationships with other schools and with teachers, parents and governors in the light of the government initiatives