Special and alternative provision

Rachel, Chris and May are kicking off a major research project investigating management and leadership in alternative and special education provision.

The project is exploring, in real time, staff experiences of what happens when a multi-academy trust comes into a setting to effect school improvement. We aim to develop an understanding of how leadership and strategic change is implemented within an SEMH context, and of its effects, with a view to outlining key insights and recommendations, as well as lessons for practice within the wider community of SEMH schools.

Research into leadership during strategic change in organisations often characterises change as a relatively straightforward, rational, process which can be broken down into a number of identifiable, time-specific elements. The process of change in organisations is often more complex, however, and the dynamics of navigating change, strategising a vision, communicating plans, engaging with employees, overcoming resistance, and continually assessing progress, all merit close attention.

Adopting an intensive, ethnographic methodology, involving observation and in-depth interviewing of key stakeholders, this project will follow the strategic change programme being undertaken, focusing in particular on how leaders behave, and the impact of their actions on others, including teachers, managers, leaders and support staff.