Consumers and Education Professionals in the Organisation and Administration of Schools: partnership or conflict?

Using data drawn from a 4 year multisite case study of 10 governing bodies in two English local education authorities (LEAs), the paper examines the extent to which recent changes in the responsibilities of governors, and social factors including ethnicity, gender and social class, have affected the possibility of governing bodies and education professionals working together in harmonious ways. It is argued that the move to site‐based management may have enhanced the tendency for governing bodies to be loosely coupled to their schools, and exacerbated micropolitical differences within individual governing bodies. It is suggested that both heads and governors seek power and the capacity to determine the actions of the other. Although this does not mean that conflict is always present, it becomes more likely when there are extensive cultural differences between the governing body and education professionals. It is these differences, together with the legislation on local management and grant maintained status, which may be seen to be largely responsible for the increasing degree of conflict experienced in some governing bodies.