Participation and Popular Control on School Governing Bodies: the case of the Taylor Report and its aftermath

This paper argues that in making sense of events leading up to and following the Taylor Report which recommended changes in school management in England and Wales, a number of principles should be borne in mind. First, that instances of policy‐change such as this can not be fully understood except in the context of contemporary economic events and social circumstances. Secondly, that it is useful to view policy‐change as the outcome of ideological struggle entered into by classes and class fractions in relative accord with one another. Thirdly, that the effects of changes in education policy are not pre‐given, but depend upon the intentions and practices of those associated with their implementation.