The logic of the marketplace and the ethic of co-operation: a case study of a co-operative school |
| |
Authors: | Joanna Dennis |
| |
Institution: | 1. School of Childhood, Youth and Education Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UKj.dennis@mmu.ac.uk |
| |
Abstract: | ABSTRACTOver the previous decade, co-operative schools have emerged as a feature of, and resistance to, processes of marketisation in the English schools sector. The co-operative schools project, an education initiative of the UK co-operative movement, has been positioned as a ‘values-based alternative’ to the controversial academies programme. This paper examines the claim of the co-operative alternative and questions whether the co-operative schools project risks reproducing neoliberal values through a reliance on the ideal of the ‘self-improving school’. The discussion focuses on the evolution of one inner-city co-operative school. Through a close examination of its sociohistorical context, and with attention to the experiences of those involved, this case study explores the realities of a co-operative school striving to operate within a competitive system. |
| |
Keywords: | Academies academisation co-operative schools neoliberalism |
|
|