Introduction

In 1976 the Prime Minister of the time, James Callaghan, made a now famous speech in which he questioned the value for money of the British education system. He set in motion what was called 'The Great Debate' in which the contribution of the education system to national well-being was opened up to scrutiny. Callaghan initiated an era of accountability for education, and since that time Britain has demanded more from its schools. Although this increased accountability has been lived out in a number of ways and taken on a number of different guises in the last twenty-five years, there is no doubt that it has placed an imperative on schools continually to change in order to improve. As a result, change management has become almost axiomatic in the leadership and management of educational organisations. The management of educational change is, in essence, what this book is about.