| Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was to examine school resource allocation patterns and the ways in which those spending patterns impact school and student success, especially when schools acquire site-based decision making power, including budget decision making power. Interviews were conducted in two rural schools in England. The interviewees included headteachers, deputy headteachers, teachers, finance officers and school governors. Financial records and government reports were examined as were a number of measures that quantified school success, including examination scores.;Findings and conclusions. The schools in this study “opted-out” of their Local Education Authority (LEA) and became Grant Maintained (GM), meaning they acquired site-based decision making authority, including over budget, at different times during the 1990's decade. They did alter spending patterns to address the unique needs of their student populations and they did elevate General Comprehensive Secondary Examination (GCSE) scores. However, their interest in resource allocation was not to answer test scores, it was to do good things for children in their school. |
