Dimmer, AJ;
(2017)
It's a Matter of Trust - A Case Study of Collaboration within a Newly Formed Group of Primary Academies.
Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
It’s a Matter of Trust A Case Study of Collaboration within a Newly Formed Academy Group of Primary Schools Abstract This thesis aimed to find out the extent to which the formation of an academy trust supported school to school collaboration and improvement during the first year of its existence. The thesis reports on a longitudinal case study which tracked the development of an “academy trust” of five schools as they started to develop a self-improving system of collaboration during the first two years of its existence. The study explores the process by considering the views of teachers about levels of Joint Practice Development, Social Capital, Collective Moral Purpose, Evaluation and Challenge and Alliance Architecture. These are key elements identified by David Hargreaves (2012) as the essentials of a self-improving school system. Together they are the building blocks of his concept of “collaborative capital”. It also takes account of the interactions between headteachers and deputy headteachers, senior and middle leaders in creating a culture of collaboration and the extent to which communities of practice begin to grow. The case study takes the form of an initial survey of teaching staff in all five schools followed by interviews with a sample of leaders and teachers to amplify the findings from the surveys carried out in January and June 2014. A follow up survey took place in January 2015 with interviews held in June 2015. The impact on school improvement has been evaluated by comparing an initial audit carried out in January 2014 with one conducted in January 2015. The findings show considerable developments in terms of Social Capital and Capacity Building in laying the foundations for Joint Practice Development but it ends with a question about whether this can be sustained to bring about significant school improvement.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Title: | It's a Matter of Trust - A Case Study of Collaboration within a Newly Formed Group of Primary Academies |
| Event: | UCL |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Collaboration, School Improvement, Self Improving Schools |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Learning and Leadership |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1543389 |
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