Beleaguered by information? The reactions of headteachers to school effectiveness initiatives

There are many initiatives associated with current concern with school effe ctiveness and school improvement (SESI). Some of these are based on the dis semination of information, given the need for schools to understand their o wn performance when measured against others which are similar in socio-econ omic intake. If any sense is to be made of league tables or 'value added' i nput then there must be clear statistics about various aspects of the schoo l. This research describes the reaction of headteachers to the plethora of information and explores their reactions to the political climate and relat ionships with other schools and with teachers, parents and governors in the light of the government initiatives.