The centre and the local: Policy and practice in rural education provision

This paper examines the factors that are currently affecting the viability of small primary schools (90 pupils or less) in England and Wales. It is argued that the contemporary pattern of rural schooling provision is a reflection of the uneven interplay between the central state, the local state, small schools and their communities. Recent legislative reforms have increased the explanatory significance of national education policies and locally-managed schools, at the expense of disempowered local education authorities. An analysis of policies in a sample of authorities shows how the centralization of educational control, since 1988, has created a more unsympathetic educational and economic environment for smaller schools. However, a review of locally-based support strategies including interschool co-operation, anti-closure campaigns and voluntary fund-raising shows that the future for small primary schools may not be as pessimistic as past trends and a narrow focus on the educational policy framework would suggest. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of studying the impact of individual and collective social action within the context of wider structural factors shaping rural localities.