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Abstract
This paper examines ‘innovative’ governance in the English further education and skills (FE) sector. Drawing on the work of Lyotard, Foucault and Ball, the paper explores how practitioners enacted innovative governance in a sector facing increasingly performative conditions. Analysis identified the key category of opportunity and risk where innovative governance was seen as paramount in leading change and changing practice. Innovative governance was not a ‘golden bullet’, rather, innovation was a complex set of interrelated understandings, strategies, values and norms. The paper concludes by suggesting that, in the cases reported here, innovative governance was at the forefront of defending the very essence of FE during a time of extraordinary funding, and philosophical, challenge.
Notes
1. Policy is enacted by those in context rather than implemented by those external to that context see Ball, Maguire, and Braun (Citation2012).
2. All informants and organisations mentioned in this paper are pseudonyms to provide confidentiality.
3. Due to space considerations, only the Opportunity and Risk category will be considered in this paper.
4. The BIS (2015) guidance on LAR sets out that the governing body of every FE and skills institution will be expected to take an active role in the local LAR steering group through the chair of governors, who will be key members of each local group.