The micro-politics of policy enactment in a multi-academy trust

ABSTRACT

This article reports on research for The Literacy Policy project. The focus is the micro-politics of policy enactment, sited in the literacy policy of a multi-academy trust (MAT). A semi-structured interview was conducted with the CEO of a MAT to ascertain what literacy policy means to them. The contribution is to add to existing literature on the practice of MAT CEOs, using theories of micro-politics and the thinking tools of Bourdieu. Findings suggest that MAT CEOs may enact policies and structure their organisation in a way that reduces the opportunity for, but also monitors and utilises, micro-political activity by teachers and headteachers. This is driven by the pressures on MATs to expand in a highly performative environment and deliver curricular in a cost-effective way. This is important because it suggests that the UK government’s academies policy for schools in England does not necessarily deliver the promised levels of autonomy; and may lead to homogenised curricular for schools in disadvantaged areas where greater criticality is required.

KEYWORDS:

• Literacy
• policy
• policy enactment
• policy trajectories
• schools
• multi-academy trusts

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark Innes

Mark Innes is a Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education and a student on the Professional Doctorate in Education at the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, UK. Previously he was an English teacher for over 10 years in Yorkshire, UK. He is a member of the Critical Education Policy and Leadership Studies research group, and the Disadvantage and Poverty research group at the Manchester Institute of Education.