Zone resource were focus schools schools ed on the secondary school sector as this was identified as the area of greatest need. Initially there was some evidence that resources within the Zone had been distributed between schools inequitably. Individual schools had sought to maximize their share of EAZ resources and some schools were apparently more effective at this than others. The result was often that resources went where they were needed least. As a more collaborative structure was created not only did it result in increased transparency regarding resource allocation, but it also developed an understanding between schools about the basis of that allocation. Whilst resource decisions were now largely taken by the Headteachers’ Planning Group, these still very much reflected national targets and priorities. Within the secondary sector there was little dissent for the pursuit of these objectives. Secondary schools are well used to trying to maximize examination performance, especially within the context of a now well-established league table culture and the shift in the Zone’s style seemed to ‘fit’ with what these schools were already trying to do. However, at primary level there was evidence of a greater dissonance between Zone initiatives, the ‘standards agenda’ and the individual priorities of teachers. One project designed to provide ‘bridging materials’ to help students make the transition between primary and secondary school, and to be commenced in the period immediately after students had completed their national tests (SATs) was received thus:
Rightly or wrongly students and teachers feel that after (SATs) they want to do all the things that have been put on hold whilst preparing for the SATs - the fieldwork, the topic work etc. After SATs there is a feeling of relief and when these [bridging materials] came in my first reaction was ‘hang on’. This is when we do lots of things, like geographical work, which goes by the board in Year 6. It’s alright saying the curriculum should be ‘broad and balanced’, but life ain’t like that in year 6 – not if you want the results. Why can’t we do some fun Maths? Let them enjoy their time. Do we really want to be constantly ‘challenging’? Everyone has been busting a gut up to SATs.
(Teacher – primary school)
Despite the clear focus within the secondary schools on raising student achievement in national examinations, it is important to note that during the period of the research student performance at aged 16+ did not rise appreciably. This again echoes wider EAZ evaluation date that suggests that academic attainment, especially in the secondary sector, showed limited improvement in the Zones (OfSTED 2003). Perhaps the key issue was the significant difference between individual schools highlighted earlier and the difficulty in closing the performance gap between the highest and lowest performing school. The higher performing schools in the town seemed able to consolidate or improve their performance, whilst those schools