feedback about the works. This means that the mentoring and monitoring that we are expected to do are restricted. (Head of primary school interview)
They were sceptical about the success of the reform, particularly because of the existing systemic lacunae, and as an example many of the interviewees referred to the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) that was still under review. Some said that central authorities should have first and foremost embarked on the transformation of the National Minimum Curriculum introduced back in 1999. ‘The curriculum should have preceded other reforms so that teachers can work together to implement a common National Curricular Programme’, said one cynical secondary school teacher. Reflecting issues directly related to school improvement, the majority of school leaders and teachers expressed a certain disgruntlement about the question of decentralisation and governance.