Policy, Performativity and Partnership: an Ethical Leadership Perspective

This article identifies the need to think differently about educational partnerships in a changing and turbulent post compulsory policy environment in England. The policy and institutional contexts in which universities and colleges currently operate seem to be fuelling performativity at the expense of educational values. There appears to be a sharp interruption in the steady increase in educational partnerships as a vehicle for increasing and widening participation in higher education. We are witnessing a marked change in university / college relationships that appears to be a consequence of government calling a halt to increased participation in higher education, creating an increasingly competitive market for a more limited pool of student places. The implication that educational policy at the national level determines a particular pattern or mode of leadership decision making throughout an institution should however be resisted. Policy developments that challenge the moral precepts of education should not be allowed to determine how a leader acts, rather they should prompt actions that are truly educational, rooted in morality, and atached to identifiable educational values. Educational leaders have agency to resist restricted discourses in favour of ethical and principled change strategies that are a precondition for sustainable transformative partnerships in post compulsory education. University leaders in particular are called upon to use their considerable influence to resist narrow policy or managerial instrumentalism or performativity and embrace alternatives that are both educationally worthwhile and can enhance institutional resilience

Reviews

The following publications have been reviewed by the mentioned authors;Windsor Chairmaking by Thos Moser, reviewed by Bernard AylwardRelief Woodcarving by E. J. Tangerman, reviewed by Bernard AylwardWorking Green Wood with PEG by Patrick Spielman, reviewed by J. W. ThompsonWork Experience in Secondary Schools edited by John Eggleston, reviewed by Charles PeaceScale Model Cannon by Richard Stewart and Donald Heyes, reviewed by John EgglestonHow to Make Your Own Picture Frames by Hal Rogers and Ed Reinhardt, reviewed by John EgglestonThe Story of Craft by Edward Lucie Smith, reviewed by John EgglestonThe Landsdowne Book of Handcrafts reviewed by Roger BensonUnderstanding Design in the Home by Margaret Picton, reviewed by John EgglestonWoodturning Projects for Dining by John Sainsbury, reviewed by M. P. BourneCrafts Conference for Teachers - April 1982 published by Crafts Council, reviewed by Bernard L. MyersCraft Design Technology reviewed by M. JohnArt and Imaginations: A Study in the Philosophy of Mind by Roger Scruton, reviewed by G. H. Bantock'Forget all the rules you ever learned about Graphic Design including the ones in this Book by Bob Gill, reviewed by Cal SwannProfessional Smithing by Donald Streeter, reviewed by J. N. AtkinsGraphic Communication by John Twyford, reviewed by Cal Swan

Annual estimates of occupancy for bryophytes, lichens and invertebrates in the UK, 1970–2015

Here, we determine annual estimates of occupancy and species trends for 5,293 UK bryophytes, lichens, and invertebrates, providing national scale information on UK biodiversity change for 31 taxonomic groups for the time period 1970 to 2015. The dataset was produced through the application of a Bayesian occupancy modelling framework to species occurrence records supplied by 29 national recording schemes or societies (n = 24,118,549 records). In the UK, annual measures of species status from fine scale data (e.g. 1 × 1 km) had previously been limited to a few taxa for which structured monitoring data are available, mainly birds, butterflies, bats and a subset of moth species. By using an occupancy modelling framework designed for use with relatively low recording intensity data, we have been able to estimate species trends and generate annual estimates of occupancy for taxa where annual trend estimates and status were previously limited or unknown at this scale. These data broaden our knowledge of UK biodiversity and can be used to investigate variation in and drivers of biodiversity change

The potential of NH3, N2O and CH4 measurements following the 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Great Britain to reduce the uncertainties in agricultural emissions abatement

There is substantial uncertainty in the effectiveness of measures to reduce emissions of agricultural trace gases, including ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). The only way to test whether emission abatement programmes are successful is through monitoring of air concentrations and deposition. However, where NH3 emissions have been reduced in Europe, either through abatement policies or reductions in agricultural activity, it was difficult to demonstrate the link with reduced concentrations and deposition. The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Great Britain in 2001 provides a major case study to test the link between agricultural emissions and air concentrations. This paper examines the spatial distribution of anticipated change in emissions and concentrations of NH3, CH4 and N2O as a result of the FMD outbreak. It then assesses the extent to which atmospheric monitoring could be used to detect the changes and attribute them to the effect of FMD. Two of the areas worst affected by FMD were selected for detailed analysis: in Cumbria (N.W. England) and in Devon (S.W. England). Compared with values prior to FMD, average agricultural emissions were reduced by as much as 50–100%, with estimated reductions in atmospheric mixing ratios of 0.7–3.3 ppb for NH3, 10–60 ppb for CH4 and 0.1–0.7 ppb for N2O. For NH3 and CH4, modelled changes are larger than the precision of analytical techniques and, where sampling is made at replicate sites, the changes are also larger than the inter-annual variability of existing monitoring data. By contrast, for N2O only the largest changes occurring in Cumbria are expected to be detectable and distinguishable from inter-annual variability. Based on the results, a measurement strategy has been established to follow NH3 and CH4 concentrations during and after the period of restocking. By comparing NH3 (a reactive gas) with CH4 (an inert tracer), the measurements aim to distinguish constraints on the link between changing emissions and air concentrations. Improving this linkage is essential to demonstrate that the economic costs of emission abatement translate into environmental benefits