MA Research: Education Policy Change in Guernsey

School and System Leader Policy Perspectives on Curriculum Reforms 

Introduction

My work with education and edtech companies on communicating effectively with schools is grounded in my experiences a) in schools as a teacher and curriculum leader b) across commercial roles in edtech and teacher professional development, including full-funnel International Partnerships and Marketing leadership and c) education policy research.

The latter is a crucial element that enables me to understand how systemic pressures and policy drivers impact how teachers, school leaders and education system leaders prioritise and make decisions. In 2024, I completed my Master's thesis at King's College London, exploring these factors within Guernsey's curriculum reforms.

Key Research Findings

Based on a qualitative study involving ten policy actors (subject leaders, senior leaders and education development officers - whose roles are similar to UK Trust Leads), the thesis unpacks:

• The Impact of Accountability: How the introduction of an English-style Ofsted inspection framework shifted school priorities and increased pressure on school leaders
• Curriculum Enactment: Tensions felt by teachers between low-specificity, skills-based Bailiwick Curriculum and the highly-specified standards of exam specifications and incoming Entitlement Documents.
• Shifts in Educational Leadership: How policy is increasingly managed through networks and relationships rather than traditional top-down hierarchies.

Applications for Education Leaders and Businesses

Understanding how schools navigate policy changes, budget constraints and accountability pressures is key to strategic partnerships and alignment in addressing systems' most pressing educational challenges.

(Read the full thesis below to understand drivers of education policy and networking policy in educational leadership).