First published in 1988. This book concerns one of today’s key educational issues: how schools can be encouraged to develop their own management skills. The present British government has introduced legislation for schools to manage their own budgets and to enable schools to opt out of LEA control and become independently run and financed by central government. In other countries such as Australia, Canada, the Scandinavian countries and also in some parts of the United States, the devolution of budgeting and management power to schools and the decentralisation of educational administration are being pursued with vigour.