Schools' Concerns and Their Implications for Local Authorities : Annual Survey of Trends in Education

Headteachers from almost 400 primary and over 1100 secondary schools in England took part in this year's annual survey, covering a range of important current issues in education.

The findings are published in a series of papers and include: a large proportion of schools were not aware of the developments within their local authorities (LAs) for implementing the Every Child Matters agenda.

Schools with high levels of attainment, and those with relatively few pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, were generally less likely to prioritise looked after children in their support arrangements than other types of schools.

The majority of participating schools were providing some extended services, but many were also planning to develop their provision.

This was most notable in schools with the greatest needs - with high numbers of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Secondary schools were less satisfied generally with LA support for school improvement than primary schools.

For a large number of headteachers, there was a gap between the support they want for school improvement and the support they feel they receive from the LA. In line with previous years, budgets were the main concern for headteachers.