The provision for schools to waive local education authority control and become self-governing was the most radical element of Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act. A survey of five opted-out primary schools shows that larger schools succeed better at self-governance because of economies of scale; clustering smaller schools into groups with single…

Contends that school size is an increasingly important factor in discussions concerning school effectiveness. Clarifies the current usage of the term "small secondary school" so that research can be conducted. Concludes that curriculum reform requirements will have an impact on determining effectiveness of education in small secondary…