The Audit commission, managerialism and the further education sector

Abstract

The academic literature on the further education sector in the United Kingdom in recent years has reported on the powerful tendency towards managerialism and its consequences. This article provides an assessment of the contribution of the Audit Commission to the development of managerialism and the emergence of the ‘new public management’ in the further education sector. It shows how selected Audit Commission reports have shaped policy and practice in the sector. The work of the Audit Commission has received little attention from educational researchers even though it has carried out research and published extensively on aspects of education policy and institutional management. This article provides a brief account of the role and functions of the Audit Commission. Selected Audit Commission publications relating to Further Education sector management and 16-19 education provision are examined. Key issues arising from the approach of the Audit Commission are identified as a part of a preliminary assessment of the contribution of the Commission to change in the further education sector. The article concludes that, while it is difficult to provide a full assessment of the influence and impact of the Audit Commission on educational provision, a tentative assessment can be made. It is argued that the Audit Commission ‘punches above its weight’ due to the ability of the organisation to link with other government initiatives, its use of a rigorous investigation methodology, and a politically astute approach to the dissemination of findings and recommendations.