Beginning with an introduction to the concept of grant-maintained status and the debate surrounding the policy, this study draws on data and interviews with those involved in education in the UK, and includes comparisons with similar strategies in the USA, Europe and New Zealand. The impact of grant-maintained status on LEAs, management practices and curriculum development is examined. The final chapter addresses the future and long-term implications of grant-maintained schools policies; for example, how self-governance might contribute to a reformulation of the relationship between parents, pupils, educators and the state.