Abstract
This article considers the processes by which a small pressure group successfully introduced changes into the 1992 Education (Schools) Act for England and Wales. These changes had a substantial effect on the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspection criteria, and on the information that all schools now publish. It gives a descriptive account of the main elements of the pressure group's campaign and argues that a postmodern approach to theory provides the greatest insights into the activities of this pressure group. In particular, micropolitical and ‘garbage can’ theories of decision‐making are examined and applied.

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