Scalecraft, scalecreep and scalecrunch: school autonomy as scalar politics

This paper deploys the concept of scalecraft in concert with two new concepts (scalecreep and scalecrunch) to explore how scale functions as a strategic tool in policy design and governance. Taking the Independent Public Schools (IPS) initiative in the Australian state of Western Australia (WA) as a case study, we analyse how school autonomy reforms reshape governance structures and power relations in public schooling. Established in 2009, the IPS introduced a suite of policy changes designed to increase flexibility and align school governance with local needs, mirroring global trends seeking to devolve governance from centralised bureaucracies to local schools in publicly funded systems of education. Drawing on interviews with senior WA policymakers, we examine the scalar politics and processes of this reform, tracing how the IPS has redistributed power and resources between local schools, mid-level bureaucracies, and the central education department.