The government says new figures show it has fulfilled its manifesto commitment to recruit an extra 10,000 teachers by 2006. They indicate that the number of teachers has risen by nearly 25,000 since 1997 and that there are more qualified teachers in schools now than at any time since January 1984. But in an immediate response a teachers’ union leader has called for caution over the figures and questioned how many of the latest recruits are qualified.The statistics from the Department of Education and Skills show the number of teacher vacancies fell by a quarter in the year to January and that more than 122,000 teaching assistants are now supporting teachers in schools -twice as many as in 1997. In the same 12-month period the number of supply teachers working in schools fell by 2,600.

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Allowing anyone with a special interest in an election into a polling station could improve voter turnout in local elections according to the Electoral Commission. In a report to the Lord Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister it is calling for a change in the law which would see more people permitted to watch voting – including children.The Commission is an independent body which aims to increase public participation in the democratic process by modernization of the voting system and improving awareness and confidence. Following last year’s 32% turnout at local elections, its report is recommending changes to legislation to allow anyone with a ‘public service’ interest in observing elections to attend a polling station. It says access should be subject to the consent of the returning officer and governed by strict controls which would be set out in a detailed code for observers.

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By Mark Bevir and R A W RhodesTo understand governance, we ask who is telling the story from within which tradition. We argue there is no essentialist notion of governance but at least four conceptions each rooted in a distinctive tradition. The first section of the paper describes the relevant traditions: Tory, Liberal, Whig and Socialist. The second section describes the different notions of governance associated with each tradition; intermediate institutions, marketizing public services, reinventing the constitution and trust and negotiation. We explain these distinct conceptions of governance as responses to the dilemmas of inflation and state overload. In the conclusion, we summarize how and why traditions change, concluding, there is no such thing as governance, but only the differing constructions of the several traditions.

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