Originally published in 1991. This book examines the early experiences of the first grant-maintained Schools and considers the challenges facing the self-managing school in the 1990s. The book looks at the context of the change of status, what it means to be grant-maintained, and reviews the types of schools that have opted out so far and their reasons for doing so. A section of specially commissioned case studies written by headteachers offers accounts of how each school has coped with the move to grant-maintained status. The book provides a practical and realistic appraisal of grant-maintained schools and their move towards self-management, exploring both the advantages and the disadvantages of opting out of local authority control.