How does legislation shape education, and how is it applied as a policy tool?This book analyses how and why England has had so much law-based education reform in the last three decades, and focuses on the period from 2000 to 2011. It looks at the politics and mechanisms of education policy, the reforms that fuelled it and were fuelled by it, and the figures and organizations involved in it and who bear its impact. Based on more than a hundred in-depth face-to-face interviews with senior legislators, policymakers and educators, Dan Gibton presents many perceptions of the law, of the legislation process, and of what those involved saw as covert or overt agendas in its planning. He shows how alliances and identities shifted over the decade as governments and initiatives changed, and analyses their impact on education in England. Aimed at policymakers, academics, and students of all social-science backgrounds, this book will have a very wide appeal. While the book's primary field is education, it also comprehensively covers law and sociology. This will appeal to a broad range of higher education students, as well as those interested in a basic legal knowledge of educational reform in national and international contexts.