Originally published in 1988. The National Development Centre for School Management Training was established in Bristol University Department of Education in September 1983. Funded by the DES, the Centre worked both with the providers of management training -universities, polytechnics and colleges of higher education and with the ‘clients’ -the local education authorities. This symposium, containing contributions that demonstrate the considerable strides made in management training in the Centre’s first three years, highlights the importance of the partnerships that developed.