A questionnaire was designed to elicit the views of British headteachers in terms of their roles as relatively autonomous heads of primary schools. A survey of the literature dealing with informal education, official documents, and to a lesser extent, the observations made by the researcher in the course of this study, were used as secondary sources of verification and analysis of the responses made by the headteachers. Analysis of responses indicated that a majority of heads see themselves as responsible for the differences in British primary schools. An overwhelming number consider themselves as the major determiner of curriculums. A majority claim full control over staff selection and, to a lesser extent, responsibility for staff development. Most heads do not think they could be dismissed for any reason short of criminal assault on a child. All heads perceive themselves to be completely autonomous. In general, the literature tends to confirm these perceptions. (Author/WM)