Environment

Making school less 'schooly': what's the impact on student attitudes?

Aim: Over a period of several years, we set out to transform the ethos of our school. Our hypothesis was that this could raise pupils aspirations and attainment. Adopting a range of strategies, we looked to change the attitudes of staff and pupils towards learning and the learning environment. Our sense was that there was no reason why schools have to feel 'schooly' with no toilet paper and graffiti. We aimed to create a school where we knew students by name and where adults routinely had conversations with youngsters.

Leading from the classroom: The role of assistant headteachers in primary schools

Aim: The research aimed to explore the extent to which assistant headteachers were contributing to the leadership of primary schools. Nationally, leadership groups were introduced in September 2000 and a new post of assistant headteacher was created. The research identified the rationale for the appointment, examined the variety of leadership activity that assistant headteachers were involved in and sought to determine the impact that this had in their schools. The enquiry focused on actions that were agreed by the participants to be leadership in nature, as opposed to managerial activity.