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The schools
The schools were varied in socio-economic profile of students, and usual GCSE results, but the constitution of the mathematics departments had strong similarities. The three schools were different in set-up and student intake. The educational philosophies of the senior management team also differed. What they had in common were students with a spread of attainment levels. Up to the year the research started the departments used to set all students for mathematics.
Spenser (SP) school was in a predominantly white working-class area of a big city. Many students came from disrupted family backgrounds, with high levels of unemployment, disturbance and crime. The school was said to be the 'lowest achieving school in a low achieving authority' or, as one teacher said 'the only way is up'.
Lawrence Sterne (LS) was a multiracial city school with an overt policy to celebrate diversity and raise expectations and standards. Throughout the duration of the project the school maintained a high profile locally and nationally, and a robust and effective school policy of maintaining positive values at every level. The population was highly mobile, with new students entering the school all the time, many new to the country and unable to speak English.
Field Harrow (FH) was a comprehensive school in a small town; a high proportion of students came from outlying rural areas. It had a broad social mix and had been identified as having problems with low level disruption in classes. A new headteacher encouraged initiatives aimed at improving attainment.
The mathematics departments consisted of mainly new teachers, relatively inexperienced, with strong links with local higher education institutions.
Click here for more details of the schools and the experience of teachers in the departments.
