Introduction

These three 25-minute programmes are for teachers, educational trainers and other adults interested in the effectiveness of schools. They take two secondary schools in England – Ruffwood School in Knowsley and Dormers Wells School in Ealing – both of which were in a group of 178 urban schools in England described as effective in OFSTED’s 2000 publication Improving City Schools*, which has the same name as 4Learning’s television series.

Improving City Schools (the OFSTED publication) says: ‘The primary and secondary schools that are the focus of this report serve communities which are severely disadvantaged, although the nature of their disadvantage varies. The schools are doing better than others in similar circumstances but have to work hard to approach national expectations of attainment – although some of the schools exceed them. Neither good behaviour nor good attendance is easily won.’