Sustaining improvement in schools in challenging circumstances: A study of successful practice

Achieving sustainable improvement in schools facing challenging circumstances remains a major challenge for policy-makers and practitioners alike. This paper analyses the strategies used within a group of English secondary schools that have succeeded in increasing and sustaining attainment levels over time in order to learn more about the factors that are associated with success. The evidence presented does not lead to a 'recipe'. Rather it suggests that the most appropriate way forward is to focus on determining the right sort of 'ingredients', mixed to suit the contexts and circumstances of individual schools.