Professor Alma Harris is Director of the Institute of Education at the University of Warwick. Belinda Harris is Lecturer in the Centre for the Study of Human Relations at the University of Nottingham and a UKCP registered psychotherapist specialising in working with children and adolescents. Sue James is Senior Education Advisor in the Schools' Targets and Improvement Unit at the DfES. Judith Gunraj is Research Fellow in the Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research at the University of Warwick. Paul Clarke is Managing Director of IQEA (Improving the quality of education for all) and is Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University.

• Five Sections; 1. Introduction; 2. School improvement from the perspective of two head teachers - personal perspectives on leading and managing change; 3. School improvement from the perspective of two LEA officers - personal perspectives of meeting the needs of schools facing challenging circumstances; 4. Telling the story - case studies of improvement in three primary schools in challenging circumstances.; 5. What we have learned - self review, coping with difficulties and achieving sustainable school improvement in a challenging context.