EDITORIAL

The ‘culture’ factor

Terry Wrigley
University of Edinburgh

‘Culture’ has long been a central concept in School Improvement. In contrast to the list
of distinct behaviours in School Effectiveness studies – lists of ‘key characteristics’
which supposedly add up to success – the school improvement paradigm was built
upon a more holistic and organic understanding of schools. Culture consists of material
phenomena (events, actions, rituals, norms of behaviour) which have significance for
participants and for the outside world. These may be special events, but as often as not
analysis focuses on the day to day things we can too easily take for granted. To study
an organization’s culture is to uncover the meanings these phenomena have for pupils,
teachers and parents.
The articles in this issue are connected implicitly or explicitly by the question of
culture. Mervyn Flecknoe examines two forms of peer mediation in schools, one based
on training a cadre of pupil mediators, and the other on a broader education of all pupils
in understanding and resolving conflict. He sees the ability to deal with differences of
perspective and assumptions as a central challenge for a 21st century curriculum. A
thriving society clearly depends on mutual understanding. Conflict resolution depends
on re-orienting the curriculum so that human values are no longer a peripheral issue.
Amanda Roberts deals with an unusual case of cultural transformation. She reports on
a school which has been forced to close, and how its remaining pupils (only three
school years) were sustained in their final year in the building. The article first shows
how external forces – a combination of the teacher recruitment crisis and OfSTED’s
labelling of ‘failing schools’ within a competitive system – can damage a school
irretrievably in spite of acknowledged good leadership. It also shows, however, how
the good will of young people and their teachers can be rebuilt once positive support is
given. To give one example, the pupils’ frustration with a random succession of supply
teachers – or as they called them ‘surprise teachers’ – was overcome in part by the
payment of a bonus for teachers who guaranteed to stay at the school, albeit only until
the end of the year when it was to close. The wider significance of the article lies
perhaps in showing how adequate material provision is needed in addition to the
promotion of different subjective perceptions in order to transform the culture of a
school in difficulties.

Improving Schools © SAGE Publications

Volume 8 Number 3 November 2005 219–220
ISSN 1365-4802 DOI: 10.1177/1365480205060435
220 Improving Schools 8(3)

Julie Hoare and Ian Taylor present to us a case study of an inner-city primary school to
show the importance of examining closely how parents and support staff understand
children’s needs. Inclusive values are insufficient if school leaders do not act in
researcher mode, seeking to compare the perspectives of key people. Within a journal
article, it is only possible to summarize the findings, but it is very clear that the
assumptions of well-meaning staff can often differ substantially from the priorities and
realities as seen by parents. Provision and events which may appear trivial to staff can
have enormous significance for parents, and vice versa. The creation of shared
understandings is essential to the success of inner-city schools.
Finally, Eileen Carnell examines a central cultural issue – and one which has been
frequently neglected: the learner’s perception of school learning. Seymour Sarason
raised this over 30 years ago, asking what an observer from a flying saucer would make
of the norms of traditional school learning and its organization, but the pedagogical
culture of schools has rarely been a central concern within the School Improvement
paradigm. Through sensitive and perceptive dialogue in interviews, various models are
revealed, as pupils use rich metaphors to explain what is happening to them and how
they see it. It can vary from learning as ‘being taught something that will stick in your
head’ to ‘exploring, opening your mind to new things so you are... not closed down’.
* * *
A special edition of Improving Schools will be guest edited in 2006 by Paul Clarke
from IQEA. The issue will focus on the theme of working with Schools facing
Challenging Circumstances. The interpretation of the theme will be broad, hopefully
offering a critical view of current policy initiatives, exemplary practice and examples
of successful intervention and support. The issue will also attempt to examine the
situation from an international perspective and will not focus exclusively on the UK
experience. Please send ideas or drafts to paul.clarke@iqea.com early in the New Year
(copy to terry.wrigley@ed.ac.uk).