This warts-and-all look inside an inner city primary school is an intimate and charming account of how people at Edith Neville primary school approach issues that face urban schools everywhere. The author's insightful journalistic eye focuses on how individuals cope with government initiatives, the needs of the pupils and the community at large.

Focusing on the progress of individual children, in some cases from the time they start nursery, this book illuminates contemporary urban school life and provides a human account of major and minor successes, and failures, over a twelve-month period in a passionate but complex educational community. The book highlights how:

the school community works to give equal chances to all children

staff strive to include children with special needs

the school community enlist the support of parents who mistrust the system

staff manage distressed and distressing behaviour

In the background the school's managers endeavour to meet targets and inspections, while containing teacher stress and retaining a vision of the broader purpose of education.