Introduction

This chapter provides an impression of an effective school and suggests a classification of schools. Some of the best literature on the topic is illuminating and positive, descriptive, and relies little on quantified evidence and research, preferring instead a subjective impressionistic view of quality. It is none the worse for that. An effective school can first and foremost be recognised through its pupils, its staff and its community. Litmus tests of outstanding schools, therefore, are not just public occasions or examination results but also and importantly private witnesses. Of all connected with the school, the non-teaching staff can tell the depth of the quality of the relationships in the school and can readily see readily whether the school truly celebrates all its constituents. Effective schools and the pupil needs researchers into classroom practice to call its practitioners 'perceptive professional developers'.