ABSTRACT
It is very likely that these schools have other characteristics in common also. Almost certainly, schools facing challenging circumstances will share most of the following features:
• They will have a history of low levels of academic achievement, with most of the pupils they serve doing badly when judged by 'raw' examination results (though value-added data suggests that some of these schools are very effective). Very often, the prior attainment of pupils is low due to under-achievement in feeder primary schools.
