ABSTRACT
It is an all girls, comprehensive school of 1,100 pupils towards the eastern end of one of the London boroughs. The reputation of schools in this borough declines as one moves eastward away from the fashionable middle-class suburbs towards the predominantly working-class catchment areas housing a high percentage of Greek Cypriot and West Indian families. The school building is old and red-brick: narrow corridors, small rooms and a playground surrounded by twelve foot railings. The only entrance is by a side gate which leads through the playground, at the far end of which a large notice directs all visitors to report to the school secretary.
