In the previous chapter we have identified some of the factors related to achievement and under-achievement. How some of these are lived out in real life is illustrated by case studies in this and the following chapter. In this chapter, two children will be considered: Harriet, aged 11, and Jack, aged 10, both achieving able children. Harriet was in Year 6 and Jack in Year 5 and they attended different schools. Both will be discussed from a number of perspectives: those of the parent, teacher, child and the researcher. The length of each report varies as some people are naturally less forthcoming than others. Information derived from repertory grids completed both by children and by

teachers is included here. These grids give the reader an understanding of the way the child or teacher makes sense of an aspect of his/her world and those attributes which are most important to that person. A fuller explanation of the method of construction appears later in the chapter, and Chapter 9 will explore how the approach underpinning this exploratory tool can be used to good effect by teachers. Extracts from children’s work appear in the text exactly as they were written.