The school has used the development planning process as one of the means of changing the climate, ethos or culture of the school into a collaborative and mutually supportive one where pupil achievement is paramount supported by a rich brew of energetic staff development and mutual support. This was led by a highly experienced head who was willing to prepare the ground for development (akin to Hargreaves and Hopkins', 1991, `rout' rather than 'branch' developments) and to have a vision of where and how the school needed to develop but also the skillwith which to bring about change slowly and deliberately so Mattheges and innovations would 'grow' organically and be sustained bchan ystaff who understood, supported and could implement them.