In this study, first published in 1983, Robert Burgess discusses the definitions, redefinitions, strategies and bargains used in and out of classrooms by teachers and pupils in a co-educational Roman Catholic school where he spent some time as a researcher and part-time teacher.

List of Tables; List of Illustrations; Preface and Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part One: Social Relations in the School; 1. The Physical and Social Structure of the School 2. The Headmaster's Conception of the School 3. House Staff and Department Staff 4. Social Processes in the School: An Analysis of Three Social Situations; Part Two: Newsom Pupils and Their Teachers; 5. First Days in the Newsom Department 6. Three Newsom Pupils 7. Newsom Teachers and Newsom Teaching 8. Teachers, Pupils and the Newsom Course; Conclusion; Bibliography; Name Index; Subject Index