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The headmistress wears a smart jacket, jeans, has a few piercings and on shaking my hand with a tight grip exposes tattooed knuckles. Her school is home to all excluded 11-to-16-year old boys in her borough, and she鈥檚 invited me in to find out how learning works these days.

My first stop is the morning briefing in the staff room. I listen to discussions along the lines of 鈥測ellow group off to David Beckham Academy this afternoon, red group ice-skating 鈥� Who鈥檚 going to help with the craft stall in the market on Saturday?鈥� What craft stall?

There鈥檚 no uniform, first names are used for teachers 鈥� and what are all these trips? Do they do any work at this school? And where were the classrooms? I was given a timetable.

The first lesson of the day is science with Tom; I arrive promptly with year 10 yellow, and all five of them log onto Apple Macs and surf the net. Tom puts on Al Gore鈥檚 An Inconvenient Truth, just issued to schools to increase environmental awareness in our younger generation. Tom talks them through the film, helped by inserts of Homer Simpson and his melting ice-cream. Johnny is agitated, slightly aggressive and playing with his mobile. Then he gets up and walks out.

I鈥檓 worried, but nobody else is. They have support staff outside in the circulation space who chat to the boys and discreetly direct them back to the class or allow them 鈥渢ime out鈥�. I learn that the school is all about removing barriers. Take away the Chubb locks, padlocks, chains, fences and barbed wire and give them access and responsibility. Then they start to engage.

Next, to the 鈥渕y world鈥� lesson with year seven red. I hear more and more of learning through projects rather than traditional chalk-and-talk. I arrive in Chris鈥� class as he explains how to play an ancient billiards-type game that originated in Asia called Carrom. We talk Joe down from the window ledge where he is threatening to jump and he joins me in a game. We have to flick our counters with our fingers and keep a tally on our score. Joe is good at this and I learned not to underestimate his dexterity or maths skills. While beating me at Carrom, Joe also takes me through the functions of his mobile phone, which is blasting out downloaded music. He can get me a good deal if I want one.

Morning break is in the communal dining area. I鈥檓 treated to a smoothie served by two proud boys who are on the rota to prepare them. An admirable solution to introducing fresh fruit into the boys鈥� diet which in turn embraces the 鈥渂e healthy鈥� rules in the government鈥檚 Every Child Matters agenda.

We talk Joe down from the window ledge where he is threatening to jump and he joins me in a game of Carrom

I think I have the wrong room when I join Roger in the library for English with year 11 blue. All the boys are surfing the net, many on eBay. The library looks conventional, with shelves of classic books, but a small informal space with the computers is where we gather. I sit next to Rob who is looking at a trial bike on eBay. I notice he is following the words as he reads them with his mouse. 鈥淲here鈥檚 Cambridge?鈥� he asks. I explain that you can get a train from Liverpool Street station. He is then engrossed in watching the bidding. I realise this is one form of personalised learning that doesn鈥檛 require sitting in rows and reciting Cider with Rosie but will no doubt help give Rob life skills.

Lunch is back in the dining area, and although homely it is cramped. All the students are on free meals. Everyone eats together around large tables and the atmosphere is noisy, lively and full of discussions from football to a direct question aimed at me 鈥� 鈥淎re your teeth real?鈥� We discuss the merits of wearing braces as a kid. We all clear up our own plates.

I鈥檓 looking forward to this afternoon鈥檚 lesson, art and ceramics with Dom and year nine green. The art rooms are the most traditional spaces I have seen today, the usual stacks of paper, unfinished art works and sinks full of paint brushes and paint pots. The lack of storage and display area is obvious and although there is a walled area outside it鈥檚 inaccessible. Once we鈥檝e cut out the paper stencil that we traced from an image that was projected on the wall we make our way outside to the graffiti wall. I help Mustafa to tape his stencil up and leave him to the selection of spray cans. Pity the external space is round the corner and involves the more staff to supervise.

In my final lesson I move across to ceramics where I learn that my fruit bowl may go on sale in the school鈥檚 stall in the local craft market. One student tells me he came up with the name and graphics for the stall.

We have a discussion on how much I can sell my bowl for. This is enterprise at its best. They just need better facilities and external space.

Transformation, flexibility and adaptable space are some of the buzzwords we read about or listen to at conferences. But the core values and opportunities are driven by the individuality and philosophy of the school. From my own experience I鈥檇 suggest that the first step is to understand the individual philosophy, and this isn鈥檛 something you can read in a Strategy for Change document. You have to go back to school.