This paper reflects on experiences of working with schools in urban contexts as they have attempted to improve the quality of learning. Set within the context of the English education system during a period of intense national pressure to "raise standards", these experiences have been focused around issues of performance and leadership in schools in danger of being left behind as the performance gap between schools has widened. The paper highlights the potentially promising contribution of collaborative efforts in which schools work together for the benefit of all of their students. The focus is on schools that are located in declining inner-city and suburban areas, where the population is drawn from the poorest and least advantaged sections of the community. These are schools where parental income and employment levels are low, but often in areas where the national populations of ethnic and social minority groups are overrepresented.