The aim of this paper is to offer a view of the primary school as an institution with structural properties comparable to institutions in general. Five studies will provide the basis from which such a view is developed, those by Sorokin, (1938), Perrow, (1965), Schon (1970), Taylor, "et al" (1974) and Collins and Porras, (1998). The common thread running through these studies focuses on three properties--core purpose, technology and task or social group--necessary to the effective functioning of an institution which are incidentally the multiple and overlapping, contexts of teaching. (Contains 1 diagram.)