This is the first in a series of articles which will examine the results of a qualitative, longitudinal study of school improvement initiatives from the perspective of school stakeholders. The article captures the responses of students from a low socio-economic status school in NSW, Australia to a school initiative that restructured the learning and teaching environment of the senior school. This initiative, undertaken in the context of high stakes testing and public accountability, aimed to "break the cultural mould" of poor attendance, retention and below state average examination results in the senior school. After explaining the senior school restructure, the article briefly reviews the literature on cultural change and student voice within the context of school improvement. The qualitative methodology is examined and this is followed by an exploration of the findings where students identify the salient dimensions of the initiative which had an impact on their learning and teaching environment. The discussion examines the findings within the context of the research literature of school improvement, cultural change and transition.