Because of the way that erm the school changed over from having a system of streaming in its first three years, to a system where mixed ability was introduced year by year from the first to the third year, I was able to follow two groups of pupils through the school — one lot of pupils in their streamed classes, and then another lot following them on in their mixed ability classes — and try and discover something about the differences in their experience of school in the two different modes, in the streamed and in the mixed ability classes.