Developing the whole child in an age of academic measurement: Can this be done according to UK teachers?

Based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with 102 teachers in 33 U.K. secondary schools, the paper shows that “developing the whole child” and “preparing children for life” were personally important to teachers. As they worked, however, in institutions centrally focused on raising pupils' academic performance, this created a tension: the majority believed that the assessment system hindered the development of the whole child. Some teachers believed that they could still make a difference in children's lives by investing in their pedagogical relationship with children. The discussion focuses on how raising students' performances and cultivating their characters may be combined.