By Alison Smith BBC News education reporter

Gary Phillips believes in a strong pastoral care network

Gary Phillips always wanted to teach in inner city schools, he says, partly out of a desire to help those who were going through difficulties at home - just as he did as a teenager.

Now head at the Lilian Baylis Technology School in Lambeth, south London, he has the task of helping other challenging teenagers fulfil their potential.

And while it was previously known as a school with low attainment and attendance and poor discipline, it is now one of the most improved in London.

Gary Phillips was sent to what was called an "approved school" at the age of 12 after becoming violent and aggressive, and after his achievement took a sharp downward turn.

"I got involved in all kinds of incidents - aggression, fighting - and wasn't achieving at all," he said. "I was constantly being sent home."

Anonymous face

Approved schools - which are no longer in use - provided a strict discipline regime.

They took the worst pupils in terms of ability or behaviour - as well as children at risk or in care.

Corporal punishment was routine, and a system of good and bad marks against your name determined whether you were left alone or your life was made a misery, Mr Phillips says.

But it was not the harsh discipline over four years at the school which forced Gary Phillips to behave, but the increased attention received in such a small school.

"The education at my state school was awful - I was just an anonymous face. I wasn't challenged intellectually and found it difficult to do anything different to the set tasks in class.

"But I wanted an education.

The school's building is less than a year old

"Because the approved school was small everybody felt special. Even punishment was some sort of attention." he says.

The increased attention gave Gary Phillips back the motivation to make an effort - particularly in science, where he excelled.

"At my previous school there was one science class with 60 pupils - what was the point? Everyone just goofed about."

Talking and support

The need to give pupils support and attention and to set high standards are some of the principles he has taken into his own teaching career.

But punishment has its place. Upon becoming head Gary Phillips asked the pupils to agree a set of rules and these are enforced without exception.

Some of his pupils feel the approach is improving behaviour at the school.

But Miguel, 15, Johnson, 16 and Theo, 15, are surprised to hear that Mr Phillips was badly behaved as a pupil.

"When I heard that, I thought 'How come you are here?'" Theo says.

The three pupils agree he is well placed to talk to them about why education matters.

"Telling children off from a young age doesn't really work," Miguel says. "Much better to talk to them.

"These days teachers understand what they need to do - not caning, but talking to us as if they were friends, and showing us that fighting doesn't resolve anything."

Johnson says that a few years ago, punishments were not taken seriously or enforced strictly. Now, however, a detention means exactly that. "But you'd be mad to be doing that when you've got GCSEs to study for," he says.

Improvements

Gary Phillips has built up strong pastoral support at Lilian Baylis.

After gaining a biochemistry degree and a postgraduate certificate of education, and then a spell teaching in Zanzibar with Voluntary Services Overseas, Gary returned to the UK and began teaching in secondary schools, moving up to head of Lilian Baylis within seven years.

Some of his pupils have experienced disadvantage and trauma.

Johnson says attitudes have improved at the school

Its proportion of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds is 95%. Many have come to the UK as refugees or asylum seekers.

During morning break, teachers intervene to separate two girls involved in a dispute.

Lilian Baylis has historically been at the bottom of the pile.

In 2000 Gary Phillips became the sixth head in five years. Fixed-term exclusions ran at 10 per week.

In 2002 just 2% of pupils achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C or the equivalent.

Last year it was 32%. Attendance is also markedly up.

Cllr Anthony Bottrall, Lambeth's executive member for education, said the improvements were the result of hard work from all concerned.

"It shows what you can do if you are given a chance. And Gary's story displays his tremendous strength of character and shows that it is never too late - or to early - to turn things around in life," he said.

Reflexology

Good teachers, support staff and more resources have made the difference, Mr Phillips says.

Quality teachers "who care about individuals" have brought up standards and expectations. And the school in turn supports the teachers with mentoring, consultants and promotion opportunities.

Social workers, family therapy, counselling, ICT facilities and reflexology are among the services the school provides for pupils and their families, all in a brand new glass building opened by the prime minister last year.

Family reflexology would probably not be top of most schools' list of priority services.

But Mr Phillips says it helps bring children closer to parents with whom they previously had little relationship.

Were he at school today, he believes he would have fared better, since schools now take into account the differing learning and pastoral support needs of all pupils.

"Education for me was a way of improving, and getting something else out of life. And it made me committed to doing that for our students as well."