From Island Gardens, the last stop on the Docklands Light Railway on the Isle of Dogs, you can look across the Thames to the resplendence of Greenwich Royal Palace, potent symbol of a proud maritime past. George Green School faces the palace here, stretching out with its back to the arterial Manchester Road, a long, low, grey 1970s building reminiscent of an ocean-going ship in honour of the merchant seaman who gave the school its name. But nautical design is the only thing that these two buildings have in common. Greenwich basks in former glories, George Green across the river struggles with the tensions of the present. At break time or home time, whenever the 1,200 pupils of this 11-18 comprehensive are out in the grounds or leaving the school gate, you will find staff on patrol - a crack troop version of the dinner lady - with walkie-talkies, checking walkways and the boundary fencing, out on the streets keeping huddles of children apart.

An over-subscribed school noted for its inclusions policy, George Green nevertheless finds itself dealing with racial tensions within and without its buildings every day of every week. More than 30 per cent of George Green’s pupils come from the Bangladeshi community, reflecting the mix of population on the “island”, and reflecting also the antagonism between the white, black and Bangladeshi communities.

The day I visited, headteacher Kenny Frederick had reason to believe that there might be trouble after school, as agitated Bangladeshi pupils had walked into her office first thing that morning telling of an incident the previous evening when a Bangladeshi boy had been attacked near his home. She feared retaliation and was on to the local community police immediately, particularly concerned that any reprisals might spill over into Bermondsey, within the school’s catchment area and site of a visit by the Queen Mother that day. Sue Tripp, assistant head responsible for inclusion, was out promptly at the end of school, walking the streets and moving on with brisk good humour groups of white and Bangladeshi pupils who might be brewing trouble. Staff here seek to sweep nothing under the carpet. The school acknowledges its difficulties, but is proud of its record in dealing with these difficulties and supporting pupils.

“I have a saying,” says Kenny Frederick, “that if anything bad happens, even if it’s on a Greek island on an August bank holiday, and it involves our pupils, then it becomes an issue for us to deal with.” With tension running so high on the streets, trouble inevitably spills over into school. She is sure that the current global conflict will similarly have an effect on in-school relationships. She says: “We drip-feed all the time that a violent response achieves nothing and that we have to talk through conflict. But it doesn’t help when regimes across the world bomb each other. Things can flare up here very quickly and I am sure there will be a reaction.”

At lunchtime, youths from outside were hanging on to the perimeter fence trying to goad or conspire with pupils on the inside. But George Green’s supervisors performed as highly effective trouble-shooters and stepped in quickly to send away the outsiders and inform staff. With their walkie-talkies they are on hand from the minute the school opens for breakfast until the end of the day. Local women, who know the pupils well, they are respected and regarded by all staff as central to the school’s effectiveness as an inclusive institution. They attend courses on behaviour management alongside teachers and are confident that they make a difference. They make the first calls to homes on any absences marked in the register; they patrol toilets constantly and check up on classes that have supply teachers. They walk the corridors, stopping and questioning all children who come out of class during lessons. Pupils might mess around for a new teacher, but they do not mess with senior supervisor Angela Robotham, who manages a team of nine. She says: “The kids know we are watching them and they do listen to what we say. It’s non-stop, hard work to make sure no one gets away with anything and to be there for the kids all the time.”

A radical role for supervisors is just one of Kenny Frederick’s initiatives to underpin inclusion during her five-year headship. She is proud of the fact that George Green’s intake truly reflects the make-up of the local community, taking those with severe physical and learning difficulties as well as emotional and behavioural problems. One third of the pupils appear on the special needs register and 75 have special educational needs statements. Ramps and stair lifts have been fitted for the school’s eight wheelchair users, whose numbers are expected to grow next September, following the decision by Tower Hamlets to close Bromley Hall special school for pupils with profound physical and learning needs.

Racial problems apart, George Green is a vibrant school where all pupils are made to feel welcome and supported. For example, 15-year-old Millie Akthar, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, much prefers its hurly burly to the special school she previously attended, and 16-year-old Balal Ahmed, a severe epileptic, is delighted that he can study for Art A-level in George Green’s growing sixth form. The school is working on an entry-level curriculum for pupils wishing to stay on into the sixth form, which has grown to 236 pupils compared to 165 last year.

Seyi Makanjuola, 15, felt confident enough to be photographed for a school poster advertising its inclusive character, despite the fact that his face has burn scars. Hilary Maguire, the school’s advisory teacher for disability, says: “He was happy to be on a poster, which would show his face and hands. He has even bleached his hair since, drawing more attention to himself. I think that is a great tribute to the school.”

Outside of core subjects the school makes great efforts to provide an alternative curriculum tailored to student’s needs, mixing GNVQs with work experience, providing yoga for those with particular behavioural problems. Kenny Frederick says: “We do what we need to do for these children and we argue the toss with the Government afterwards.”

When the school was inspected in 1998, staff button-holed inspectors, making sure they heard and were convinced by the whole story about the nature of the school and its work before they were allowed to leave. Although there have been no permanent exclusions under Kenny Frederick’s headship, OFSTED did highlight the high number of fixed-term exclusions as a key issue and these have remained high.

She says: “I need to keep a lid on the place. Kids often calm down when they have been away from a few days and can see that they’ve been out of order.” A full-time educational social worker is attached to the school to work with families and liaise with outside agencies, as is a home-school support worker, who works with pupils on “solution-focused therapy” and counsels parents. Instead of parent evenings, which were poorly attended because Bangladeshis in particular feared to leave their homes at night, the school operates three “drop days” when pupils work from home, but attend school with their parents for an appointment with a teacher to discuss their progress. Individual achievement targets are set for all pupils and over the past three years exam results have improved significantly, from 24 per cent achieving five GCSE passes in 1999 to 31 per cent this year.

The school is always ready to be involved in Government pilot schemes, such as the key stage 3 strategy, and to give feedback and inform policy, particularly on inclusion. It has also become involved in a research project along with Christ Church College, Canterbury as part of a network called “Understanding and Developing Inclusive Practices in Schools”. This involves 24 schools in three LEAs working with researchers in three universities. It forms the first phase of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Teaching and Learning Research programme, the largest ever education research initiative in the UK.

The school additionally runs its own inclusions conferences, which all staff - secretaries, caretakers, supervisors - attend. Twenty-two staff, including the premises manager and a personal assistant, are also undertaking a Masters degree in business administration, focusing on quality management and staff development and training, which is being taught within the school by Leicester University.

Kenny Frederick, who has always worked in London’s inner city, sees racial inclusion as her greatest challenge. “You think you know all about racism until you come here. The island is very inward-looking, very cut off and the racism is very in-your-face, some whites and blacks work together to target Bangladeshis. It’s very painful, but I am determined that as in everything else, we can make a difference.”