High and low performing schools in South Africa: Metaphors as a lens to understand teachers’ views of school organisation

• Teachers in both low and high performing schools use the same four metaphors to describe their school organisation: family, factory, hospital and warzone. • These vary however according to their lived experiences, including those outside of the school (e.g. family relations). • Metaphors also vary within the school according to teacher's wider roles and responsibilities and students they teach, while different metaphors are used for different aspects of the school organisation. • Given their influence on school staff behaviours, their decision-making and communication, metaphors provide an important lens through which to understand the wide disparity in school quality and performance in South Africa.