Schools that completely restructure their leadership and give more pastoral support to children achieve soaring exam results and fewer exclusions, a report says.

Researchers analysed schools that had taken drastic action, including one that divided itself into five separate subject-based colleges.

Raising standards required risk-taking, ambitious innovation and visionary leadership, they concluded, but has altered the cultural dynamic of schools.

The report, by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), found: “The closer integration of the academic and pastoral aspects of school life has had a positive impact on learning outcomes and has made a significant contribution to raised achievement.”

The SSAT, which works with formerly failing schools that have become academies and those which specialise in particular disciplines, conducted a review of the workforce reforms which have been implemented over the last five years.

It looked at 12 representative schools, some of which had undergone major restructuring, while others had redeveloped the curriculum or made much greater use of non-teaching staff.

The authors described this as a “quiet revolution”, adding: “The revolution has been in the way some school leaders have re-imagined how things can be done and the way they have employed and re-deployed staff to maximise learning opportunities.”

Giving a stronger role to support staff has given teachers more time to focus on the quality of lessons, and has “eroded barriers” between the two.

“This has had a positive impact on attendance, behaviour, exclusion rates and has encouraged schools to offer richer and diverse curriculum opportunities,” the report said.

However it acknowledged that “forging new relationships between academic and associate staff" has not always proved to be easy.

“In some cases, attitudes about the respective roles of associate staff and teachers were entrenched and the demarcation of roles was difficult to erode.”

Achievement had risen in all the schools, through the use of tactics such as regular mentoring for each child to discuss personal development. Such pastoral support improved standards in learning and behaviour.

But the report found “no particular blueprint for success or any particular approach that was guaranteed to raise achievement”. It said: “Each school had used the combination of strategies best suited to its needs.”

One school had been restructured into colleges that taught humanities; science and technology; sport and performing arts; maths, business and IT; and communication. This created “more of a family set-up” and a greater sense of belonging for pupils.

A teacher said: “We are back to our core business which is being effective classroom practitioners, not bogged down with trivia.”

Another school set up “multi-professional partnerships” with teachers and other staff working side-by-side.

The head teacher of a school that revamped methods of teaching said: “We used to have a curriculum that was one size fits all but we’ve now got four different pathways.” A governor added: “There are certainly less exclusions”.

The report concluded: “All the schools in the study were making better use of people with a wide range of skills and backgrounds. In several schools, staff had moved from support roles into teaching positions.

“The flexibility to re-deploy staff into different roles has meant the retention of talented and experienced staff.”

Tom Clark, the SSAT’s associate director, said of the report: “Staff don’t have to just keep working harder to raise achievement - there are other things that can be done.”

Explore Education

• Schools

• GCSE & A Level Results

• Good University Guide

• Sunday Times University Guide

• Student

• Young Times

Times recommends

• Google generation has no need for rote learning
• Left-handers do 'less well' in exams
• Nativity comic books for multicultural Britain