This study explores the relationships between a school, its staff and its pupils and the impact of these relationships on school pupils' well-being. The authors adopted a community psychological perspective and applied critical, social constructionist epistemologies and participatory, multi-method research tools. The article discusses the importance of focusing on the complex, multilayered context of people's lives (both participants and researchers) that are impacted by social, economic, cultural and political contexts. Finally, it reflects on the contrast between the messiness of real-world social science research and the often sanitized nature of its reporting. (Contains 5 notes.)