The paper presents a case study of an English urban secondary school. The issue that is examined is the interaction between students and teachers in citizenship education classrooms. As it is argued in the paper, the elements of this interaction may be inconsistent to the content and aims of the citizenship education programme and affect the programmes' implementation. Citizenship education as part of the National Curriculum was introduced in English secondary schools in 2002 and aims to achieve multiple learning outcomes. Policy makers assert that 'the purpose of citizenship education in schools and colleges is to make secure and to increase the knowledge, skills and values relevant to the nature and practices of participative democracy; also to enhance the awareness of rights and duties, and the sense of responsibilities needed for the development of pupils into active citizens; and in so doing to establish the value to individuals, schools and society of involvement in the local and wider community' (QCA, 1998, p. 40). The programme of citizenship education suggested a variety of teaching practices which involve classroom discussions on controversial issues, the promotion of knowledge and enquiry on political issues, the exercise of skills that are related to active participation and community involvement. One key concern for the citizenship education programme seems to be the formation of an appropriate 'school ethos' which will help students develop a sense of 'belonging' in the school community. The study examines the interaction of students and teachers in relation to the application of the suggested teaching practices and the formation of an appropriate 'school ethos'. The data was collected with the use of a variety of qualitative methods over a period of one year. These methods include interviews with students and school staff, observations of the school life and of citizenship education classrooms, and also of drama sessions, in which students were engaged in role-playing. During these sessions, students were asked to take the role of their teachers and replicate a variety of incidents, activities or events that occur during the school day. The methodological framework for the analysis of the collected data is drawn from the field of social psychology, particularly from symbolic interactionism. The relationships are examined under three perspectives: emotional, political and expectations of students and teachers roles. The first perspective focuses on the role of empathy in teacher-student interaction; the second examines the effect of the power difference between them, the use of and the attitudes towards the application of authority; the final perspective examines teachers' and students' expectations of the roles that each other should have in the school community and the way they handle the issue of the 'role strain'. The results show that the members of the school find it difficult to adjust their roles according to the methodological framework suggested by the programme of citizenship education. This is because the programme's suggestions differ significantly to the conceptions teachers and students have regarding their position in the school community. This aspect may have significant effects on the actual context of the programme as it is applied in the school. The paper provides a better understanding of the role of the 'hidden curriculum' in political education. It also suggests a methodological framework which can have further applications in the examination of the interaction between the members of the school community.The findings suggest that the discussion about the organisation of schools, the debate regarding the educational priorities and the attempt to promote democratic ideals through the school curriculum are actually interrelated.