The pilot study explored cultures, practices and characteristics teachers’ and pupils’ valued, how they engaged with different participatory processes, how they perceived the school embodied their values, and what they considered as optimal participation and why. The study was based on five in-depth interviews with three students and two teachers in an Arab high school. Findings reveal teachers and students understand the importance of mutual trust, effective learning styles and providing skills for effective involvement in the community. All expected the school to improve their ability to participate in decision-making by creating more opportunities for teachers to interact with all of their students, increasing teachers' awareness of the importance of adopting positive attitudes towards students, and meeting students' expectations by equipping them with tools for future participation in ‘big society’. The sense of what optimal participation might look like was unknown. The study is limited since it does not yet include the voice of the school administration. The questionnaires have yet to be developed from the pilot study findings, and will be administered and reported at ECER 2013. The paper highlights essential aspects needed to improve partnership and inclusion in a minority high school and other schools facing similar realities.