Education Action Zones (EAZs) have formed one of the key elements of government policy in trying to drive up standards and disseminate best practice. However, the initiative has been subject to a sustained critique and questions have remained as to the efficacy of such networks of schools. This article offers a brief report on an evaluative study of one Education Action Zone, based in St Helens in the North-West of England. The findings of the study suggest that the schools involved in the Zone have experienced a period of innovation and positive development.