Since the initial emergence of the flexible area secondary school concept in Western Australia, six such schools have been established. Furthermore, current policy is that all future state secondary schools will be of this design. Parameters within which the development of these schools will be expected to occur are established in 'The Design Brief for Flexible Area Secondary Schools'. Clearly, these parameters embrace elements of both architectural and pedagogic 'openness' and represent a desire, by the Education Department of Western Australia, to establish secondary schools which will perform their educative functions in a manner not hitherto evident in state secondary schools. In examining the development of the flexible area approach to secondary education, this study focusses on Wanneroo High School as one of the first of this type of secondary school to be established. Specifically, this study addresses two questions: (i) What are the goals of Wanneroo High School, as expressed in the Design Brief and in school policy statements? (ii) To what extent are these goals being attained? A major implication to emerge is the need for the education authorities, through preservice teacher education, inservice training, and effective induction programmes, to equip teachers more adequately for their role in the flexible area secondary schools.