Headstrong: 11 Lessons of School Leadership draws on Sally's experience of 40 years of working in challenging schools, and a decade of leading some of the toughest schools in London and shows aspiring leaders how to create vibrant centres of learning in our most broken communities.

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"This is a book for every school in England..." Sir John Dunford, DfE Pupil Premium, 2013-2015

Fully updated with the 2015 policy updates from the Department for Education and published in partnership with the National Education Trust, this book provides essential information and advice to help schools make best use of the Pupil Premium grant and improve outcomes for disadvantaged learners.

The author is a recognised national expert on the Pupil Premium. He has visited more than 200 schools and has spoken with over 1000 school leaders and here he shares examples of innovation and excellence in their use of the additional funding. Featuring a foreword by Sir John Dunford, DfE Pupil Premium Champion.

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The English schools’ system is at a crossroads. This landmark collection of essays brings together some of the country’s leading education thinkers and practitioners. Their polemic is intended to help teachers, school leaders, governors and policy makers think deeply about future directions.

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High Challenge, Low Threat is Mary Myatt’s smart and thoughtful exploration of all the things that wise leaders do.

Informed through thousands of conversations over a 20-year career in education, Mary shows the lessons that school management teams can learn from leaders in a wide range of other sectors and points to the conditions which these leaders create to allow colleagues to engage with difficult issues enthusiastically and wholeheartedly.

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PUBLISHED MAY 2016: ORDER NOW

Powerful Schools is a blueprint, showing how each and every school can grow abundantly rich in opportunities for individuals to develop the skills to become more socially and globally mobile, actively supported by numerous people and organisations who are consciously working to engage them in making the most of these opportunities.

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It is acknowledged that the quality of teaching is the critical factor in raising standards of learning. And yet teachers' workload has rocketed in recent years, leaving morale for many at rock-bottom.

Recent DfE analysis shows that primary teachers work around 60 hours a week and school leaders even longer. This is not sustainable. Teachers need an end to excessive working hours.

Edited by Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary at leading teaching union ATL, Managing Teacher Workload brings together leading educationalists to discuss real, practical ways to solve the biggest problem in the profession.

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For many years Barnaby Lenon was the headmaster of Harrow. On his retirement he helped set up a state school in east London, widely regarded as one of the most successful free schools. In 2016 he went on a tour of schools in England that achieve outstanding results, in many cases with disadvantaged pupils.

In Much Promise, he describes how they do it, set in the context of the latest research into school and teacher performance. He evaluates the school system in England and the effectiveness of recent reforms; he looks at how parents and governors achieve results and puts the spotlight on the school curriculum, exam systems and social mobility.

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Ofsted don't allow their inspectors to offer advice to schools. But as a former inspector, Paul Garvey is able to use his experience to help headteachers prepare for inspections in order to help every school gain the grade it feels it deserves. Learn More

Telling the remarkable story of Harrop Fold School in Salford, from their unprecedented GBP2.5m debt to being featured in the BAFTA-award nominated Educating Manchester TV series. Learn More

Dan Roberts, Headteacher of Devonport High School for Boys in Plymouth, believes it is crucial to empower young people to take control of their future.By building the right culture and environment, educators can help ensure that children can truly flourish and develop into adults that wish to have a positive impact on their local, national and international communities.

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AVAILABLE FROM JANUARY 2018: ORDER NOW

Holding difficult conversations well is the key to successful leadership and management in schools - this easily read book will be invaluable to both experienced and new leaders.

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Stopping Bad Things Happening to Good Schools and Good School Leaders focuses on what schools can do to prevent and protect themselves from shock-to-the-system and school-harming events.

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Max Coates' erudite but immensely readable book on leadership is unlike any other. Max, with humanity, explores the destructive nature of stress and shows us how failure to understand its genesis will wreak havoc on the life of a leader - both professionally and personally.

This is a personal take on leadership; yet it is also packed with masses of scholarly references to prompt further reading and research for the curious reader. Anyone who leads, or who aspires to lead, will gain a huge amount from what amounts to a lifetime's wisdom, reflection and advice compressed into this one book.

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Great Aspirations is more than a series of case studies from Outstanding schools; it is a collection of stories of what can be achieved when school leaders believe in achieving the exceptional. It is the latest in a collection of case studies emanating from the Going For Great programme, run by the London Leadership Strategy.

Going for Great supports outstanding schools to learn from each other and in turn support the schools around them. Now in its 9th year, Going for Great has supported 130 schools. Each year, a new cohort contributes a book of case studies documenting innovative, inspiring initiatives in their schools. This book is the 8th in that series. Learn More

A brilliant and practical collection of essays by educators, psychologists and counsellors, highlighting the critical importance of mental health and wellbeing of students in our schools. Learn More

In 2017 Barnaby Lenon, previously the head master of Harrow School, wrote a best-selling book about high-achieving state schools in England (Much Promise). Later that year he went on a tour of Further Education colleges and started to research the fortunes of those who do less well at school. In Other People's Children he writes about the state of vocational education in England and the implications of his findings for a post-Brexit economy. Learn More

Roy Blatchford is one of the UK's most respected educationists. 'Success is a Journey' is a beautifully written collection of his recent essays about the education landscape, reflecting Roy's very high regard for teaching and schools. Learn More

A selection of essays from leading educationalists and school leaders with a track record of improving outcomes for children and young people with additional needs, highlighting the significant role that school leaders play in shaping effective practice in SEND. Learn More

AVAILABLE FROM MAY 17 2018

Drawing on 38 years of experience, Brian Lightman's perceptive and thoughtful book is a reflective account of his career, looking at the development of the education system both from his perspective as a teacher and school leader and, more recently, as one involved in national policy.

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This book, published in partnership with ASCL, brings together guidance, advice and tips from school business leaders across the sector. Demonstrating the importance of being an outward facing leader, who knows their value and can clearly communicate their impact. Learn More

Parent choice, diversity of school provision and the idea of a quasi-market in schools have dominated education policy for the last thirty years since the passage of the 1988 Great Education Reform Act. But has the market worked in the way that was intended? Are schools better? Do we have a fairer school system? Do parents really have choice?

Author and journalist Fiona Millar looks at why these policies have proved so seductive to a generation of politicians and seeks to uncover whether we really are are doing 'the best for all our children'. If we are not, what could and should future reform look like? Learn More

Spanning the comprehensive perspective of self, school and system, this tour-de-force is both well-informed and uplifting whilst at the same time being full of practical advice and guidance, rooted in the author’s front-line role leading a school.

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Through hundreds of interviews and conversations, Nik Gowing and Chris Langdon have analysed the deep new challenges to the human capacity of leaders at the highest keels to accept, understand, embrace then handle the extraordinary processes of change and disruption. This essential book draws on the candid responses. The findings will be disconcerting to leaders at all levels.

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Everyone Succeeds is the story of Torquay Academy, where head Steve Margetts has employed the Leadership Matters principles to turn round a failing school into one of the most improved in SW England in just three years. Learn More

Increasingly, across the system, people are talking about knowledge and curriculum. In this timely new book, Mary Myatt is at her brilliant best as she passionately argues that the solutions to overcoming achievement barriers lie in understanding the curriculum and in what children are meant to know. Learn More

Julia Steward draws on research findings and on her work as a leadership development coach and facilitator. Reflections on her own experience as a leader illustrate how unconscious habits of thinking and behaviour can hijack our leadership development in any profession. Practical exercises address the question: what can I do about this if it applies to me? Learn More

Leadership Matters: How leaders at all levels can create great schools improves the educational outcomes for children by empowering educational leaders in national, regional and local contexts to examine, refine and develop their management skills.

Andy takes in-depth and diagnostic approach, encouraging leaders at all levels in schools to think about their own personal qualities; their specific situation; their own leadership actions; and their own overall leadership approach.

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This Journal, an updated companion publication to Andy Buck's bestselling book Leadership Matters 3.0, will support you in your reflections, so that you can identify what is most useful for you in the context of your current role and situation. Learn More

Mandy Coalter draws on her extensive HR experience in the schools sector and beyond to support you to build a great place to work where everyone can excel in the interests of the children. She provides practical tips and support that will help to improve staff retention, performance and engagement, while tackling topics such as addressing teacher workload, what really motivates and retains staff and the crucial role that leaders play in ensuring great people management in schools.

Insightful, captivating and authentic, Mandy suggests fresh and practical new ideas and opportunities to strengthen your school and teachers, better equipping them to support their pupils.

A graduate in Law, a Fellow of the CIPD and a trained Executive Coach (ILM7), Mandy joined United Learning in 2012 where she developed a 5 Year People Strategy. The United Learning HR team won the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ‘HR Team of the Year’ in 2016. HR Magazine listed Mandy in the top 40 ‘HR Most Influential’ in 2017 and she was shortlisted for the HR Excellence Awards ‘HR Director of the Year’ 2018.

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This publication seeks to explore in depth the Nine Pillars of Greatness written by the course leaders of the Going for Great programme. It considers the range of characteristics that define great schooling, from a school's values and ethos, leadership and teaching to its curriculum, approach to professional development, learning community and ongoing self-evaluation. Learn More

Love To Teach: Research and Resources for every classroom is an exciting book that combines the latest educational research with examples of what this can look like in the classroom. Filled with research-informed ideas to support all teachers and leaders in both Primary and Secondary this book would be great for NQTs to more experienced teachers and leaders alike. The educational research is presented in a format which is accessible, helpful and informative and will help inform educators about cutting-edge research in practical and applicable ways. The practical resources are easily adaptable and ready to be implemented in any classroom and are grounded in Kate's own classroom practice.

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The job of a CEO is almost impossible to define. It is the most powerful and influential position in any organisation, yet very little discourse exists that attempts to provide a succinct formula for doing the job, never mind doing it well. In Being the CEO, Michael Pain, the Founder and CEO of Forum Strategy – a national company that focuses on strategy and organisational development consultancy – approaches the subject with delicacy and well-refined insight. This sharp and insightful book sees Michael use his knowledge and work on organisational strategy and development to lay out the six dimensions of the CEO, which reflects the six areas that are key to sustainable growth and success, with a unique look at sustainable organisational improvement and relevant policy and research insights. 'A timely and important contribution to understanding the role of CEO' – Emma Knights OBE Learn More

In this book, headteacher and professional learning expert Dr Kulvarn Atwal presents a model that maximises both formal and informal opportunities for staff development. Through peer learning, modelling, coaching and mentoring, engagement in research and other professional growth activities, the thinking school creates a dynamic collaborative culture that permeates the entire learning community. Learn More

Every successful CEO, world-beating sports captain and inspirational teacher exhibits the same characteristics: the 7Cs that together create the Leadership `it' Factor - curiosity, change-ability, charisma, connection, confidence, collaboration and courage. Learn More

Pursuing Greatness is the latest in a collection of case studies emanating from the Going for Great programme, run by The London Leadership Strategy. Learn More

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At a time of renewed focus on the curriculum, Roy Blatchford has brought together some of the sharpest thinkers in education in a brilliant mixture of both practical and conceptual essays about what makes for a positive secondary curriculum. Perfectly timed to reflect the new Ofsted framework, the contributions reflect a range of thinking, planning and delivery, as schools do it now and will for the future. Learn More

OUT 22 MAY 2019: ORDER NOW

At a time of renewed focus on the curriculum, Roy Blatchford has brought together some of the sharpest thinkers in education in a brilliant mixture of both practical and conceptual essays about what makes for a positive primary curriculum.

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OUT JULY 2019: ORDER NOW

Why read ten books when you can read just one? Drawing on the seminal work of the likes of Steven Covey, Patrick Lencioni, Susan Scott and Daniel Pink, HONK offers a powerful synthesis of everything effective leaders of today need to know.

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researchED is an educator-led organisation with the goal of bridging the gap between research and practice. This accessible and punchy series, overseen by founder Tom Bennett, tackles the most important topics in education, with a range of experienced contributors exploring the latest evidence and research and how it can apply in a variety of classroom settings.

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BUY THREE COPIES FOR £27 WITH VOUCHER CODE 3for27. ENTER ON THE SHOPPING CART PAGE.  FOR BULK ORDERS, EMAIL AS@JOHNCATT.COM FOR DISCOUNTS

researchED is an educator-led organisation with the goal of bridging the gap between research and practice. This accessible and punchy series, overseen by founder Tom Bennett, tackles the most important topics in education, with a range of experienced contributors exploring the latest evidence and research and how it can apply in a variety of classroom settings.

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What the Academy Taught Us offers today's educators a way forward. While largely viewing the difficult work of school improvement through the prism of a single school, it presents abundant recommendations about how schools everywhere can build effective and continuous improvement from the bottom up. Learn More

Including chapters such as ‘Why doesn’t my school’s behaviour system work?’; ‘Why are there so many spreadsheets in schools?’; ‘Why won’t my pupils work hard?’; and ‘Why is teaching making me so sick?’ Learn More

With a robust evidence base, Building Belonging provides all the tools you need to help you get unstuck when it comes to school improvement, offering a North Star by which you can navigate your ship in times of turbulence to prevent the risk of faltering on the rocks. Introducing the emotional wellbeing school improvement framework, this book is suitable for individual classroom practitioners, leaders and governors at all levels. It is a practical, comprehensive guide on moving from unconscious to conscious competence by creating a climate and culture that drives school improvement and improves outcomes, while still protecting the emotional wellbeing of children and staff in a way that’s proven to make a difference. Learn More

PUBLICATION: OCTOBER 2019. 

Leaders With Substance is not a handbook. It sets out to change the way we think of leadership and school improvement. It is both a critique, a manifesto, and a call to arms.

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Mike Murray's excellent new book attacks the narrow high stakes accountability and marketized vision which has distorted our education system, the fragmentation of education thinking into warring camps and silos and offers a radical optimistic vision of how we can emerge from the current impasse. Learn More

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2019: PREORDER NOW

 

The narrative around leadership needs to change. After reading scores of leadership books in an attempt to find a voice which resonated, Emma Turner realised that the bulk of leadership advice out there did not take into account balancing parenting with working in a leadership post. Inspired by the smallest of research subjects, Emma shares a practical, humorous and unique perspective on leadership by looking at it through the eyes of toddlers, illustrating real examples of what works, as well as reassurance that leadership is extremely do-able for many of us. This refreshing insight into leadership thinking and strategies aims to demystify leadership behaviour, encouraging us all to take the leap and ‘Be More Toddler’.

 

REVIEWS

‘I salute her bravery, her honesty, her extraordinary ability to strip down complexity in order to uncover deep and wonderful insights into leadership, life and learning.’ – Richard Gerver

'Emma manages to combine an incredibly engaging and entertaining style with important and practical messages, both for the profession and for the individuals within it. I wish I had been able to read it at a point when I turned my back on school leadership as the challenges of parenthood and the messy juggling this brings with it seemed too big a barrier.' – Professor Samantha Twiselton OBE

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Flipping Schools: Why it's time to turn your school and community inside out

This brilliant book, focused on the education of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children, offers a radical critique of traditional approaches to school improvement. The text argues for a movement away from the focus on social mobility to placing equity at the heart of school leadership. It suggests moving from improvement to social justice through a re-examination of the school's role in relation to its communities. The book is evidence-based and combines a focus on moral leadership with strategies to turn principle into practice.

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The ultimate guide to understanding how a school can be led, managed and run, written by an author with extensive experience, and drawing heavily on research around knowledge-based curricula. Learn More