Books | HeadteacherChat

Succeeding as a Deputy Head

"Crucial to succeeding as a deputy head is establishing trust quickly—with your headteacher, your staff, and your community. You must master the delicate balance between leading strategic change and remaining a visible, supportive presence on the ground every day." Key Takeaway Kohlbeck and Passey offer an insider's guide to navigating senior leadership, delivering practical strategies for balancing big-picture strategy with daily operations, managing complex staff dynamics, and stepping into the headship pipeline with confidence.

Jonathan Coy

Book Review: The Honest DSL by Hannah Carter

The Strategic SENCo by Kenny Wheeler

The Strategic SENCo Review | A Practical Guide to Transformational SEND Leadership

Headteachering by Simon Botten – Book Review

Book Review: How Do They Do It? by Mark Enser and Zoë Enser

Book Review: How Do They Do It? by Mark & Zoë Enser | School Leadership Insights

Book Review: How to Lead in Primary English By Jon Hutchinson, Tricia Statham and Sallie Stanton

How to Lead in Primary English is an authoritative, research-informed guide for English subject leaders seeking to strengthen curriculum intent, implementation and impact. Drawing on the Education Endowment Foundation’s Guide to Implementation and the latest literacy research, the authors provide a practical roadmap for sustainable school improvement.

Review of Because of You, This is Me by Jaz Ampaw-Farr

Book Review: This Much I Know About Truly Great Primary Teachers by John Tomsett

Book Review: 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Playful Learning by Blair Minchin

Let's Explore AI

This book makes AI accessible and inspiring for curious young readers aged 8 –12.

The EdTech Playbook

Highly recommended for headteachers, digital leads, SLT members, and MAT executives who are serious about integrating EdTech into their long-term vision for teaching and learning.

The Awkward Questions in Education: The Elephants in the Room

"A must-read for school leaders who want to reflect deeply on what really matters." In The Awkward Questions in Education, Al Kingsley tackles the big, unspoken issues in schools — from inspection pressures and data overload to inclusion, culture, and what it truly means for children to flourish. With warmth, clarity, and wisdom, this book encourages leaders to pause, reflect, and rethink how we define success in our schools. Thoughtful, honest, and full of practical insight — it's the book I didn’t know I needed.

The Honest Headteacher (The Honest Educator Series)

Becoming a headteacher is a wild ride. You're expected to lead with confidence, handle crisis after crisis, and somehow keep your sense of humour intact.

Codified Leadership: Behaviours and Habits that Make a Difference in Schools Caroline Sherwood and Andrew Finney

Codified Leadership Book Review – Practical Insights for School Leaders | HeadteacherChat

Book Review: The Ultimate Guide to Adaptive Teaching – Sue Cowley

Book Review The Ultimate Guide to Adaptive Teaching – Sue Cowley

Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools: Understand more deeply and better address inequalities in your school by Sean Harris, Katrina Morley

A practical, research-informed guide for school leaders on addressing poverty and disadvantage. Blending case studies, strategies, and tools, it helps schools build equity through curriculum, culture, and classroom practice.

Book Review: Making Change Stick by Dr James Mannion

Book Review: Making Change Stick by Dr James Mannion – A Practical Guide for School Leaders

The PA Principles: How a PA Can Make Everything and Everyone Work Better by Jo Deane and Kimberley Evans

Review: "The PA Principles: How a PA Can Make Everything and Everyone Work Better"

Authentic School Improvement for Authentic Leaders by Victoria Carr

Melanie Moore

Review for Curriculum Simplexity: A Practical Guide for Developing Your Primary Curriculum by Melanie Moore

"Curriculum Simplexity" by Melanie Moore offers a practical, phased approach to primary curriculum development. This book provides a clear roadmap for busy school leaders, emphasizing collaboration and addressing key concepts like cultural capital and pedagogy. With its focus on leadership, it empowers schools to create impactful and locally relevant curricula. Highly recommended for headteachers and curriculum leads.

Book Review: The Teacher Toolkit Guide to Feedback by Ross McGill

Charlie Higson

Worst. Superhero. Ever. by Charlie Higson

Stan has found himself a starring role as superhero in a popular TV show. He’s absolutely terrified.

Review of Making Every PE Lesson Count

Desirable Difficulties in Action

Desirable Difficulties in Action," authored by Jade Pearce and Isaac Moore

Paul Ainsworth

NO SILVER BULLETS 2.0: HEART AND SOUL OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

A practical, insightful guide for school leaders seeking meaningful, long-term improvement.

Empowered by the Human Design

"Empowered by the Human Design" by Katie Pagnotta offers a new approach to education.

Peter Hughes

Outstanding School Leadership

"Outstanding School Leadership" by Peter Hughes – Steering Education with Purpose and Vision

Geoff and Margaret's Old School Book of Retirement Tales

HeadteacherChat review of Geoff and Margaret's Old School Book of Retirement Tales

Peter Mattock

Leading Maths

Struggling with the unique challenges of leading a maths department? "Leading Maths" is your essential guide.

The Working Classroom

Written by Matt Bromley and Andy Griffith, The Working Classroom: How to make school work for working-class students offers practical strategies and tools to help secondary schools address the needs of working-class students, including by building cultural capital and designing more engaging learning.

The A-Z of Secondary Leadership

Discover key insights from 'The A-Z of Secondary Leadership' by Andy Hunter

School Improvement Planning Made Easy: An AI Guide for School Leaders and Subject Leaders

Well this book couldn't have come at a better time! We get asked a lot by school leaders about how AI can help them, and this book does exactly that! Packed with lots of useful tips and resources for how AI can help, but also, which AI system to use.

Rachel Johnson

Time to Think: The things that stop us and how to deal with them

Leadership is a privilege, but it often brings hurdles we aren't equipped for. This book tackles ten major mental and workplace traps—from people-pleasing to avoiding tough conversations—and gives school leaders practical tools to break free, set healthy boundaries, and lead with genuine confidence.

Mark Solomons

What Makes Teachers Unhappy and What Can You Do About It?

Providing a roadmap to improvements in staff morale, workload management and wellbeing.

The Power of Teams

Effective teamwork leads to purpose, belonging, trust, learning, and, ultimately, high performance. When we better understand the nuances of how teams can thrive, we discover the real Power of Teams.

Matthew Lane

Wayfinder: Leading Curriculum Vision into Reality

"Wayfinder: Leading Curriculum Vision into Reality" by Matthew Lane is an invaluable resource for educational leaders navigating the treacherous waters of curricular transformation.

The (UN)HAPPY HEADTEACHER

The (UN)HAPPY HEADTEACHER: Navigating headship and finding joy in the role

Tracey O'Brien

Rethinking School Inspection

A comprehensive review of Tracey O’Brien's book that delves into the critical aspects of school inspections.

Adrian Bethune

Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom: The updated guide to teaching happiness and positive mental health

Enhancing Wellbeing in Our Primary School: A Review of Adrian Bethune's Book

Kirsten Colquhoun

A Practical Guide to Pupil Wellbeing. Strategies for Classroom Teachers.

Every year thousands of research papers, guidance documents and educational aims are published on pupil mental health and wellbeing. Many of them offer insightful ideas and theories, but what is often lacking is a clear route for busy classroom teachers to apply these findings. A focus on wellbeing is here to stay, but what does it mean? How does it apply to the curriculum? And what is a teacher's role? This book critically explores the importance of being a research-informed teacher, assesses some of the key health and wellbeing areas that class teachers can directly affect, and offers practical advice on how to do this. What do we think? This is a great book, full of useful tips on how to support pupil wellbeing with case studies, points to consider, discussion points and lots of information from supporting individual children to evaluating whole school approaches to wellbeing.

Al Kingsley

My School & Multi-Academy Trust Growth Guide

This guide will take you step by step through the key considerations as part of your growth journey.

Dusting Off Thunderbolts. A Quest for the Heart of Leadership

This is not just another book about how to be a good leader. You will hear from giants of sport, literature, art, film and music, and be guided by poets, philosophers, war heroes and Nobel prize-winners.

"SEND Huh: Curriculum Conversations with SEND Leaders" by Mary Myatt and John Tomsett

Creative Thinking in Schools: A Leadership Playbook by Bill Lucas, Ellen Spencer, et al

This practical playbook empowers school leaders to foster a culture of creativity by equipping them with a research-based framework.

Sam Strickland

They Don't Behave for Me

Book Review: "They Don't Behave for Me" by Sam Strickland

Changing Perceptions: Deciphering the Language of Behaviour

A transformative approach to behaviour, shifting the focus from punishment to understanding and support.

Review: That Behaviour Book – The Simple Truth About Teaching Children

Lekha Sharma

Building Culture

Building Culture: A handbook to harnessing human nature to create strong school teams

Helen Kelly

School Leaders Matter

Helen's book explores effective school leadership qualities, offering insights for impactful educational guidance

Toria Bono

Tiny Voices Talk

Tiny Voices Talk: Educator Empowerment and Fresh Ideas

Al Kingsley

My School Governance Handbook

Our in-depth review of My School Governance Handbook by Al Kingsley

Andrew Morrish

The Authentic Leader

Successful school leadership starts with you: who you are, what you believe in, and why you do the things you do.

Stephen Tierney

Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing

A comprehensive review of Stephen Tierney's book that delves into the essential elements of leadership in education—Being, Knowing, and Doing—supported by real-life examples.

Nick Hart

Creating a Strong Culture: A Positive Climate for Schools

If there is one thing that school leaders need to get right, it is school culture.

Nick Hart

Impact: A five-part framework for driving difference in schools

From influential Executive Headteacher Nick Hart comes Impact, a practical framework for improving outcomes for children in both primary and secondary classrooms, helping them thrive and succeed.

Tools for Teachers

A Review of 'Tools for Teachers' by Oliver Lovell for HeadteacherChat

Sam Strickland

The Behaviour Manual

The Behaviour Manual - An Educator's Guidebook offers over 100 strategies, approaches and teaching methods that will help any school, leader, middle leader, teacher, ECT or ITT to pro-actively lead on behaviour.

Parklands: A School Built on Love

An exploration of Parklands School's transformation into a haven where love fuels academic excellence and personalised support.

Emma Turner

Simplicitus - 'The Interconnected Primary Curriculum'

An review of Emma's "Simplicitus," a handbook that bridges theory and practice in primary curriculum design.

"Leadership for Sustainability: Saving the planet one school at a time" by Dr. David Dixon

The Emotionally Intelligent Teacher

Have you ever felt like workplace politics were distracting you from doing your job? Ever been lost for words in a difficult conversation with a colleague? The Emotionally Intelligent Teacher is a unique guide to managing your emotions in order to enhance teaching, boost wellbeing and combat power struggles in schools.

Kate Jones

The Teaching Life: Professional Learning and Career Progression

The Teaching Life is for anyone who wants to make the most of their time in education, for their students and for themselves.

"Irresistible Learning: Embedding a culture of research in schools" by Graham Chisnell

Chisnell provides a practical 8-step framework to turn teacher-led inquiry into everyday school culture—replacing top-down compliance with professional autonomy, collaborative coaching, and sustainable school improvement.

The School Leader's Year

This practical handbook offers a month-by-month guide to the curriculum, assessment, progress, and leadership over the school year. It provides a clear, comprehensive, and coherent structure to the academic year helping school leaders to prioritise their time and workload, supporting them and their team to work as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Huh - Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders

Kate Jones

Wiliam & Leahy's Five Formative Assessment Strategies in Action

Written under the guidance and with the support of Dylan Wiliam, Kate Jones writes about five formative assessment strategies in action in the classroom, with a foreword from Professor John Hattie.

The Headteacher's Handbook

The Headteacher's Handbook by Rae Snape

Al Kingsley

My Secret #EdTech Diary

My Secret #Edtech Diary by Al Kingsley: Headteacherchat's Book Review

Zoe Enser

The CPD Curriculum

This invaluable handbook explores how schools can design and deliver continuing professional development (CPD) that truly lives up to its name.

Rachel Macfarlane

Obstetrics for Schools by Rachel MacFarlane

An actionable guide that addresses 'baked in' educational failure by providing proven strategies and case studies to bring success to every student. Ideal for school leaders and educators in mainstream and special education.

The First 100 Days: Lessons In Leadership From The Football Bosses

What does it take to thrive in one of the most pressurised leadership roles in modern times? What is the real story behind the men in the football hotseat who shape the dreams and ambitions of millions?

Paul Ainsworth

No silver bullets: Day in, day out school improvement

There are no secrets to school improvement. There are no silver bullets and no magic answers. It is far less glamorous. It is a question of identifying numerous actions and applying effort 'day in, day out' to improve them.

Teacher Wellbeing & Self-Care

Teachers can’t teach effectively if they’re demotivated and exhausted; and they shouldn’t they have to! A Little Guide for Teachers: Teacher Wellbeing and Self-Careexplains how wellbeing is essential to effective teaching, and gives teachers practical tools to take back control of the classroom. The Little Guide for Teachers series is little in size but BIG on all the support and inspiration you need to navigate your day to day life as a teacher. · Authored by experts in the field · Easy to dip in-and-out of · Interactive activities encourage you to write into the book and make it your own · Fun engaging illustrations throughout · Read in an afternoon or take as long as you like with it!

Claire Gadsby

A Little Guide for Teachers: Efficient Marking

A concise review of an innovative guide offering time-saving marking strategies that not only elevate student performance but also inspire them.

David Didau

Intelligent Accountability: Creating the conditions for teachers to thrive

The book discusses two opposed models of school improvement: the deficit model (which assumes problems are someone's fault) and the surplus model (which assumes problems are unintended systemic flaws). By aligning ourselves to a surplus model we can create a system of Intelligent Accountability.

Sam Strickland

Education Exposed 2: In pursuit of the halcyon dream: The curriculum is God, so make it

Education Exposed 2 follows on from Sam Strickland's first book, Education Exposed. The book is a pacy, punchy and forthright critique of how to drive the curriculum, behaviour and teaching within a school and the pivotal role that leadership plays in pursuing the halcyon dream. The book is neatly laid out, with each chapter identifying common curricular misconceptions, posing lots of key questions to consider and offering multiple practical ideas that you can take away. Every chapter ends with five key takeaway points for you to carefully consider.

Teachers vs Tech?: The case for an ed tech revolution

Daisy Christodoulou is a leading educational commentator with many years' experience of working with schools as well as in the classroom. In this new book, she tackles the ed tech debate, asking why it hasn't yet had the transformative impact on education that has long been promised, and evidencing the benefits it could still bring to schools.

The researchED Guide to Assessment

In this researchED Guide to Assessment, Sarah Donarski brings together chapters by Dylan Wiliam, Tom Sherrington, Alison Peacock and many others to consider the debates, critique the strategies and find solutions that not only better the progress of pupils but also assist the wellbeing and manageability of workload for staff.

Lighting the Way: The case for ethical leadership in schools

Written in the context of an education system on the edge of a crisis, with students burning out, staff walking out and schools under increasing pressure to singlehandedly provide the social care so many young people desperately need, Lighting the Way argues that schools stand on the threshold of a new way forward. Angela uses her wealth of experience to show school leaders the path to being torchbearers, leading children with purpose, staff with integrity and the community towards wisdom with practical strategies, optimism and guidance.

The CRAFT Of Assessment

The CRAFT approach of assessment for learning is a strategy that can be applied at a subject level and at a whole school level to assess student learning from across the Key Stages.

Rachel Macfarlane

Putting Staff First

If we do not ensure, first and foremost, that our teachers are happy, healthy, well qualified, highly motivated, hard-working, well-trained experts, they cannot be their best for their students.

Matthew Evans

Leaders With Substance: An Antidote to Leadership Genericism in Schools

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.

The Wellbeing Toolkit: Sustaining, supporting and enabling school staff

The Wellbeing Toolkit by Andrew Cowley is a valuable resource for promoting wellbeing and resilience among school staff. It challenges myths surrounding wellbeing and offers practical strategies to foster a positive atmosphere. It emphasises the importance of understanding staff members, their motivations, and factors that affect their confidence. By implementing the book's strategies, school leaders can improve staff attendance and retention while reigniting teachers' passion for their profession.

Amazing by Steve Antony

A celebration of friendship and being yourself with a positive message about celebrating diversity.

Talk for Teaching: Rethinking Professional Development in Schools

Full of experiences from teachers, headteachers and inspectors, as well as Garvey's own personal experiences, this is not a book to be missed for anyone looking to journey towards teaching excellence.

Rachel Macfarlane

The Nine Pillars of Great Schools

The Nine Pillars of Great Schools examines the commonalities between the most successful institutions and demonstrates how to transform a good school into a great school.

Talent Architects

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.

Perfectly Norman by Tom Percival

A sweet and truly uplifting story that celebrates diversity

Will Ryan

Leadership with a Moral Purpose - Turning Your School Inside Out

"Leadership with a Moral Purpose - Turning Your School Inside Out" by Will Ryan is a thought-provoking and inspiring book that challenges traditional approaches to school improvement. Ryan, drawing from his extensive experience as a teacher, headteacher, and local authority adviser, offers primary school leaders a refreshing perspective on leadership, emphasising the importance of moral purpose and authentic engagement.

Patrick Lencioni

Reading The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

A review of Patrick Lencioni's seminal work that dissects team dysfunctions.

Dylan Wiliam

Inside the Black Box: v. 1: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment

Practical, concise and easily absorbed in one sitting by busy teachers

Prefer to listen or watch? The same school-leadership thinking runs through our podcast episodes and recorded webinars — or read the latest on the blog.

Podcasts Webinars Blog library