In Putting Staff First, John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley argue that schools should prioritise their staff, because pupils benefit most from a healthy, well-trained and expert workforce. They set out their case in their own words:
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. Consequently, a school which does not prioritise professional learning and managing staff workload which, as a consequence, will help improve staff wellbeing is disadvantaging its own students.
Whilst it is easy to say that schools would not exist if it were not for the students, the glib converse is that without truly great school staff, the students would not be taught well enough. What we need as recruiting subject specialist teachers, school leaders and specialist support staff becomes increasingly difficult is a revolution in how we treat the adults in schools.
'What is the most important school-related factor in pupil learning? The answer is teachers', say Schwartz et al, and if they are correct, then we have to put our staff first because it is the only hope we have of securing what our students need most: top quality teachers (Schwartz et al, 2007).
And whilst we are determined to put staff first, that does not mean working in a blueprint school is an easy ride; far from it. We expect teachers to work hard and to be the best version of themselves they can possibly be.
The leadership wisdom you might find in this book is neither dogmatically based upon educational research evidence nor is it solely derived from our experience; it is a synthesis of both. What is common to everything we propose in our blueprint is that we unapologetically put staff first.
Ten years after the Academies Act disrupted the structures of the English school system irrevocably, we want to look forward ten years hence, to a revitalised school system where our nation's teachers are thriving and, consequently, so are our students.
What follows is a 2030 blueprint to revitalise our schools that unashamedly puts staff first.
What do we think?
Guidance on how to put staff first, including how to create a positive school culture, support professional development, and build effective teams.
Who it is for
Headteachers, trust leaders and governors deciding how to handle workload, professional development and staff wellbeing, particularly where recruitment and retention are under pressure. It argues a position rather than giving a step-by-step programme, so it suits a leadership team discussing priorities. For the government's commitments on staff wellbeing, see the DfE's education staff wellbeing charter.
About the book
- Authors: John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley.
- Full title: Putting Staff First: A blueprint for a revitalised profession.
- Publisher: John Catt Educational (now part of Hachette Learning). Paperback published 22 April 2020 (ISBN 9781912906840); also available as an ebook (ISBN 9781398383265).
Source: Hachette UK, checked 13 October 2026.