Paul Garvey draws on his experience as a teacher, inspector and National Strategies consultant to set out his Talk for Teaching method. The publisher says the method lets a school take control of its own professional development without increasing costs or taking up lesson time.
The approach involves all staff, from teaching assistants to heads, in improving the quality of teaching across the school. The book draws on the experiences of teachers, headteachers and inspectors as well as Garvey's own.
The publisher quotes Barnsole Primary's Ofsted report from April 2016, which describes the school using the programme to involve leaders, teachers, teaching assistants, governors and other staff in observing teaching together and discussing how it could be improved. That is one school's report, quoted by the publisher, not an evaluation of the method.
Who it is for
Headteachers and leaders responsible for professional development who want a staff-led way to improve teaching, built on colleagues observing and talking about lessons together.
About the book
- Author: Paul Garvey, a former teacher, inspector and National Strategies consultant.
- Full title: Talk for Teaching: Rethinking Professional Development in Schools.
- Publisher: John Catt (Hachette UK). Paperback published 17 March 2017, ISBN 9781911382096; also available as an ebook (ISBN 9781398383487).
Source: Hachette UK, checked 13 October 2026.