Excellence in Education The Making of Great Schools

A thorough examination of the characteristics` belonging to a high-performing school, this book is written by the Chairman of the Specialist Schools Trust and the education advisor to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. It draws on numerous case studies of successful schools, as well as showing how previously failing schools have been turned around. Looking at such areas as leadership, staffing, target-setting, discipline and order, curriculum innovation and individual learning, the book offers a blueprint to head teachers and others trying to develop excellent schools.

Preface; What makes a great school?; Starting out: the transition from primary to secondary school; The drive for continuous improvement; How to turn around a failing school; Accountability, transparency and choice: the value of specialism; Using data to improve performance; Teamwork: teachers, trainees and teaching assistants; Broad and balanced learning; Term times, timetables and changing classrooms; Discipline and attendance; Inspection and audit; Provision for children with special educational needs; Schools helping schools: the value of partnerships; Turning the rhetoric of school choice into reality; Lessons from abroad; Good schools manage their finances well and learn how to raise sponsorship; How information communications technology can improve learning; Can we transform our schools?; Appendix 1: How to calculate the value added of a secondary school; Appendix 2: Survey of best practice in leading specialist schools

Cyril Taylor, Conor Ryan