This must-read guide to being a primary headteacher is filled with practical guidance, tips and advice on all aspects of headship to support and inspire new, current and aspiring headteachers. Written by a headteacher with over 14 years' experience at the helm, The Headteacher's Handbook is the indispensable manual to understanding the role as both an instructional coach and community leader. With a kind and compassionate tone, Rae Snape presents invaluable advice, models, research, motivational quotes and self-reflection questions on a wealth of topics. This includes: - developing and communicating the vision for your school - building a staff team - handling an Ofsted inspection - ensuring inclusion, equality and diversity in your setting - curriculum and assessment design - managing the day-to-day - the finances, health and safety, behaviour and everything in-between! The book features examples from Rae's own experiences as well as contributions from some of the most influential and forward-thinking school leaders today, including Dr Kulvarn Atwal, Mary Myatt, Remi Atoyebi, Paul Dix and Christalla Jamil. Also featuring a foreword by Professor Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, and Sir David Carter's popular framework First 100 Days in Headship, The Headteacher's Handbook is a compendium of all you need to excel as a headteacher.

It's within the power of each and every school to unleash the best in teachers, day by day, month by month, year by year. This practical handbook takes the guesswork out of professional learning, showing school leaders how they can build a self-improving culture and remove barriers to learning.the authors set out their advice for how every school can bring in the best ideas from the whole system, and make sure that these have a lasting effect in the classroom. Packed full of examples, easy-to-use ideas and checklists, Unleashing Great Teaching brings together a vast body of experience gained by the Teacher Development Trust (UK), and shows how other schools can learn from these insights. From fostering a culture of evaluating impact to establishing good relationships, communication and a developmental culture, this book takes each and every aspect of the school system and reassesses its role as a driver of teacher and student success.

This book explores assessment practices that offer an enlightening and enabling view of all learners. Following the demise of national curriculum levels, the book embraces a unique opportunity to change how children are assessed. Rather than simply replacing the old structure with a new one, it focuses instead on enabling children to learn in meaningful ways so that assessment becomes a tool for improvement rather than judgment. Building on two influential research studies, Learning without Limits (Hart et al 2004) and Creating Learning without Limits (Swann et al 2012), the book continues the story of an alternative 'learning without limits' pedagogy. Inspired by a relentless focus on every child's capacity to learn, the book explores what can be achieved when we remove limits on learning. School leaders and teachers, struggling against practices that seeks to define, label and rank, explore the opportunity to view assessment reform as a means of reducing inequity through 'learning without limits' principles of collaboration, professional learning and inquiry. Children share their views and offer powerful insights into what may be achieved when limits are lifted on their learning. Consequently a liberating and alternative view of assessment is presented, achieved through children and adults working in partnership. Throughout the book, practical examples are offered, illustrated by real life stories, often about children who have achieved more than their teachers thought possible. At a time when schools are in pursuit of new assessment practices and reporting of progress, the insights in this book about what is possible are highly pertinent for individual teachers, school leaders and teacher educators wondering how best to foster children's learning capacity. "Alison Peacock is a treasure. She has remarkable wisdom about the purposes of education and the processes that make education work. In this book, she shares that wisdom, showing how judicious assessments can awaken students' motivation to learn and create eager, effective learners. Everyone who cares about children's lives and their futures should read this book!" Carol S. Dweck, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University, US and author of Mindset "This book tackles the difficult and very important task of bringing together the Learning Without Limits big ideas and the challenging topic of assessment. In it, Alison Peacock shows clearly the damage done by assessment contaminated by ability-labelling and other ability-based practices, and argues the moral and educational necessity of doing assessment in a different way." Mary Jane Drummond and Susan Hart, Co-authors of Learning without Limits and Creating Learning without Limits, UK "This book is brimming with practical solutions and high quality strategies to help teachers assess progress in partnership with their pupils. It serves as a timely reminder that children's ability is far from fixed - as all the education evidence demonstrates. By synthesising an array of evidence, this book offers an enlightened approach to assessments that works for children, educators and parents alike." Lee Elliot Major, Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust and co-author of the Sutton Trust-EEF toolkit for teachers "This is a great book, and as one of the nine teachers who was part of the original 'Learning without Limits' research project I can vouch for Dame Alison Peacock's unswerving commitment to, and passion for, the principles of Learning without Limits embodied within its pages. Throughout the book, powerful and authentic stories about leading, learning, listening, dialogue and trust bring a bold and transformative approach to assessment within the grasp of all educational practitioners and leaders. However, this is not just a book about assessment, but a book about leadership through partnership, founded upon the principles of Learning without Limits. The ten key leadership practices for building trust, outlined at the start of the book, are vital for success across the whole educational sector and should be taken to heart by all those involved in teaching and learning, whether it be at primary, secondary, further or higher education level." Dr Claire Taylor, Pro Vice-Chancellor, St Mary's University, Twickenham, London, UK "Any primary teacher or leader feeling ground-down or disenfranchised needs to read this book. Its agenda and commitment are uplifting - to generate a love of learning and realise achievement in every child, irrespective of their circumstances or prior attainment. Assessment for Learning Without Limits rejects the ability labels which are so often linked to social class trends and segregation in our schools. A commitment to high expectations and social justice permeates the book, yet Alison Peacock's method is to encourage and excite teachers, rather than hammering and bureaucratizing. Her arguments are inspiring and convincing, supported by lively case studies and research evidence." Professor Becky Francis, Professor of Education and Social Justice, King's College London, UK "This book tackles the difficult and very important task of bringing together the Learning Without Limits big ideas and the challenging topic of assessment. In it, Alison Peacock shows clearly the damage done by assessment contaminated by ability-labelling and other ability-based practices, and argues the moral and educational necessity of doing assessment in a different way. Distinctive features of the book include a sustained emphasis on the necessary conditions for transformability, a key concept in the original Learning without Limits study. Another is the argument for the centrality of formative assessment - assessment that works for children, and every aspect of their learning. Drawing on her experience as headteacher, with contributions from other primary and secondary school staff groups across the country, Alison Peacock makes a powerful case for trust and dialogue as the essential building blocks of this 'different way'." Mary Jane Drummond and Susan Hart, Co-authors of Learning without Limits and Creating Learning without Limits, UK "In contrast to some rather 'dry' books on assessment that start with abstract principles and seek illustrations of them, this book works the other way around. It is full of rich stories of practice and the voices of children and their teachers. In this way the integral connections among assessment, pedagogy and curriculum are made very clear. The vital importance of listening to children, engaging in dialogue for understanding, and communication with parents and carers, in an atmosphere of trust, is emphasised. Yet, teachers and leaders will be reassured that assessment for learning, as distinct from assessment purely for accountability can lead to excellent performance without any need for 'ability labelling' of children." Mary James, Professor Emerita, University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, UK

It's within the power of each and every school to unleash the best in teachers, day by day, month by month, year by year. This practical handbook takes the guesswork out of professional learning, showing school leaders how they can build a self-improving culture and remove barriers to learning.the authors set out their advice for how every school can bring in the best ideas from the whole system, and make sure that these have a lasting effect in the classroom. Packed full of examples, easy-to-use ideas and checklists, Unleashing Great Teaching brings together a vast body of experience gained by the Teacher Development Trust (UK), and shows how other schools can learn from these insights. From fostering a culture of evaluating impact to establishing good relationships, communication and a developmental culture, this book takes each and every aspect of the school system and reassesses its role as a driver of teacher and student success.

"'Creating Learning without Limits' takes on one of the most important issues in education today. In the last decade schools in England have taken a path towards putting all children into boxes, attaching a level to their heads and deciding what they are capable of achieving. This book shows the possibility of a different educational path, one in which all students are encouraged to achieve the greatest they can. Importantly the book also documents ways in which courageous teachers can do this - promoting fair and engaging learning environments for all students. This is a must-read for educators, policy makers and parents alike." Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education, Stanford University, California. Formerly a teacher and researcher at the Universities of London and Sussex."This will undoubtedly turn out to be amongst the most important educational books of the decade. Our capacity to respond, both individually and collectively, to its key insights and messages will profoundly affect not just the quality of our schools, but of our society for years to come. Engagingly and eloquently written, it exposes the intellectual bankruptcy and human destructiveness of widely held concepts of 'ability' and offers a richly textured, practical account of how one school moved from 'failure' to OfSTED 'outstanding' by committing itself to the practicability of a morally inspiring, educationally convincing alternative.If you want to know why 'the standards agenda' must inevitably fail and what we might do instead, read this book." Professor Michael Fielding, Institute of Education, University of London, UK"This is an inspiring and reviving book. It reminds us why people come into education - to make a difference for children. To make a deep difference we have to organize education differently. It describes a school that vibrates with learning in an atmosphere of deep humanity and care. Its practices are light years away from the measuring, labelling, targeting, and testing structures that have become our recent national norm. The school as a whole community transforms people." Anne Watson, Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Oxford, UK"This book provides a grounded demonstration of the importance of educational principles, the most important of which is the understanding that each child's potential for learning is limitless. The authors describe new school and classroom practices through which learning can be transformed. Their argument has influenced government thinking on the review of the National Curriculum in England. I urge you to let it influence your thinking too!" Professor Andrew Pollard, Institute of Education, University of London, UK"This is a brilliant study of a small and very successful primary school in Hertfordshire where the teachers have rejected ideas of fixed innate ability and believe instead in the limitless potential of all young people. At a time when the Ofsted inspection process employs dubious and limited notions of 'standards' and 'achievement', it would be good to think that there could be many more schools like this one showing the way towards a new and liberating view of human development. The book deserves a really wide readership." Professor Clyde Chitty, Institute of Education, University of London, UK"This book is slim in size but hefty in significance. It tells the story of a school driven by ambition, hope and the self-confidence that comes from a profound faith in the capacity of every child to be a passionate and engaged learner. This in the face of powerful and societally dominant messages that explicitly or more insidiously tell a different and more deterministic tale: that children (and schools) are fit and proper subjects for classification, measurement and management. And there's more - the careful scholarship on which this story is based prevents this book from being merely a description of what happens when a unique constellation of propitious circumstances meets a charismatic leader: this 'other way' is open to all who will take it - but it will demand the laying of solid and value-rich foundations, the exercising of autonomy for staff and pupils, the rethinking of relationships, a focus on learning (letting performance come as a secondary gift), and the taking of collective action. It's become a cliche to say of a book that it 'Should be read by every teacher (or parent, or whoever ...).' This one, and its predecessor 'Learning without Limits' merits that injunction." Barry Hymer, Professor of Psychology in Education, Education Faculty, University of Cumbria, UK"'Creating Learning without Limits' provides a welcome tonic that can help to offset the beleaguering effects of a performativity and standards agenda that reinforces the ability based practices so pervasive in schools today. Building on the compelling pedagogy first presented in 'Learning without Limits', this inspiring book shows how an alternative school improvement agenda can produce high academic attainment and enhanced capacity to learn for everybody. A classic for our time, it should be read by all who seek approaches to teaching and learning that are free from externally imposed views of ability and potential." Professor Lani Florian, School of Education, University of Aberdeen, UK"If you share the convictions of the authors: 'That human potential is not predictable, that children's futures are unknowable, and that education has the power to enhance the lives of all', read the book! You will however need to proceed with caution; it will make some ofyou reflect on what you do and why you are doing it. This book could be the catalyst for the educational change that we are all praying for." Julie Lilly, Head Teacher, UKThis book tells the story of how one primary school community worked to build a learning environment that is inclusive, humane and enabling for everybody, a place free from the damaging effects of fixed ability thinking and practices. Drawing on compelling accounts of everyday life in the school, it describes how, in just a few years, the school (once in special measures) grew into a thriving community, with distinctive views of learning, curriculum and pedagogy, monitoring and accountability that found expression in every aspect of school life. The work of the school community was guided by the findings of a previous project, 'Learning without Limits' (Hart, Dixon, Drummond and McIntyre 2004), an empirical study of the classroom practice of individual teachers who had rejected the concept of fixed ability. 'Creating Learning without Limits' explores what becomes possible when the same ideas and principles are used creatively to guide and inspire whole school improvement. This book is not simply a celebration of the success of the school; it engages with the struggles and difficulties encountered by the staff as they set about learning to reshape pedagogy and curriculum by reference to their shared values of inclusion, social justice and human educability. It gives a detailed analysis of how the headteacher harnessed the power of collective action. The insights generated by this study have enduring relevance and applicability to people in other contexts - for staff groups craving for more equitable school improvement; for individual teachers wondering how best to foster children's learning capacity; for school leaders and teacher educators who find their values increasingly compromised.