Examines in detail the turbulent years of education policy and practice from the late 1970s to the present day - and sets out what policy-makers and education leaders can do to enable our schools to improve on their previous best.Written by Tim Brighouse and Mick Waters, About Our Schools: Improving on previous best examines in detail the turbulent years of education policy and practice from the late 1970s to the present day - and sets out what policy-makers and education leaders can do to enable our schools to improve on their previous best.Through revealing and forthright interviews with 14 secretaries of state - from Kenneth Baker to Michael Gove and Gavin Williamson, together with many other leading figures in education - Tim Brighouse and Mick Waters provide fascinating insights into the various evolutions and revolutions that have taken place in English state education since 1976.In so doing they highlight key areas for improvement and assess where we should go from here to enable teachers and schools to improve the learning and broaden the horizons of each and every one of their pupils - whatever their talents, challenges, advantages or problems.Split into four parts, the book shares a range of perspectives and informed viewpoints on education, covering areas such as curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; school improvement and leadership; admissions, attendance, exclusions and behaviour; special educational needs and disabilities; and governance and finance of schooling. The authors offer insights into how education policies are made, what helps and what gets in the way - and explore how institutional barriers and obstacles to pupil fulfilment can be overcome. And, crucially, the authors conclude by outlining 39 steps to success that can help the education sector build forward together and foster more collaborative partnerships towards a brighter future.Tim and Mick have both spent a lifetime in state-provided education - first as pupils, then as teachers, and finally in various leadership and policy-making positions, both in and out of schools. About Our Schools is born out of their shared love for education and their appreciation of how schooling can be a transformative element in the lives of children and young people.Suitable for teachers, head teachers, school governors and policy-makers, as well as parents and anyone interested in the politics of schooling.
