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