How Do They Do It?

Reviews / Votes

Written by two heavy-weight thinkers, Zoe and Mark Enser, this book absolutely lives up to its title. Although using a superseded Ofsted framework to support its narrative (which doesn't matter as it's a good one), this highly researched and evidenced book lifts the lid on a wide range of aspects of any school's provision. Tackling topics from curriculum sequencing and pedagogical approaches to the reading curriculum and approaches to disadvantage, this book pulls together the very best theory to create eminently practical suggestions. These are powerfully grouped using a repeated structure that considers why the topic matters, what happens when it goes right and (very helpfully) what happens when it goes wrong. The authors also acknowledge the importance of leadership that creates a culture of openness, trust and supportive challenge, where policy is consulted upon to ensure whole-school processes will work in all contexts within a school. I highly recommend this excellent book.Andy Buck What Mark and Zoe have done with this book is to collate hours and hours of listening, seeing and hearing practice from around the country. It is a powerful opportunity to explore the learning that results from two brilliant minds distilling all that lived and learnt experience.Through every aspect of school life and structure they have unpicked the thinking and reflections of hundreds of different school leaders and teachers. They have been able to triangulate this thinking with what they have seen and synthesised the emerging patterns. This is a powerful body of wisdom to have the luxury to explore.In every aspect they stress the value of considering our purpose and being deliberate about how we make a path towards it, planning both the potential pitfalls and opportunities that would work best for our students and our staff in our context: where do we want to be? Where are we now? What are the best bets to take us on the path?It's not a how-to approach that dictates a set preferred model but an invitation and a scaffold to reflect on this body of learning for the greatest possible outcomes for those that matter most. The most compelling reality exposed is that it is exactly that journey that is the most impactful, the deliberate thought and deliberate action that in the end creates the magic, making something greater than the sum of its parts.Caroline Barlow How Do They Do It? is a timely and valuable book that provides an evidence- and experience-based guide to improving schools, based on insights from highly successful schools and teachers.The book is structured around Ofsted's Education Inspection Framework (EIF), which both authors know intimately, with chapters on quality of education, behaviour and attitude, personal development and leadership and management. Each chapter provides a helpful and accessible overview of key areas (for example, assessment or pupil behaviour). They are helpfully structured around what each concept is and why it matters, where things can go wrong and what it looks like when things go right.This book is fundamentally optimistic. It is a celebration of good schools and of how we can develop all schools by building on the talent of leaders and teachers already working there. As such, it is highly recommended for anyone working in education.Daniel Muijs