All Can Achieve
The Story of the Harris Federation
Ivan Fallon(Author)
Biteback Publishing
Will be published approx. on 25. June 2026
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-83736-037-6 (ISBN)
Description
The inspiring account of
how Philip Harris took on the near-impossible challenge of turning around
failing state schools.
In
1986, the Harris Academy in Crystal Palace was a broken school, with a pass
rate of 9 per cent, truancy of 60 per cent and teachers who seldom lasted
longer than six months. Today, the Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is hailed
as one of the best in the country.
This
transformation was the blueprint for a national education revolution. Harris's
achievement paved the way for the academies movement, now accounting for nearly
half of England's schools.
The
same remarkable effect can be seen throughout the Harris Federation, the most
successful multi-academy trust in England, which runs fifty-five state
academies with 45,000 students and 5,000 staff. Every single one is rated
'Good' or better by Ofsted, and seven were recently listed in an international
report as 'World Class'.
The
Harris revolution is also the story of the extraordinary improvement in our
education system over the past twenty years. In 2009, England lagged at
twenty-seventh in the world for maths and twenty-fifth for reading. In 2025, a
PISA report showed it is the best-performing country in Europe and
internationally trails only four nations.
All
Can Achieve reveals the inside story
of how this phenomenal change was wrought.
how Philip Harris took on the near-impossible challenge of turning around
failing state schools.
In
1986, the Harris Academy in Crystal Palace was a broken school, with a pass
rate of 9 per cent, truancy of 60 per cent and teachers who seldom lasted
longer than six months. Today, the Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is hailed
as one of the best in the country.
This
transformation was the blueprint for a national education revolution. Harris's
achievement paved the way for the academies movement, now accounting for nearly
half of England's schools.
The
same remarkable effect can be seen throughout the Harris Federation, the most
successful multi-academy trust in England, which runs fifty-five state
academies with 45,000 students and 5,000 staff. Every single one is rated
'Good' or better by Ofsted, and seven were recently listed in an international
report as 'World Class'.
The
Harris revolution is also the story of the extraordinary improvement in our
education system over the past twenty years. In 2009, England lagged at
twenty-seventh in the world for maths and twenty-fifth for reading. In 2025, a
PISA report showed it is the best-performing country in Europe and
internationally trails only four nations.
All
Can Achieve reveals the inside story
of how this phenomenal change was wrought.
Reviews / Votes
"Conservative peer Lord Harris ofPeckham has done more to help working-class children than any Labour politician
since Attlee and Bevan." Michael Gove, former Education Secretary
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
600 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83736-037-6 (9781837360376)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
approx. 06/2026
BITEBACK PUBLISHING
€17.99
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Person
Ivan
Fallon was for many years one of the leading financial journalists in Britain.
He was City editor of the Sunday Telegraph and deputy editor and
business editor of the Sunday Times and was twice named Financial
Journalist of the Year. He is the author of eight other books, two of which, Billionaire:
The Life and Times of Sir James Goldsmith and The Brothers: The Rise and
Rise of Saatchi & Saatchi, appeared in the Sunday Times
bestseller list. He was CEO of Independent News & Media UK until 2010 and
now lives in Cape Town.
Fallon was for many years one of the leading financial journalists in Britain.
He was City editor of the Sunday Telegraph and deputy editor and
business editor of the Sunday Times and was twice named Financial
Journalist of the Year. He is the author of eight other books, two of which, Billionaire:
The Life and Times of Sir James Goldsmith and The Brothers: The Rise and
Rise of Saatchi & Saatchi, appeared in the Sunday Times
bestseller list. He was CEO of Independent News & Media UK until 2010 and
now lives in Cape Town.