Product reviews for High Performers

With characteristic wisdom and clarity, Alistair Smith peels back the layers of some of the country`s top performing schools. What he reveals isn`t some slick replicable formula, but there are some overpowering messages of what works - relentless sureness of purpose, the ability to say no, intolerance of mediocrity and endless optimism. Smith illuminates the schools he peers into with wit and humanity. This is no exercise in cheap praise or hagiography: he describes what he sees, what he`s disappointed in or surprised by as well as what he admires. That`s what makes the book such an illuminating, personable read. We look through the eyes of one of education`s undoubted masters and find ourselves nourished and enriched by the account of what he sees. As a result, the seemingly impossible becomes tangibly more possible: without league table tricks or curricular sleights of hand, we could all make our schools like these. High Performers is a compelling read. It`s strongly recommended for current and would-be school leaders, and also for our political masters who would benefit from this sharp-eyed, astringent and endlessly uplifting insight into what great schools do, day in, day out.