Product reviews for Thinking Allowed

Thinking Allowed is of course an inspiration! 

Unlike most educational books this one will not be read and then shelved. Mick's absolute commitment to the best education for our children is apparent throughout as he shares his wealth of knowledge and experience. The book, whilst being accessible and colourful, provides enough hard hitting research and challenging quotes and examples to make it a very interesting read for people at all levels of education and a credible point of reference for years to come. I hope that Thinking Allowed will become both a valuable source of guidance for educators and an essential read for future Secretaries of State! 

I am a head teacher and therefore not in the business of critically evaluating and editing material for publication so I can't be of help in reviewing the language, organisation and structure of the text itself but I can comment on how the book could, and has already, helped me as a practicing head teacher. Thinking Allowed justifies my exhaustion, it also revels, with me, in the joy of schools and education, making me laugh out loud and nod my head at shared experiences! Thinking Allowed set out, with real clarity, the very complex context for education and the huge agenda faced by schools. It gave enough history for us educators to understand how we got into this educational situation and enough inspiration and guidance to help us prioritise, refocus and manage things better for our children and our communities. I liked the book being crammed with page after page of things I'd wanted to have explained and reminders of why we are all trying so hard to get -˜it' right. I felt reassured that I could have this book on my desk as a constant source to tap into, for clarity; reflection and deeper thinking. It is helpful to have chapters focussed on crucial things like pedagogy and curriculum, aspiration and assessment. It worked well for me that each section concluded with What could we do/What might be done? - clear next steps which we can all consider and/or act upon. I have pulled out key messages to help clarify our strategic thinking, as a school (when I'm given the go ahead to share content) and have clung onto -˜innovate with integrity' and -˜learning which is irresistable'. The book has highlighted some key questions I need to ask of myself as a leader, of our team within school and of the parents and children. I think that this book will become invaluable to senior leaders within education and could go alot further to raising standards than Ofsted Inspections, testing systems or political grand speeches will! 

I feel very privileged to have been asked to read the book and even more privileged (though not surprised) that Mick is willing to share so much with us all.
To conclude - What could Mick do next? Find a structure to update schools leaders and teachers with filtered information to help us prioritise, a way to help us feel informed but not overloaded with information and political claptrap. Press for a National Council for Schooling. Pat himself on the back (for once) and know that he has provided us with something practical and tangible that WILL make a difference to education in our schools.