Product reviews for A Head Full of Ethos

Schools have always been complex organisations with a wide array of demands and needs. But our knowledge and understanding of educational and organisational processes means that there is a growing economy of ‘solutions’ and ‘products’ to help school leaders better meet those needs. However, in this honest and insightful account of school leadership over three decades working in challenging schools, Armando Di-Finizio demonstrates the importance of school ethos – the character and spirit of a school – to inform the decisions required to lead a successful school. 

A Head Full of Ethos will become essential reading for any established or aspiring head teacher. It complements the many ‘toolkits’ of school leadership that already exist by encouraging the reader to consider what kind of school ethos they hope to build. Armando argues that by developing a consistent set of values and principles across the school, this will help school leaders to prioritise decisions and make better and more complementary day-to-day decisions for their staff, pupils and wider community. He demonstrates that a clear vision and set of guiding principles is necessary to successfully navigate the wide array of policies, tools and interventions available to contemporary educationalists.

Throughout the book, Armando poses numerous questions to help direct the discussion and to encourage the reader to reflect on their own experiences. It carefully navigates the various interconnected ‘cogs’ that Armando believes have helped him produce a strong school ethos in all the challenging schools he has led. The result is a very engaging book that will not only be of great benefit to school leaders, but will also bring enormous benefits for our most vulnerable learners.