Product reviews for A Head Full of Ethos

Armando Di-Finizio, from his vast and credible experience in secondary schools experiencing difficulties, has compiled an engaging and professionally astute insight into the shadowy world of failing schools. His forthright and genuinely open approach into the strategies that effectively address the challenges posed by staff, pupils and parents is evident throughout the text. His emphasis is on developing the consistent principles and essential ingredients to create a school ethos for effective, relevant and engaging teaching and learning. Readers with experience within the hard knock schools and colleges, bubbling over with poor leadership, behaviour and attitude problems, negatively driven groups of leaners with negative mindsets, high rates of pupil and staff absence lacking a coherent ethos, and so on, will be aware of the influence and power that a transformational leader can have. Armando, in common with other effective leaders of change (including football and rugby club managers), demonstrates a personal drive, insight and awareness of how to activate change, and the ability to motivate and enthuse others to ‘row in the same boat’.

Armando’s focus, within an engaging ‘no punches pulled’ text, is on four key areas: insightful leadership (including vision, purpose and direction), care (including positive relationships), belonging and inclusiveness. A number of heads of schools and colleges under pressure would benefit from the tips on how to make a lasting impression, listening to ‘your gut feeling’, and the importance of the first presentation. From his vast experience, he shares skills on how to promote influence, sell a vision, promote a culture for learning and positive relationships in terms of conflict, restorative approaches and generating the wider community buy in of change.  

This is an excellent guide to enable leaders to identify their current strengths and eradicate areas of weakness.  The author demonstrates strategies to promote consistency, sustainability and a positive culture for learning.