Product reviews for Primary Heads

Bill Laar's book, Primary Heads, shines a bright light on the real life stories of eleven heads who have had transformational success as primary school leaders. Their stories are mapped against accepted qualities of leadership, revealing how successful heads significantly surpass these qualities. Laar tracks the teachers' journeys, tracing their beliefs back to childhood, revealing ways in which beliefs and early experiences are manifested in practice, and exploring how their practice has changed and transformed others. The stories are inspiring and complex, revealing the struggles and costs as well as the rewards of realising their visions. Examples of extraordinary practice are shared: we see teachers at their very best, functioning at the peak of their skill in spite of constraints, challenges and blocks. The book is an inspiration to any teacher questioning the value of their work, any enquirer wondering what -˜success' might look like in a primary school, and how it can be achieved; it is a mantra against the defeatist. Primary heads such as these answer our search for role models: they assure us that, whatever the onslaughts from the outside world, our education is in safe hands and that it is its best leaders and practitioners we should be listening to. This book, from an author with decades of insider experience, gives us the opportunity to do so.