Making School Unmissable

Rachel Macfarlane is the Director of Education Services at Herts for Learning and has previously served as head teacher at three contrasting schools over a sixteen-year period. Between 2009 and 2018 Rachel was project director of the London Leadership Strategy's Going for Great (G4G) programme, which involved working with leaders of outstanding schools to share good practice and produce case studies for dissemination to London schools. Paul Jenkins has worked in education for over 25 years. Trained in English, Drama and Media Studies, he has taught a range of subjects up to A-level. As a leader, he worked as Head of VI Form, Deputy Head, Headteacher and Executive Headteacher. He currently works as an educational consultant for standards and curriculum. He has mentored and trained new headteachers and written articles and award-winning scripts for theatre and television.

Making School Unmissable confronts the uncomfortable truth that school is currently very missable for many young people. Unsurprisingly, as it's written by two authors with a combined seven decades of experience in schools, it is deeply practical about what leaders can do to make education as unmissable as it has been for those like me who have great memories of school. Rachel and Paul go far beyond platitudes about belonging, however, as they deftly grapple with the challenges of contemporary society and schooling. Children whose school leaders engage with this book will see their friends want to, rather than have to, come to school.Tim Coulson