School by Design: A Field Guide to Transforming Learning, Culture and Place

by Anne Knock

196 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2025

Reviews

[Phillip Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having worked for a few short years with Anne, it was really interesting to see how her thinking has developed. This book challenges us to re-imagine schooling. She focuses on 4 key elements that need to be considered if we are going to transform our current approach to schooling: learner experience, professional culture, management and systems and places, spaces and resources.
Her focus on the importance of leadership in transformation is spot on. She writes of “samepageness” I.e. the importance of all staff being together on the purpose and approach to learning and teaching. The metaphor of the theatre is great - backstage rehearsal and agreement and front stage performance where it all comes together. The idea of moving from classrooms to learning ecosystems is really challenging.
Many of us recognise that our industrial approach to education is no longer suitable for the world we now live in and a return to a more organic approach is necessary.
Anne provides not just theory but practical actions a school can take to make this transformation.