What do you think?
Rate this book
Headstrong: 11 Lessons of School Leadership
Drawing on 40 years of working in challenging schools, and a decade of leading some of the toughest schools in London, this book shows Heads, aspiring leaders, teachers and governors how to create vibrant centres of learning in our most broken communities. Headstrong will resonate with ambitious leaders beyond education. It consists of 11 chapters, each exploring one aspect of the challenge of leadership. "I've seen Sally Coates up close, shadowed her on the job for weeks on end, and she's something to behold. She's a phenomenon, sweeping through school corridors like a tornado, making improvements wherever she goes. It's not just her wealth of knowledge, but her sheer force of personality. If she'd gone into politics, I have no doubt she would have risen to the top. But she didn't. Thankfully, she became a headteacher and tens of thousands of schoolchildren have had their lives transformed as a result. If we could only clone her, we'd have the best public education system in the world." --Toby Young, founder of the West London Free School "Dame Sally Coates book is a must read for all those involved in improving standards in inner city schools - exceptionally readable." --Richard Garner, The Independent "The narrative of Headstrong is not just one of school improvement by an inspiring headteacher. Importantly it is a tale of the joy and fulfilment which the role brings." --Roy Blatchford, director of the National Education Trust About the Author Dame Sally Coates is currently named in Britain's 500 most influential people by Debrett's. She became principal of Burlington Danes Academy in London in 2008, when just 35% of students gained the national benchmark of five A*-C grades at GCSE. This figure now stands at nearly 80%, and the school has won national awards in recognition of this transformation. In 2013 she was made Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year's Honours List. In September 2014 Dame Sally joined United Learning, the largest chain of academies in England, as director of its southern academies. She regularly speaks at educational conferences in the UK and overseas and appears frequently on national news media discussing educational policy.
- GenresEducation
274 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 21, 2023
Perhaps it was when it was written, but I found it irrelevant for current educational climate post-Covid. I also found it poorly written and lacking in useful, actionable advice for leaders in a range of contexts. Only really makes reference to her experience of leadership in one particular school, and shows a total lack of empathy for staff or concern for their wellbeing. I didn't bother to finish the last few chapters.
February 19, 2021
A good read with plenty of practical advice. She seemed to become very self-indulgent towards the end and clearly overlooks the importance of work life balance and succession, nevertheless there are plenty golden nuggets to be had in these pages.
May 8, 2016
I read the sample on Kindle and had to buy the book because I could not believe what I was seeing. This is not a book in lessons of leadership but more a story of not very good management. I do believe that Sally (sorry Sally titles don't impress me, actions do) had the best interests of her students at heart but she seems to be completely unaware of the lasting impact of her actions. She does not talk much about her background or what makes her qualified to be asked to turn around a failing school. From what I can see, although she had been teaching for 40 years, her experience is very limited. She had only worked in two schools in London and it would appear from the length of her experience that she has never worked outside of a school.
There are many contradictions in this book and it would take another book to dissect it fully. She bandies about the term 'emotional intelligence' but does not apply it herself. She has no boundaries for herself or her staff and any good leader knows self-care is paramount. She is proud of the fact that teachers have to 'drag themselves in' - her words - rather than take time off when they are sick and calls them at all times in the evenings and weekends. She says a lot of her staff are young so perhaps they can cope with this kind of pressure but I get the impression that she has dismissed the wisdom and experience that an older teachers can bring.
Here is a woman who is so afraid to be vulnerable and let any cracks in her veneer show. As anyone knows bullies are insecure underneath and she openly admits that she wanted her staff and pupils to be a bit afraid of her. I don't know what happened in her early life to make her so hard on herself but she is now inflicting that on others. She is right about one thing though and that is headteachers have a disproportionate influence and the ethos and the culture of the school reflects on them which is why I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1. However she is blinded by her own definition of 'success' and cannot see this might mean different things to other people. I wonder who cuts her hair? Her lawyer? Her doctor? There is more to life than GCSEs and not everybody wants to go to Oxbridge, just look at their suicide rates.
I am concerned about the lasting damage she has created with her gung-ho attitude; to those teachers she told were 'inadequate' simply based on the hearsay of the senior team, to those children who did not conform to her view whose spirits she broke with her punitive measures (2 hours' detention after school on a Friday and 8 sides of lines and then only looking at the cause of their behaviour if they came back 4 or 5 times), to her young staff to whom she did not provide a good role model in self care and not least to her own children, who as teenagers need their mother at this time more than any other, while she was working 60 hours a week.
This is not a sustainable model as evidenced by the results which dipped sharply after she left the school. The education system needs heartstrong leaders, not headstrong ones. I sincerely hope she has retired and has moved a long way away so she cannot inflict any further damage. Read this book by all means to see in why education is in the state it is and then read Supporting the Emotional Work of School Leaders and take leadership lessons from that instead.
There are many contradictions in this book and it would take another book to dissect it fully. She bandies about the term 'emotional intelligence' but does not apply it herself. She has no boundaries for herself or her staff and any good leader knows self-care is paramount. She is proud of the fact that teachers have to 'drag themselves in' - her words - rather than take time off when they are sick and calls them at all times in the evenings and weekends. She says a lot of her staff are young so perhaps they can cope with this kind of pressure but I get the impression that she has dismissed the wisdom and experience that an older teachers can bring.
Here is a woman who is so afraid to be vulnerable and let any cracks in her veneer show. As anyone knows bullies are insecure underneath and she openly admits that she wanted her staff and pupils to be a bit afraid of her. I don't know what happened in her early life to make her so hard on herself but she is now inflicting that on others. She is right about one thing though and that is headteachers have a disproportionate influence and the ethos and the culture of the school reflects on them which is why I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1. However she is blinded by her own definition of 'success' and cannot see this might mean different things to other people. I wonder who cuts her hair? Her lawyer? Her doctor? There is more to life than GCSEs and not everybody wants to go to Oxbridge, just look at their suicide rates.
I am concerned about the lasting damage she has created with her gung-ho attitude; to those teachers she told were 'inadequate' simply based on the hearsay of the senior team, to those children who did not conform to her view whose spirits she broke with her punitive measures (2 hours' detention after school on a Friday and 8 sides of lines and then only looking at the cause of their behaviour if they came back 4 or 5 times), to her young staff to whom she did not provide a good role model in self care and not least to her own children, who as teenagers need their mother at this time more than any other, while she was working 60 hours a week.
This is not a sustainable model as evidenced by the results which dipped sharply after she left the school. The education system needs heartstrong leaders, not headstrong ones. I sincerely hope she has retired and has moved a long way away so she cannot inflict any further damage. Read this book by all means to see in why education is in the state it is and then read Supporting the Emotional Work of School Leaders and take leadership lessons from that instead.
April 7, 2015
Tails off a bit towards the end and a little bit repetitive in places but generally a very good read. Refreshingly honest about the challenges and pitfalls of school leadership. I liked the balance of practical suggestions and theory. Very accessible but not ground breaking.
May 31, 2016
Some excellent ideas. Very enjoyable
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews