What do you think?
Rate this book
No Excuses: Turning around one of Britain's toughest schools
"Eye-popping" – Sunday Times
"Brilliant" – Iain Dale
***
An unputdownable true account of how a tenacious head teacher led one of the most challenging schools in the country to excellence.
No Excuses charts an extraordinary principal's journey from the moment she took over at a failing secondary school in a deprived area, where less than a quarter of children attained five or more A*–C GCSEs, and how she set about the gruelling task of transforming its reputation using her zero-tolerance, tough-love approach.
Armed only with a wicked sense of humour, fearless energy and a powerful vision, Alison Colwell put in place a stringent set of rules, including a strict uniform policy and a complete ban on mobile phones, provoking resistance and hostility from some parents, the wider community and on social media.
This is the darkly funny, moving story of how, together, teachers and their – often troubled – pupils rebuilt a school and community, with an inspirational head at the helm.
Charming, touching and full of brilliant leadership advice, this is the diary of the woman the Daily Mail labelled Britain's strictest head teacher.
"Brilliant" – Iain Dale
***
An unputdownable true account of how a tenacious head teacher led one of the most challenging schools in the country to excellence.
No Excuses charts an extraordinary principal's journey from the moment she took over at a failing secondary school in a deprived area, where less than a quarter of children attained five or more A*–C GCSEs, and how she set about the gruelling task of transforming its reputation using her zero-tolerance, tough-love approach.
Armed only with a wicked sense of humour, fearless energy and a powerful vision, Alison Colwell put in place a stringent set of rules, including a strict uniform policy and a complete ban on mobile phones, provoking resistance and hostility from some parents, the wider community and on social media.
This is the darkly funny, moving story of how, together, teachers and their – often troubled – pupils rebuilt a school and community, with an inspirational head at the helm.
Charming, touching and full of brilliant leadership advice, this is the diary of the woman the Daily Mail labelled Britain's strictest head teacher.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 24, 2022
9 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 23, 2023
Very mixed feelings about this and wasn't sure how to review it.
It is a very personal (though anonymised) telling of one school and one headteacher's journey from being a struggling school to a thriving one. It is written very informally in a diary entry type format.
I enjoyed a lot of the insight, particularly when Alison was at her most passionate about education. A lot of the snippets were relatable and moving. Sometimes they were terribly bleak, sometimes uplifting. It really captured a lot of the experience of working in a school in a 'challenging' area.
I could feel the strong moral fibre running through this book and through Alison's words and admire her strong belief that good education (and Parenting!) should be the right of every child.
Without any other context or knowledge other than what I read in this book, I also can see the immense good done in this school and how important it is to get it right. There is a lot to learn from her no nonsense but caring approach and I also love how clearly she valued her staff.
My issues were that sometimes some things she said rubbed me the wrong way slightly. While I completely understand where she is coming from and even agree to a certain point (that while ADHD etc does exist, we must also look at the parenting or lack of) it felt like she was close to being quite dismissive of SEND.
Additionally she said some odd things like how she doesn't support leftist ideas like "everyone wins prizes". Not sure what leftist ideology this is to be honest and seemed a bit odd to throw that in.
Also, while I completely understand the reasoning behind attendance incentives in schools with worryingly low attendance, I really struggled with the idea that all students get a 100% attendance badge in September and then have to give it back if they are ever off. This feels suspiciously like a punishment for being ill which, yes, does happen. People get sick. As well as being sick, people shouldn't have to also feel guilty about it. I jusr can't really get behind putting moral value on 100% attendance especially when often this is out of people's control.
Anyway there was other things but this is all I can remember.
It is a very personal (though anonymised) telling of one school and one headteacher's journey from being a struggling school to a thriving one. It is written very informally in a diary entry type format.
I enjoyed a lot of the insight, particularly when Alison was at her most passionate about education. A lot of the snippets were relatable and moving. Sometimes they were terribly bleak, sometimes uplifting. It really captured a lot of the experience of working in a school in a 'challenging' area.
I could feel the strong moral fibre running through this book and through Alison's words and admire her strong belief that good education (and Parenting!) should be the right of every child.
Without any other context or knowledge other than what I read in this book, I also can see the immense good done in this school and how important it is to get it right. There is a lot to learn from her no nonsense but caring approach and I also love how clearly she valued her staff.
My issues were that sometimes some things she said rubbed me the wrong way slightly. While I completely understand where she is coming from and even agree to a certain point (that while ADHD etc does exist, we must also look at the parenting or lack of) it felt like she was close to being quite dismissive of SEND.
Additionally she said some odd things like how she doesn't support leftist ideas like "everyone wins prizes". Not sure what leftist ideology this is to be honest and seemed a bit odd to throw that in.
Also, while I completely understand the reasoning behind attendance incentives in schools with worryingly low attendance, I really struggled with the idea that all students get a 100% attendance badge in September and then have to give it back if they are ever off. This feels suspiciously like a punishment for being ill which, yes, does happen. People get sick. As well as being sick, people shouldn't have to also feel guilty about it. I jusr can't really get behind putting moral value on 100% attendance especially when often this is out of people's control.
Anyway there was other things but this is all I can remember.
April 5, 2025
Teacher friends please read this book!! Such an important read!!
June 13, 2025
Took me a while to finish this.
Some interesting insights into teaching, and I took some advice from it for my own practise, but towards the end it felt very self congratulatory, with every other ‘entry’ being from a past student or teacher or parent praising the school.
Also some of her politics leaked through, which is expected when writing about your own life and education. However I didnt like a lot of her comments about SEN and attendance, and her use of non proper grammar to indicate moral wrongness.
Some interesting insights into teaching, and I took some advice from it for my own practise, but towards the end it felt very self congratulatory, with every other ‘entry’ being from a past student or teacher or parent praising the school.
Also some of her politics leaked through, which is expected when writing about your own life and education. However I didnt like a lot of her comments about SEN and attendance, and her use of non proper grammar to indicate moral wrongness.
April 30, 2023
hmmm not sure, started off well but felt a bit like “look how much everyone loved me”
June 18, 2023
In an effort to get myself reading more non-fiction, which typically takes me an age to read, I selected this book for my interest in education and having read similar style books such as This is Going to Hurt. This book took me less than a day to read, which shows you how much I enjoyed it, so let's get into why it is 4 stars and some parts that were hard to swallow and perhaps not for the reason you may expect if you have read other reviews.
What I liked:
This was a frank, open, honest, sometimes desperately sad while other times a sprinkle of humor was just what helped the medicine go down. It is a nothing held back insight into some of the UK's failing schools, a critique on the politicians and governments that have failed students and provides a moving level of honesty to the very difficult lives that teachers, staff and students deal with on a daily basis. The first couple of chapters were engaging, it was interesting hearing Colwell's take on the education system and what makes a good school - and like she points out, we have all seen the Educating Series so are familiar to some level with troubled schools - but this book puts it into a whole other perspective for readers.
I enjoyed the wit and humour that had me giggling at 2am, quite liked the comment about kebabs in Greece - and I'm unsurprised she needed such a big glass of *insert tipple of choice* when reading what some who didn't care enough thought. I also very much agreed with her commentary on 'outstanding' schools - which having attended one, I know to be true. The little quotes sprinkled in were also nice and it has helped me decide whether I want to go into teaching after years of toying with the idea.
Colwell defended her educational stance well throughout most of the book, and I could see how tough love was needed in many of these cases - it was a good balance of heartfelt tears, uplifting laughs, and honesty. The personal reach of this book is strong and you can very much imagine the people being described, it is truly gut wrenching at points if only because you have likely witnessed what is being described. It was incredibly moving and her passion was unmatched - again, making me want to go into teaching to be the good I want to see in the world.
Onto what I didn't like:
Like many of the other reviewers I found some points of the book draining, her honesty was refreshing but I struggled to understand what exactly her standpoint on mental health difficulties and educational difficulties in school was. It felt a bit back and forth at points but perhaps that's because I was reading fast as I wanted to know what happened. Like other readers I am slightly confused by the 'leftist ideology' of giving people prizes for anything, speaking as a sociologist and former political science student, I am unclear which part of the ideology she is referring to as I do not remember any such comment. Moreover, for those in society who have never been praised for anything, I do think providing prizes for the small achievements is a good stepping stone to building up the confidence of a child.
Overall thoughts:
Colwell is clearly a passionate, dedicated and devoted teacher who believes everyone should have a chance, I can imagine she is not popular with all kinds of teachers, but like she says, students remember the good teachers and the bad ones - and if her firm hand is what it takes to have a school full of good teachers, then I can understand her reasoning and practices. Her vision is noble and one that as I have said already, makes me want to go into teaching. Her not suffering fools gladly attitude is admirable and there were many points in the book that I wondered how on earth she had kept a straight face and level head. While I have said there were some unclear parts of the book to me, it does not take away from the overall impact of the book and it is clear that Colwell is a good author as well as a good teacher. I am glad she was able to leave a positive impact on the lives of the students at what was described as a 'challenging' school, and I can only hope that if she wishes to, she is able to have the same impact on more students who are in desperate need of her time and support.
What I liked:
This was a frank, open, honest, sometimes desperately sad while other times a sprinkle of humor was just what helped the medicine go down. It is a nothing held back insight into some of the UK's failing schools, a critique on the politicians and governments that have failed students and provides a moving level of honesty to the very difficult lives that teachers, staff and students deal with on a daily basis. The first couple of chapters were engaging, it was interesting hearing Colwell's take on the education system and what makes a good school - and like she points out, we have all seen the Educating Series so are familiar to some level with troubled schools - but this book puts it into a whole other perspective for readers.
I enjoyed the wit and humour that had me giggling at 2am, quite liked the comment about kebabs in Greece - and I'm unsurprised she needed such a big glass of *insert tipple of choice* when reading what some who didn't care enough thought. I also very much agreed with her commentary on 'outstanding' schools - which having attended one, I know to be true. The little quotes sprinkled in were also nice and it has helped me decide whether I want to go into teaching after years of toying with the idea.
Colwell defended her educational stance well throughout most of the book, and I could see how tough love was needed in many of these cases - it was a good balance of heartfelt tears, uplifting laughs, and honesty. The personal reach of this book is strong and you can very much imagine the people being described, it is truly gut wrenching at points if only because you have likely witnessed what is being described. It was incredibly moving and her passion was unmatched - again, making me want to go into teaching to be the good I want to see in the world.
Onto what I didn't like:
Like many of the other reviewers I found some points of the book draining, her honesty was refreshing but I struggled to understand what exactly her standpoint on mental health difficulties and educational difficulties in school was. It felt a bit back and forth at points but perhaps that's because I was reading fast as I wanted to know what happened. Like other readers I am slightly confused by the 'leftist ideology' of giving people prizes for anything, speaking as a sociologist and former political science student, I am unclear which part of the ideology she is referring to as I do not remember any such comment. Moreover, for those in society who have never been praised for anything, I do think providing prizes for the small achievements is a good stepping stone to building up the confidence of a child.
Overall thoughts:
Colwell is clearly a passionate, dedicated and devoted teacher who believes everyone should have a chance, I can imagine she is not popular with all kinds of teachers, but like she says, students remember the good teachers and the bad ones - and if her firm hand is what it takes to have a school full of good teachers, then I can understand her reasoning and practices. Her vision is noble and one that as I have said already, makes me want to go into teaching. Her not suffering fools gladly attitude is admirable and there were many points in the book that I wondered how on earth she had kept a straight face and level head. While I have said there were some unclear parts of the book to me, it does not take away from the overall impact of the book and it is clear that Colwell is a good author as well as a good teacher. I am glad she was able to leave a positive impact on the lives of the students at what was described as a 'challenging' school, and I can only hope that if she wishes to, she is able to have the same impact on more students who are in desperate need of her time and support.
July 24, 2025
The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice
I am in two minds about this book. On one hand, it is a great look at how high expectations and genuine love for children can bring both personal and academic achievement. On the other hand, Colwell's ego was dripping from every page and, while she seems to genuinely care about the children she is in charge of, an undercurrent of disdain permeated her words when discussing poor, underprivileged children and their families. There was something almost mean spirited about the way she would purposely misspell things parents had said or the way that she would describe them that made it feel as if we were supposed to be laughing at them along with Colwell rather than pitying them and their children for their unfortunate circumstances. It was also quite jarring for Colwell to jump from lamenting how the children in her school had never been to London let alone been abroad to then talking about how she takes at least two holidays a year and adding in details about the wine bars and expensive restaurants she would frequent.
I also had my issues with how Colwell approached the topic of SEND. While never talking about what kind of provision her school provided for SEND kids, she (on multiple occasions) spouted that ADHD and ODD are being used as an 'excuse' for poor parenting. While I'm sure there are parents who want to hide behind a diagnosis, this really isn't relevant to a child with a diagnosed disability. Their disability and diagnosed needs are not a subject of debate but rather a fact of law. Colwell goes on a long rant about how she doesn't 'in general' believe in ADHD because back in her day there were lots of different kinds of kids and the teacher just let the ones who needed to move around give out the books or scissors. I cannot overstate how harmful this is. For a head teacher, who has a statutory duty to protect the rights of disabled children, to almost entirely dismiss the needs of a great swathe of disabled children is shocking. Colwell does go on to say that there are 'probably' some kids that do have ADHD (probably - so diagnosis is not enough?) but not as many as "people like you would have us believe".
As someone who works with SEND kids, I can tell you that ADHD is very real and can be an extremely difficult and debilitating disability. These children have very real needs that their school has a duty to meet. In the same way that you wouldn't deny a wheelchair to someone who needed it, you cannot deny adjustments to children with ADHD.
Apart from denying the existence of certain SEND diagnoses, Colwell hardly speaks about what her school did to accommodate and meet the needs of their SEND students. This to me seems to indicate that the needs of these students were not being met (perhaps partially due to having a head teacher who denies the existence of certain disabilities) and these students were therefore failed by being lumped in with students who were seen as "naughty" or "defiant". If this is not the case, I see no reason that Colwell would leave such an important subject out of her book. I fear that she, like many other working in education, are sadly very dismissive of SEND and somehow believe that simply having "high standards" will somehow cure a SEND child of their disability. It will not. No more than having "high standards" can cure a physical disability.
Colwell also called ADHD a 'mental health issue' when it is in fact a neurodevelopmental disability. This kind of dismissive and ill-informed rhetoric is why so many disabled children are underserved and failed.
Overall, the book was not unenjoyable but the shocking approach to SEND made me really rethink my engagement with it.
I am in two minds about this book. On one hand, it is a great look at how high expectations and genuine love for children can bring both personal and academic achievement. On the other hand, Colwell's ego was dripping from every page and, while she seems to genuinely care about the children she is in charge of, an undercurrent of disdain permeated her words when discussing poor, underprivileged children and their families. There was something almost mean spirited about the way she would purposely misspell things parents had said or the way that she would describe them that made it feel as if we were supposed to be laughing at them along with Colwell rather than pitying them and their children for their unfortunate circumstances. It was also quite jarring for Colwell to jump from lamenting how the children in her school had never been to London let alone been abroad to then talking about how she takes at least two holidays a year and adding in details about the wine bars and expensive restaurants she would frequent.
I also had my issues with how Colwell approached the topic of SEND. While never talking about what kind of provision her school provided for SEND kids, she (on multiple occasions) spouted that ADHD and ODD are being used as an 'excuse' for poor parenting. While I'm sure there are parents who want to hide behind a diagnosis, this really isn't relevant to a child with a diagnosed disability. Their disability and diagnosed needs are not a subject of debate but rather a fact of law. Colwell goes on a long rant about how she doesn't 'in general' believe in ADHD because back in her day there were lots of different kinds of kids and the teacher just let the ones who needed to move around give out the books or scissors. I cannot overstate how harmful this is. For a head teacher, who has a statutory duty to protect the rights of disabled children, to almost entirely dismiss the needs of a great swathe of disabled children is shocking. Colwell does go on to say that there are 'probably' some kids that do have ADHD (probably - so diagnosis is not enough?) but not as many as "people like you would have us believe".
As someone who works with SEND kids, I can tell you that ADHD is very real and can be an extremely difficult and debilitating disability. These children have very real needs that their school has a duty to meet. In the same way that you wouldn't deny a wheelchair to someone who needed it, you cannot deny adjustments to children with ADHD.
Apart from denying the existence of certain SEND diagnoses, Colwell hardly speaks about what her school did to accommodate and meet the needs of their SEND students. This to me seems to indicate that the needs of these students were not being met (perhaps partially due to having a head teacher who denies the existence of certain disabilities) and these students were therefore failed by being lumped in with students who were seen as "naughty" or "defiant". If this is not the case, I see no reason that Colwell would leave such an important subject out of her book. I fear that she, like many other working in education, are sadly very dismissive of SEND and somehow believe that simply having "high standards" will somehow cure a SEND child of their disability. It will not. No more than having "high standards" can cure a physical disability.
Colwell also called ADHD a 'mental health issue' when it is in fact a neurodevelopmental disability. This kind of dismissive and ill-informed rhetoric is why so many disabled children are underserved and failed.
Overall, the book was not unenjoyable but the shocking approach to SEND made me really rethink my engagement with it.
January 7, 2023
An enjoyable book detailing the ups and downs of life in a tough secondary school. Reading it from the perspective of a school leader, I recognise much of the elation and many of the sources of deep frustration that accompany modern education. Alison comes across as a strong and resilient leader who doesn’t suffer fools gladly: no doubt she will be a divisive figure (not all educators will subscribe to her philosophy) but she certainly has a vision and plenty of drive.
March 1, 2024
Entertaining and interesting. Based on real life, but I’ve read an interview with the author where she admits she exaggerated/ made up some of it so I’m not sure how much to believe. Makes me realise how lucky I am to work in schools which, like hers, maintain consistently high standards of behaviour.
May 20, 2022
Written in the form of diary entries, this represents a story of ambition, principles and hope in the face of what most people would regard as unsurmountable odds.
Uplifting, funny and depressing in equal measure, but overall inspirational.
Uplifting, funny and depressing in equal measure, but overall inspirational.
June 7, 2025
An incredibly interesting and insightful read. Gives a better understanding into the shaping of children’s lives and their hardships as well as the teachers’. As I read the book, I was continuously rooting for the progress of the school
April 13, 2022
Although every event, every child, every member of staff was anonymised, I was able to recognise so many people. Reading Alison's book reminded me of how much I owed her.
April 18, 2022
See Instagram
August 7, 2022
I laughed, cried and found it far too relatable at times! Would recommend to teachers and even non-teachers, real insight into the goings on of schools and for me, how a failing school was turned around.
December 8, 2024
genuinely one of the best books i have ever read and one of very few that has made me cry. everyone should read this.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews