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Head Trauma: The Bruising Diary of a Headteacher
Welcome to the world of polyester suits, well-polished shoes, endless marking and a stream of embarrassing moments at the coalface of the classroom.
Follow Nick Smith as he charts his journey from trainee teacher to inspiring head. Now, thirty years on, Nick has seen – and heard – it all, and in this book, he shares extraordinary stories from his time in the education system. Follow Nick from his early trainee years, as he faces a daily battle to make it home without having his classroom set on fire (yes, really) and watch as he climbs the greasy pole to headship, navigating everything from Ofsted visits to mission statements, parents’ evenings and much more.
At turns heart-breaking and hilarious, Head Trauma is a rousing call to arms for parents, teachers and pupils alike. Above all else, this is the story of the students that kept Nick returning to the school gates every the brave, the bolshie and the downright determined kids who helped shape him into the headteacher he went on to become.
‘As I began my teacher training, little did I know of what awaited me. Almost three decades and seven schools later, I am head of a state secondary school. On the wall in my office is a children’s toy, a plastic monster’s head which, if pressed, emits a pre-recorded ‘It beggars belief!’. I press the monster whenever I, pupils, parents, staff, or the Department for Education do something that is notable, ludicrous, odd, bewildering or unreasonable. It is pressed so often that I am forever having to replace the batteries.’
Follow Nick Smith as he charts his journey from trainee teacher to inspiring head. Now, thirty years on, Nick has seen – and heard – it all, and in this book, he shares extraordinary stories from his time in the education system. Follow Nick from his early trainee years, as he faces a daily battle to make it home without having his classroom set on fire (yes, really) and watch as he climbs the greasy pole to headship, navigating everything from Ofsted visits to mission statements, parents’ evenings and much more.
At turns heart-breaking and hilarious, Head Trauma is a rousing call to arms for parents, teachers and pupils alike. Above all else, this is the story of the students that kept Nick returning to the school gates every the brave, the bolshie and the downright determined kids who helped shape him into the headteacher he went on to become.
‘As I began my teacher training, little did I know of what awaited me. Almost three decades and seven schools later, I am head of a state secondary school. On the wall in my office is a children’s toy, a plastic monster’s head which, if pressed, emits a pre-recorded ‘It beggars belief!’. I press the monster whenever I, pupils, parents, staff, or the Department for Education do something that is notable, ludicrous, odd, bewildering or unreasonable. It is pressed so often that I am forever having to replace the batteries.’
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 18, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
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March 15, 2023A headteacher's diary. I read this hoping for a bit of insight (I'm a school governor) and got it in spades. It's a very good read, with some laugh out loud moments, and it's genuinely inspiring in a lot of ways--both the pupil stories and Smith's obvious decency and dedication which is on the nose the character of our own Head: he could have written this book. There is clearly a type of person who can do this amazingly hard and demanding job, from which I would run away at high speed, and it's criminal we don't reward them as they deserve.
Re the pupil stories, this is not one of those awful exploitative books like that horrible racist woman who keeps being all over Twitter: what comes across is how much he appreciates the kids and their individuality and potential (not in a cheesy way, he readily admits how exasperating to destructive they can be).
What is also unmissable is the level of damage done by the last 13 years of relentless government cuts that are driving schools and teachers into the ground, and by the endless changing barely comprehensible government 'guidance' made up by politicians who know nothing about education but won't let that stop them in their 18 months as Education Sec, and by Ofsted and their hugely damaging 'inspection' regime. Every word of this rings true to my experience. Teachers deserve far better than the way they're treated by the government. So do kids.
An excellent read.
Re the pupil stories, this is not one of those awful exploitative books like that horrible racist woman who keeps being all over Twitter: what comes across is how much he appreciates the kids and their individuality and potential (not in a cheesy way, he readily admits how exasperating to destructive they can be).
What is also unmissable is the level of damage done by the last 13 years of relentless government cuts that are driving schools and teachers into the ground, and by the endless changing barely comprehensible government 'guidance' made up by politicians who know nothing about education but won't let that stop them in their 18 months as Education Sec, and by Ofsted and their hugely damaging 'inspection' regime. Every word of this rings true to my experience. Teachers deserve far better than the way they're treated by the government. So do kids.
An excellent read.
August 14, 2022
Thank you to Lovebookstours and Hachette for this ARC to read and review. I really enjoyed 'Head Trauma' which is an Autobiography of Dr Nick Smith getting into the teaching career, some of his funniest students and experiences he had with them and then his path to becoming a headteacher. I found this book inspiring as I wanted to become a teacher when I was younger and we can see how challenging it is but also the rewarding nature of the job as well. This book also highlights the UK's teaching standards and also Dr Smith's views on the government too. It really brought to light the importance of looking after the younger generation's mental and physical health, which is more important now than ever with the internal and external pressures we face. It was witty, sarcastic, fun and real and I really enjoyed this book, which is out of my usual comfort zone!
September 5, 2022
This is an autobiography that definitely opens your eyes to the life of a head teacher and his path to get there. This is not a book that is just full of completely serious moments , there is plenty of funny and witty moments which gives it a nice lighthearted feel.
It certainly feels like the kind of book you should read if teaching is something you are wanting to get into, there is so much to learn from all the turns his career took and how eye opening it is regarding how children's physical and mental health can be dealt with in the school environment.
A truly great read, very inspirational!
It certainly feels like the kind of book you should read if teaching is something you are wanting to get into, there is so much to learn from all the turns his career took and how eye opening it is regarding how children's physical and mental health can be dealt with in the school environment.
A truly great read, very inspirational!
September 13, 2022
It may or may not be a shock to know that I was always in the head teachers or deputy head teachers office at school, except for in English class, and sadly not because he appreciated my talented wit and theatrical timing but because that was disruptive and not conducive to learning - who knew, however I didn't think about it from their point of view and this book definitely made me reflect on that. I did, however, have an amazing deputy head - 1 out of 3 isn't bad who understood me and enabled me to be myself whilst also making me tow the line in his unique way and Nick Smith reminds me very much of the wonderful Mr Daniels.
This book made me laugh, made me cry, made me reflect and made me mostalgic and reading about his journey all the way from his training up to when he retired was fantastic. It was also good to read about the challenges that teaching staff have faced over the years, as again this isn't something you really hear much of.
I loved it.
This book made me laugh, made me cry, made me reflect and made me mostalgic and reading about his journey all the way from his training up to when he retired was fantastic. It was also good to read about the challenges that teaching staff have faced over the years, as again this isn't something you really hear much of.
I loved it.
September 7, 2022
Head Trauma follows the career of Dr Nick Smith, from leaving medicine and going into teaching, to working his way up to Head Teacher.
I enjoyed the style of the book where it is written like a diary. Nick tells of his trainee teacher days and the learning curve he had to embark on to progress his career. We have funny and emotional stories about some of the pupils he comes across and how they helped shape him. He also talks about the education system and the challenges faced by teachers.
It is witty, sarcastic and sad in parts. One thing I took from this was that in the current times how important it is to take care of our young people's mental and physical well-being.
I enjoyed the style of the book where it is written like a diary. Nick tells of his trainee teacher days and the learning curve he had to embark on to progress his career. We have funny and emotional stories about some of the pupils he comes across and how they helped shape him. He also talks about the education system and the challenges faced by teachers.
It is witty, sarcastic and sad in parts. One thing I took from this was that in the current times how important it is to take care of our young people's mental and physical well-being.
September 9, 2022
A really good read with really thorough coverage of what it’s like to be a headmaster and how Nick worked his way up to be one. He shows the good sides, the stressful sides, his successes and also reflects on situations where he realises he could have and probably should have handled things differently.
I was worried this would be a purely educational, informative read. Although it is in areas, there are also other areas that are pure stories of experiences with students and other employees in the educational field. I found myself laughing a lot and I also felt a lump in my throat other times. The fact that this book really does cover so many aspects of Nick’s experiences and the heavier subjects are broken up with lighter ones makes the heavier areas easier to take in. Nick manages to keep you engaged with his way with words. He’s constantly adding humour to his writing, although he also knows the right times to hold back on the humour.
I personally enjoyed Nick’s earlier days in education most. I loved following the interviews where everything would go wrong. This was also where Nick had potentially more inner learning to do and didn’t navigate all situations as seamlessly as he should have. It led to some regrets and some heartbreaking stories. I think it’s important to see this side though, to realise we’re all human.
Thank you to Love Books Tours, O'Mara Books and Nick Smith for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was worried this would be a purely educational, informative read. Although it is in areas, there are also other areas that are pure stories of experiences with students and other employees in the educational field. I found myself laughing a lot and I also felt a lump in my throat other times. The fact that this book really does cover so many aspects of Nick’s experiences and the heavier subjects are broken up with lighter ones makes the heavier areas easier to take in. Nick manages to keep you engaged with his way with words. He’s constantly adding humour to his writing, although he also knows the right times to hold back on the humour.
I personally enjoyed Nick’s earlier days in education most. I loved following the interviews where everything would go wrong. This was also where Nick had potentially more inner learning to do and didn’t navigate all situations as seamlessly as he should have. It led to some regrets and some heartbreaking stories. I think it’s important to see this side though, to realise we’re all human.
Thank you to Love Books Tours, O'Mara Books and Nick Smith for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 28, 2023
Having read other autobiographies from head teachers, I was excited to look into reading this one, and it did not disappoint. The insights were incredibly honest - if shocking at times - as well as being intensely funny, as other reviews have said, this book was truly eye opening and contributes a lot to the discussion surrounding modern day education. It was easy to read throughout and was easy to follow, aimed well at all audiences without going into a ton of jargon. There were good take aways and life lessons included in this book that I think we could all learn from regardless of whether we were teaching or not. It was a well balanced and indeed well paced book as the balance between humour and heartbreak was good and didn't lean too heavily to one side or the other. If there was one thing I wished had been different then it would be that there had been more of a conversation created around being a head teacher during COVID19 - as while discussed, there could have been more depth. Overall this was really good and there were no obvious red flags within any section (woohoo!) but I really did not like the format on kindle as the chapters weren't broken up well and everything blended into each other but that is more of a personal preference than anything else.
September 9, 2022
I really enjoy these insights into professions and luckily for me there seems to be more and more of them published over the last few years.
I really enjoy the funny moments involving pupils and their families but there are also heartfelt moments aplenty.
Nick tells tales of his time through teacher training to his retirement spanning a period of 30 years. He has seen changes aplenty from Government, technology and attitudes and he details all of these in a witty and clever way.
He made me reflect on my own secondary school head teacher who unfortunately passed away a few years ago. He shared many qualities with him and I look back on my time at school with fond memories of the teaching staff.
The teaching profession clearly needs more Nick's in it. I hope you can enjoy a happy retirement Nick, you undoubtedly deserve it!
I really enjoy the funny moments involving pupils and their families but there are also heartfelt moments aplenty.
Nick tells tales of his time through teacher training to his retirement spanning a period of 30 years. He has seen changes aplenty from Government, technology and attitudes and he details all of these in a witty and clever way.
He made me reflect on my own secondary school head teacher who unfortunately passed away a few years ago. He shared many qualities with him and I look back on my time at school with fond memories of the teaching staff.
The teaching profession clearly needs more Nick's in it. I hope you can enjoy a happy retirement Nick, you undoubtedly deserve it!
February 3, 2023
One of my dad's friends recommended this book, and I said I would give it a read.
Honestly, I don't think this book was intended for me, but I enjoyed it. It's serious with funny moments, full of anecdotes and insight. It's taught me a lot about school from a teacher's and headteacher's perspective.
This book would be handy for people wanting to become teachers or were teachers. It teaches you what to expect and the path Dr Nick took to being a headteacher.
Now the reason I said this book isn't for me... I have a terrible relationship with school and education; I won't go into it. But reading this reminded me of it and made me feel annoyed. It was nice to see Dr Nick's growth, and it made me hope that maybe some of the teachers I had could do the same.
Honestly, I don't think this book was intended for me, but I enjoyed it. It's serious with funny moments, full of anecdotes and insight. It's taught me a lot about school from a teacher's and headteacher's perspective.
This book would be handy for people wanting to become teachers or were teachers. It teaches you what to expect and the path Dr Nick took to being a headteacher.
Now the reason I said this book isn't for me... I have a terrible relationship with school and education; I won't go into it. But reading this reminded me of it and made me feel annoyed. It was nice to see Dr Nick's growth, and it made me hope that maybe some of the teachers I had could do the same.
October 4, 2022
I loved this book! It was funny, shocking, insightful, and touching in equal measures.
I struggled to put this down as I wanted to know what happened next on Nick's journey. The nearer I got to the end, the more I wished it could go on longer - I'm sure he has many more stories.
It made me reminisce about my own school days, the trouble we got up to, but also which teachers made an impact and helped shape who I am.
Overall I can't recommend this enough - with such positive messages throughout, it really was a heart-warming read.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from LoveBooksTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I struggled to put this down as I wanted to know what happened next on Nick's journey. The nearer I got to the end, the more I wished it could go on longer - I'm sure he has many more stories.
It made me reminisce about my own school days, the trouble we got up to, but also which teachers made an impact and helped shape who I am.
Overall I can't recommend this enough - with such positive messages throughout, it really was a heart-warming read.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from LoveBooksTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
March 17, 2023
I read this mostly because I came across a review in my feed and as usual I'm interested in any glimpse into school systems different than the one where I'm working. Also, I was hoping to expand my English vocabulary to talk all things school-related. Not having studied or worked in and. English-speaking country my vocabulary in this domain has some weird gaps. I definitely got what I was looking for; plus this was a surprisingly pleasant and entertaining read despite not being the intended audience/reader. Also, I can't quite make up my mind whether it's weirdly comforting or plainly maddening to see that many problems schools face are the same over there as well. Sigh.
August 21, 2022
This wasn’t what I expected, I was looking forward to something a bit more comical, however, I did find the book quite interesting in parts and I especially liked how it highlights the importance of looking after our younger generation.
The author ‘Nick Smith’ began his career as a doctor and then decided to switch his career to teaching, the book documents his journey right up to the point of him becoming a headteacher. There is lots of talk about the pressures involved in teaching and also the rewards that come from teaching.
Definitely worth a read!
4 stars!
The author ‘Nick Smith’ began his career as a doctor and then decided to switch his career to teaching, the book documents his journey right up to the point of him becoming a headteacher. There is lots of talk about the pressures involved in teaching and also the rewards that come from teaching.
Definitely worth a read!
4 stars!
April 24, 2024
It's hard to explain the pull books about teaching have on me.
As much as I grew up with them, experienced them myself, and hear them from friends and family, I still want to hear these types of stories from others.
Maybe I want to see if they have more success? Maybe I'm reading to find hope? Could be that I want to know I wasn't alone in the experiences I've had.
No matter the reason, this book was a great insight into what teachers all around the world deal with.
10/10 and highly recommend.
As much as I grew up with them, experienced them myself, and hear them from friends and family, I still want to hear these types of stories from others.
Maybe I want to see if they have more success? Maybe I'm reading to find hope? Could be that I want to know I wasn't alone in the experiences I've had.
No matter the reason, this book was a great insight into what teachers all around the world deal with.
10/10 and highly recommend.
April 9, 2023
A fine addition to the Professional Memoir shelf (cf Adam Kay), with love for the profession and its transformative nature, as well as scorn for Ofsted (ban it) and errant kids (persevere with them). A love letter to Devon, although I wish I'd heard more about Dr Smith's wife's job. I hope he enjoys his retirement.
October 25, 2023
Took me back to my TA training and school governor roles (and why I moved to health care, ironic if you've read this, but equally I'm in mental health so this book is partially why) . Very well put together and very informative around today's education system in the UK.
June 4, 2024
Mixed feelings about this one. Although there are attempts to be funny and self-deprecating you get the sense that actually the guy is a bit of a figjam.
The sad part is the cuts in the education department and the way that facilities and children suffer.
The sad part is the cuts in the education department and the way that facilities and children suffer.
November 5, 2024
Honest, heartwarming and funny
I absolutely loved this book. I'm a TA in secondary and could relate to plenty of the subject matter and terminology. I found Nick Smith insightful and reflective. I'd recommend to anyone who works in education.
I absolutely loved this book. I'm a TA in secondary and could relate to plenty of the subject matter and terminology. I found Nick Smith insightful and reflective. I'd recommend to anyone who works in education.
September 30, 2023
Very good and very funny. His words and stories rang true. An enjoyable glimpse into the trials, tribulations, and successes of a Head Teacher.
March 1, 2023
Recommended reading for all who think teaching is an easy life!
With barely a grumble between the covers and plenty of humour, Headteacher Nick Smith reveals through a series of incidents over his long career, how it is possible for several hundred diverse pupils and a unique range of teaching personalities to come together daily, harmoniously engaging in the intellectual and moral development of young people and a fulfilling career for all those who work in the school community.
Five stars without a doubt!
With barely a grumble between the covers and plenty of humour, Headteacher Nick Smith reveals through a series of incidents over his long career, how it is possible for several hundred diverse pupils and a unique range of teaching personalities to come together daily, harmoniously engaging in the intellectual and moral development of young people and a fulfilling career for all those who work in the school community.
Five stars without a doubt!
May 8, 2023
This was an interesting biography of Nick's career from a teacher to a headteacher.
Very funny throughout which I really enjoyed. Some highs and lows but overall I really enjoyed this.
Very funny throughout which I really enjoyed. Some highs and lows but overall I really enjoyed this.
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