TS-9.3

AreYouWatching? (VincentRalph,Penguin,£7.99) Today, social media is one of the largest stages in the world, withmillions of users showcasing their lives for nearly all to see. But Jessica Simmons isn’t looking for likes or follows – she’s looking for justice. After her mother is claimed as the first victim of a serial killer dubbed ‘The Magpie Man,’Jessica and her father are left to grieve for 10 years – until an opportunity to find the killer presents itself via an online reality show called The Eye , which follows the lives of young adults who once experienced a tragic event. Seeing it as a chance to bring a forgotten murderer back into the limelight,Jessica hatches a plan to catch the elusive monster... I love how Ralph presents Jessica’s character arc, as she progresses from revenge- driven to accepting, once she reconciles with an old friend – and eventually finds that she still has her own life to live. Heartbreaking, emotional and yet hopeful.A truly powerful story. EducationExposed (SamuelStrickland,JohnCatt,£10) Starting out as a history teacher,Samual Strickland’s career has subsequently covered an impressive variety of positions and settings,ranging fromassistant head overseeing a sixth form,to being a lead facilitator for NPQSL and latterly principal of a large through school. Education Exposed sees himuse this vantage point to set out his thinking across a series of perennial school improvement hotspots, including behaviour (persistent low level defiance is‘Kryptonite to a classroom’),curriculum development (‘subject knowledge is king’) and classroomapproaches (‘Learning objectives waste time’).Strickland is forthright about his bugbears – chiefly the lionisation of‘entertaining’pedagogy and prioritisation of results above all else – but discusses them in an open and engaging way,as part of a clear-eyed and non- didactic diagnosis of where schoolsmight be getting things wrong,and how they might go about putting them right. The chapters of EducationExposed all begin with a list ofmisconceptions –whichdidyou feel weremost important to address? For a good 10 to 15 years,the profession has been plagued by,dare I say it,an Ofsted framework that has favoured subject teachers who behave inmany regards as ‘entertainers’.One big thing I wanted to do was unpack this idea of‘entertaining children’– I thinkwe’ve unwittingly debased the curriculumand the value of subject knowledge within the profession.I also wanted to stress the importance of being strategic,ordered and structured around behaviour,which seems to be woefully lacking inmany schools. What’s themost constructive or helpful advice you’ve received yourself over the course of your career? The teacher training I received fromChristine Counsell some 20 years ago was focused around expert subject knowledge and developing a world class curriculum,and it’s stuckwithme ever since. More recently,there was TomBennett’s behaviour report for the DfE,where he examined around 300 key case studies, identified those schools that were exemplary in terms of behaviour and looked at what they do.It’s an incredibly simple approach, yet themore simple and senior leadership- led behaviour is,the stronger a school’s culture tends to be. The book is about defining what effective schools do – but what strategies or approaches would you say are actively damaging? ‘Damaging’is standing up in front of your staffing body and saying ‘We’re doingX for Ofsted because theywant it.’ Whether you realise it or not,you’re demonstrating your willingness to do something not because you believe in it,but because you feel you’re being told to,and therefore should.That won’t encourage collective buy-in.I also think that the very data-driven approach we’ve seen across the profession since about 2010/11 – flightpaths,GCSE grading criteria inY7,expectations to produce spreadsheets showing that learning is linear when it’s not – has certainly tarnished and damaged the profession. You generally avoid bringing up Ofsted in the book – whywas that? It’s unlikely,but Ofsted’s framework could change again at the drop of a hat.We need to consider approaches we can adopt that will stand the test of time.Plus,I didn’t just want it to read as an‘Ofsted narrative’... THE WORD Find out what our regular student reviewer,Oliver Minter-King (Y11) has been reading thismonth… Meet the author SAMUEL STRICKLAND YesYouCan (NatashaDevon,Macmillan,£9.99) At the time ofwriting,shortlyafterthe cancellation ofthis year’s GCSE exams, this guide for students on howto‘aceyour examswithout losingyourmind’is being publishedwith distinctlyunfortunate timing. Assuming for nowthat normal servicewill resume next year,itswealth of practical revision tips,chattyauthorial voice andbold presentation shouldprove just as helpful in 2021.Aseasonedmental health campaigner, Devon devotes asmuch space in the book towellbeing activities,exercise ideas and even recipes as she does to studytips. What could have ended up as a collection of well-intentionedbut jumbled advice instead comes across as a coherent whole,thanks to some smart structuring and attractive page layouts that should give readers plenty of friendlyadvice theycan dip in and out of, without overwhelming them.Also of note are the latter chapters,which address the aftermath of exams and navigating those post-school next steps. teachwire.net/secondary B O O K R E V I E WS 51