No Excuses: Turning around one of Britain’s toughest schools

By: Alison Colwell

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Synopsis: “Anyone who cares about education – and especially those in charge of it – should read this brilliant book.” – 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 in diary form from the moment she took over at a failing secondary school in a deprived area of the country, 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.