Product reviews for Unfinished Business

I feel very lucky to have been gifted Unfinished Business. It is an inspirational tribute to Tim Brighouse but perhaps more importantly, as part of his legacy, it is a clarion call to action. The range of contributors is impressive, from the great and the good, to the ‘ordinary’ who have just as much wisdom to share. There are contributions from friends and colleagues as well as those who never knew Tim but are inspired by his philosophy and genuine belief that education can do better.

I first heard of Tim Brighouse when I was a student teacher in the late 1970s. I confess his views meant nothing to me at that stage as I was idealistic, probably naive and blissfully unaware of what schools were really like, or how researchers and educationalists could support schools. I know now.

I have spent all my life since I was five years old in schools. As an HMI, I have inspected schools in every local authority in Scotland, and many more abroad. I share the book’s view that we can and must do better. There are many schools and teachers going the extra mile for children. There are schools where children blossom. There are inspirational headteachers who lead their schools with energy, vision, and compassion. The challenge however, is that not every school inspires and not every child has their needs fully met. The call to action is clear. Every learner matters and matters equally.

My thoughts having finished the book are that it confirms my own philosophy; that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs comes before Bloom’s Taxonomy. Whilst not making direct reference to either framework, the book strongly reinforces the idea that connection must always come before curriculum. Unless we meet children’s most basic needs, learning will be unlikely to succeed.

The range of issues the book identifies is huge, from accountability, governance and the use of data to breaking divides and placing joy at the heart of learning. The leadership section challenges school leaders to think differently and place humanity at the heart of their work.

The inclusion section is particularly poignant with very thought-provoking comments from key figures like Chris Kilkenny, a campaigner and activist working to end child poverty. Whilst the book offers, at times in harrowing detail, the impact of adverse childhood experiences and exclusion, it is ultimately a very hopeful book.

There is a wonderful short section called ‘Twenty things that teachers do.’ If only it were true – that all teachers ‘did’, then our schools would be better places to be nurtured, to thrive and to learn.

At its heart, this book has made me do three things: reflect, rethink and commit to doing better.

There is much unfinished business in education. Too many children are out of school, disengaged, marginalised, failing to achieve, stuck in the learning pit, unhappy or disillusioned. The book offers no snake oil solutions or silver bullets. There are none. However, it offers real rays of hope for those who are willing to think differently, to put children right at the heart of learning in schools. It helps us understand some of the important questions without necessarily, and simplistically, offering solutions. That is appropriate since solutions need to be tailored to each school’s unique context. Where the book succeeds is in showing what alternative structures and approaches might look like.

Unfinished Business is a book about hope while recognising that hope alone won’t change anything. It needs to be combined with action.

By being more like Tim, we can make some progress on that journey. For those of us who keep trying, this book offers renewed energy and optimism. We can and must do better. We can do this.