This third edition of the Head of Department's Pocketbook will support middle leaders in both primary and secondary schools in carrying out their jobs confidently and efficiently. Authors Brin Best and Will Thomas know from experience that managing diverse teams in a climate of inflated performance expectations is no easy task. They devote a section of the Pocketbook to leadership and management, encompassing vision, goals and creativity, as well as challenging adult behaviours, up-skilling, influencing and motivating colleagues. A later chapter called 'Raising Student Achievement' looks at excellence in the classroom and includes material on enriching and supporting learning, data use and lesson planning. Effective documentation and raising the profile of your department or curriculum area are also explored. Whether you're new to middle leadership or a seasoned hand, you'll find the self-evaluation checklist at the end of the book a useful professional development tool.

Teaching is a challenging and rewarding profession. If there's a downside, it's the workload: not properly managed it can lead to stress and related problems. If you feel you could be using time better - working less and enjoying life more - then this book offers some useful tips, tools and strategies for work-life balancing. Sections on stress, attitudes and habits, time management and looking after yourself lead to a helpful workload evaluation tool at the end of the book. Drawing on the experiences of real teachers in real schools, you sense that Will Thomas understands the pressures and challenges peculiar to the job and his common sense approach is welcome.

Today the myriad skills needed to be an amazing middle leader in schools can seem mind-boggling. What's more Middle Leaders are taking up the leadership reins after gaining experience for far fewer years than ever before.Whether you are new to this role or are more experienced and aspiring to become a school leader, this book will give you the vital information you need in order to understand what is really important about your role and how to improve your key skills.