This is not a book about the school system as a whole or how governments can help or hinder school improvement. It is a book about supporting and inspiring leaders and teachers to help schools achieve ever greater success.

By combining their extensive experience and knowledge of leading and improving schools, Tim Brighouse and David Woods deliver an authoritative and up-to-date overview of the principles of school improvement detailing the wide range of information, ideas and practices schools need to understand in order to be the best they possibly can.

This comprehensive, dip-in A-Z guide introduces the characteristics, approaches and language of school improvement in 138 eclectic and engaging entries, including appreciative enquiry, literacy and student voice. The authors' unending supply of real school stories and experiences are the basis for the quotations, case studies and 'butterflies' (little ideas with big impact) that illustrate the entries and bring them to life.

The A-Z of School Improvement is essential reading for any school leader, teacher or governor serious about improving their school, or indeed any parent eager to understand the ways in which their children's schools can be improved.

David Woods was the Chief Education Adviser for London and Birmingham Schools and the London Challenge until 2011, as well as being the Principal National Challenge Adviser for England. He is currently an Education Consultant working with agencies such as the NCSL and OfSTED and is also a visiting professor of education at universities including the London Institute of Education.