Unbeaching The Whale

Schools are livelier and more humane places than they were a generation or two ago. But many things are going badly in the basics of school life - in 'behaviour', 'discipline', 'school refusal', 'bullying', 'engagement', 'mental health', 'wellbeing' - as well as in learning. Too many start behind and stay behind, then leave early, unhappy and ill-equipped. The standing and morale of teachers are at a low ebb. Repeated attempts at reform large and small, local and national, haven't worked; the 'education revolution' of the Rudd/Gillard years failed. And yet thinking and policy continue to be dominated by its language of 'performance' and 'accountability', its tests, MySchool, 'national approach', 'school reform agreements' and its stunted view of what schools can be. Unbeaching the Whale offers a more generous way of thinking about schools. It insists that they can and should deliver 12 safe, happy and worthwhile years, for everyone. It argues compellingly for a different kind of reform - of governance, of the 'sector' system, and above all of the daily work of students and teachers. Pungent, sober, inspiring, urgent, Unbeaching the Whale is that rare thing, a book about schooling that is lucid, jargon-free, challenging and gripping.