Trevor Kerry, Visiting Professor at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has written two books exploring aspects of leadership in schools.
Making use of the extra time provided to him by the multiple COVID-19 related lockdowns, his intention was that the books should be intensely practical but, at the same time, a fun read. Additionally, it was his desire that they should be attitude changers, written in episodes to which the reader could return.
Stand Up and Be Counted
The first volume - Stand Up and Be Counted: Middle Leadership in Education Contexts - was born out of his long experience as a teacher, teacher trainer, and tutor in higher education leadership and management courses. It was inspired by a recent volume by the then Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Though the contexts and intentions are different, Trevor was attracted by the direct, no-nonsense style, and pragmatic though caring approach of the Major-General.
Ethics for Teachers and Middle Leaders
Trevor saw his second volume - Ethics for Teachers and Middle Leaders: A Practical Guide - as an inevitable follow-up. It deals with the ethical dilemmas that all teachers and leaders must face when making leadership decisions. This is an area where little (sometimes, no) training is given to beginning teachers, which few teachers encounter until they get into a testing situation, and which can be both stressful and even career-changing. It demonstrates how problem situations can be de-constructed to reveal a more informed approach to decision-making.
"Essential Reading"
The Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, BGU’s Vice Chancellor, wrote the cover endorsement for the Ethics title. He praised its ability to guide and inform readers:
“The book is essential reading for everyone involved in teaching and learning in the ever-changing complex world of education. The reader is guided to reflect on their own practice and by so doing is led on a journey of ethical discovery.”
Together, these two books form an invaluable foundation on which to build an expanding career in teaching.
Stand Up, meanwhile, has already begun to receive glowing reviews with one newspaper saying:
“One thing that makes this book stand out is its pragmatic, realistic approach…I particularly like (the author’s) reference to his own personal experience (and those of others) which brings the ideas presented to life.”
The paperback books are published by Routledge and available via bookshops or Amazon.
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Notes
Trevor spent eight years on the staff of the then Bishop Grosseteste College, having taught in London secondary schools. His subsequent career was very varied and included: research and development, a spell in further education, primary teaching including time as a SENCO, and academic teaching up to doctoral level