Why do so few school improvement initiatives actually improve pupil outcomes? In this practical guide to implementing school improvement, Dr James Mannion argues that there are two main reasons. First, school leaders arent taught how to implement change effectively - and thats essentially their job. Second, there are many problems with top-down change - and top-down change is our default model.

Making Change Stick is a game-changing approach to improving pupil outcomes in real-world contexts. Through using a slice team to drive the process of implementing school improvement, you get much better decision-making - and you get buy-in like never before ...

The impact has been huge ... As a school, moving forward, everything we try to implement will be done using this method because weve found it so successful. So go for it!

Sarah OKelly, Deputy Head, Queen Elizabeth High School

Dr James Mannion is the Director of Rethinking Education, a teacher training organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children and young people through implementation and improvement science, learner effectiveness and practitioner inquiry. Before this, he worked as a science teacher and school leader for 12 years. James is also the host of the popular Rethinking Education podcast, which features long-form conversations about how we might bring about a more harmonious, less hair-raising state of world affairs.

A fabulous and unique book. Every school leader should have a copy. I loved it. -Steve Munby

Your no-nonsense companion for securing school change - steeped in evidence and packed with practical insight.

-Peps Mccrea

Its easy to be overwhelmed by books offering advice. If you read one this year, read this. It exudes practical wisdom.

-Sir Anthony Seldon

Packed full of sage advice, practical activities and relevant worked examples. -Rachel Macfarlane

A vital resource for making change not just possible but permanent. -John Hattie, Laureate Professor Emeritus, University of Melbourne

The impact has been huge. When we looked back and did backward design, we found that lots of things we want to implement have been tried before and failed. But by using a slice team and getting the message out to everybody, everyone having a voice has made a huge difference to us as a school. Now weve got buy-in, weve got the relationships, and weve also got a collaborative culture and consistency. I would definitely recommend Making Change Stick to other schools. It looks like its this big thing when you first see it, but as you work your way through, you make sure that you dont miss anything out and everything is done thoroughly and properly. As a school, moving forward, everything we try to implement will be done using this method because weve found it so successful. So go for it! -Sarah OKelly, Deputy Head, Queen Elizabeth High School

Having done this training with my whole senior management team, they all felt very energised and confident as well. And in our discussions since - its been two weeks now since we did the course - with three or four of my team, its been Well I know how I want to tackle this now, or were looking back on something we did last year and thinking Oh the bit we missed was this. The Making Change Stick programme has really highlighted to us what we have missed in the past, but its also given us real confidence that we now have very practical tools we can use to make implementation better in our school. So the main thing we got out of the programme was the motivation, the confidence, and the energy to really want to tackle the next project. And a sense that we know how to address the fears and concerns people have before you implement something new. People dont talk enough about the science of implementation, and equally the training is very scarce. And yet its such a key area of understanding for a school, or any institution if they are going to attempt change. Thats why this programme is so valuable - because its something were doing all the time, but weve never really been trained in it. -Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster, Trinity School

The Making Change Stick programme has really been the making of me as a leader. I had many thoughts about change management throughout my career, but rarely was I given the opportunity to actually be shown and guided through the process. Its something that I take with me now and apply to everything that I do. Not only have I managed to make that policy so much better, but Ive also developed the skill set to lead other changes through. And the really nice thing is that I have been able to coach other people in implementation science, so its having a wider impact on our school culture. I would recommend this training to any school thats thinking about implementing a serious change because it will certainly ensure that your change has real impact. But I would also recommend it for the positive impact it has on school culture and also developing leadership capacity in your school, which we know is so important and I think this is a key driver for developing leadership capacity in schools. -Elaine Long, Assistant Principal, UCL Academy

The slice team has been a transformative way for us of implementing change. Traditionally, an idea comes through a member of the Senior Leadership Team [SLT] whos probably been on a training course or theyve seen something at another school, and then they discuss it at SLT and then that gets rolled out in school. And you dont have the same buy-in that you have from a slice team. So weve got members of staff from SLT, middle leaders, experienced staff, NQTs, teaching assistants, governors, pupils - effectively, every stakeholder is covered. So everyones got a voice in that change and that... that makes buy-in across the school far more powerful. -Sean Thomas, Raising Standards Leader, Milford Haven School

The way that the programme is structured is really helpful. I would definitely recommend Making Change Stick to other schools. For me, the widest impact has been on involving the wider members of our school community, removing that idea of a top-down approach to change management and involving the whole community to ensure that change is lasting. -Cat Place, Headteacher, Jubilee Park Primary School

One of the most powerful parts of the programme for me was establishing a slice team, and really relying on the slice team to provide the data and information on the policy before you implement it. I think... as a senior leader that you have your assumptions about how staff are feeling or where people are at in terms of readiness for change, and it was so eye-opening to start off with that feedback from across the school community. I now cant see how you would implement change without using a slice team. I would definitely recommend [the Making Change Stick programme] for any middle or senior leader at any point in their career. The clarity of the framework is what really makes this programme stand out. It takes a complex process and breaks it down into a series of steps with some really usable models that really help you plan for change. -Kate Barry, Assistant Principal, UCL Academy