Making Change Stick: A Practical Guide to Implementing School Improvement

Making Change Stick by James Mannion is an essential read for anyone leading or contributing to school improvement. Published by Crown House Publishing, this practical guide cuts through the noise of educational reform and focuses on what actually works when schools try to change for the better. Whether you are a headteacher, senior leader, SENCO, or classroom teacher, this book gives you the tools to make improvement efforts last.

What This Book Is About

School improvement is notoriously difficult to sustain. Initiatives are launched with enthusiasm, only to fade when attention shifts elsewhere. James Mannion addresses this challenge head-on, offering a clear and honest account of why change so often fails and what leaders can do differently. Grounded in research and practical experience, the book moves beyond theory to give readers a workable framework for embedding lasting change in their schools.

Key themes include understanding the conditions that enable change, building staff buy-in, navigating resistance, and sustaining momentum over the long term. Mannion draws on a wide range of evidence from education research and change management to help school leaders make sense of the complexity they face every day.

For School Leaders and Teaching Staff

• Provides a research-informed framework for planning and implementing school improvement
• Explores why so many well-intentioned initiatives fail to stick and how to avoid common pitfalls
• Offers practical strategies for building staff commitment and overcoming resistance to change
• Suitable for individual reading, staff book clubs, or professional development programmes
• Relevant across all school phases: primary, secondary, and special schools

For Parents and Governors

• Provides valuable insight into how school improvement decisions are made and implemented
• Helps parents and governors understand the challenges school leaders face when driving change
• Useful background reading for anyone involved in a school governing body or parent forum

About the Author

James Mannion is an educator, researcher, and writer with extensive experience in school improvement and evidence-informed teaching. He is known for his work on oracy education and his contributions to the wider evidence-based education movement in the UK. Making Change Stick draws on his first-hand experience of leading and studying school improvement across a range of contexts.

Why Read This Book?

For any school professional who has watched a promising initiative wither on the vine, this book offers both comfort and practical direction. It is honest about the difficulty of change while remaining optimistic about what is possible when the right conditions are in place. Written in plain, accessible language, it respects the intelligence and experience of its readers without overwhelming them with jargon.

Stocked by The Dyslexia Shop, a specialist UK retailer committed to supporting learners and educators at every stage.

• Evidence-informed and practical: Combines research with real-world school experience to give leaders tools they can use immediately.
• Relevant across all school phases: Applicable to primary, secondary, and special school contexts, making it a versatile addition to any staffroom bookshelf.
• Tackles the hardest part of improvement: Focuses specifically on sustainability, the aspect of school improvement that most books and CPD programmes overlook.
• Accessible writing style: Written in plain English that respects the reader's time and expertise without sacrificing depth.
• Supplied by The Dyslexia Shop: A trusted UK specialist retailer supporting educators and learners since 2001.

About the Author

James Mannion is an educator, researcher, and writer based in the UK. He has extensive experience in evidence-informed teaching and school improvement, and is particularly well known for his research into oracy education. He co-authored Fear is the Mind Killer and has written and spoken widely on the challenges of educational change.

Delivery and Returns

This book is dispatched from The Dyslexia Shop's UK warehouse. Standard and express delivery options are available at checkout. Returns are accepted within 30 days of purchase in line with our standard returns policy. Please contact us if your order arrives damaged or incorrect.

• What is Making Change Stick about?
  Making Change Stick by James Mannion is a practical guide to implementing and sustaining school improvement. It explains why improvement initiatives so often fail to last and offers a research-informed framework for doing things differently. The book is aimed at headteachers, senior leaders, SENCOs, and classroom teachers working in primary, secondary, and special schools.
• Who is this book suitable for?
  This book is suitable for anyone involved in school leadership or improvement, including headteachers, deputy and assistant headteachers, SENCOs, middle leaders, and classroom teachers. It is also useful background reading for school governors and parents who want to understand how school improvement decisions are made and implemented.
• Is this book relevant to primary schools as well as secondary schools?
  Yes. The frameworks and principles in Making Change Stick are applicable across all school phases, including primary, secondary, and special schools. The book focuses on the underlying conditions that support sustainable change, which are relevant regardless of school type or size.
• How does this book help with school improvement planning?
  The book provides practical frameworks for planning and embedding change, with a particular focus on building staff commitment and sustaining momentum over time. It addresses common barriers to improvement and offers evidence-informed strategies for overcoming them. Many school leaders use it as part of their professional development or school development planning process.
• Can this book be used for staff professional development?
  Yes. Making Change Stick works well as an individual read or as part of a structured staff book club or professional development programme. Its accessible writing style and practical focus make it well suited to group discussion and collaborative reflection among teaching teams.
• Who is James Mannion?
  James Mannion is a UK-based educator, researcher, and writer with extensive experience in evidence-informed teaching and school improvement. He is known for his work on oracy education and is co-author of Fear is the Mind Killer. Making Change Stick draws on his first-hand experience of leading and studying school improvement across a range of settings.
• Is this book available in other formats?
  The version stocked by The Dyslexia Shop is the paperback edition (ISBN 9781398387485). For information about digital or e-book formats, please check with the publisher directly.
• How quickly will my order arrive?
  Orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse. Standard delivery typically takes 2 to 5 working days. Express delivery options are available at checkout. You will receive a dispatch confirmation email once your order has been sent.