1st Edition
Education: The Rock and Roll Years A northern perspective on a lifetime of learning, teaching and leading
1. The Importance of Humour
2. Thoughts from the Womb
3. Born in the UK
4. Being a Geordie
5. Red Ellen
6. Proggy Mat Memories
7. Chalk and Tawse in the Infant School
8. Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam
9. The Playground
10. Cup Finals and Good Conduct
11. Sorting the Intelligent
12. A Weekly Morning of Madness
13. When Pathways Divide
14. I Don't Believe in Fairies
15. Childhood Bereavement
16. Extra-curricular Antics
17. Me and Maurice Chevalier
18. Teenagers
19. Youth Voice
20. College
21. The Sheep
22. Dublin the Importance of History
23. The Tale of the Pot
24. The Staffroom
25. The Thunderous Whisper in the Dinner Hall
26. Kahlil Kilbran - 1960s and Custody Battles
27. The Durham Dispute
28. Perls of Wisdom
29. Another Brick in the Wall
30. The Pastoral Head
31. Caretakers
32. Nutty Slack and TV
33. ROSLA: The Raising of the School Leaving Age
34. Party Games and the Disco
35. The Warnock Report
36. School Assemblies and NAPCE
37. Religion and Education
38. Technical and Vocational Education
39. Corporal Punishment
40. Vision and the Lead Pipe
41. Leave some Room for the Dance
42. Our Children are Priceless
43. The OFSTED Phenomenon
44. The Morning after a Terrible Night
45. Star Singer
46. Deming the Quality Guru
47. Deming meets Elsie
48. The Specialist Schools Movement
49. Transforming our School
50. Crossing the Great Divide
51. Playing the Percentages
52. School Development Planning
53. The Death of the Director
54. A Near-Death Experience
55. The Bradford Battleground
56. A Fresh Start
57. Further Education
58. Future-proofing our Schools
59. Developing a Regional Voice: Schools NorthEast
60. Young People’s Learning Agency
61. Cancer Care and Capability
62. Putting the ‘Fun’ into Funding
63. Northern Education
64. Rebalancing the System
65. The Art of Leaving
Biography
Les Walton has a unique record of being a successful leader, innovator and government advisor within the education sector, reflecting his unwavering commitment to improving teaching, learning and life chances for all pupils.
Education: the Rock and Roll Years' is visionary, practical, rebellious, idiosyncratic and beautifully idiomatic. Its strength is combining personal experience with key principles. This is an excellent piece of writing.
Professor Andy Hargreaves, Boston College and University of OttawaI loved this book: it’s honest, unpretentious and informative, just like its author. Anyone working with young people today should read, pause and consider the difference that could have been made to the life chances of several generations had the ideas, lessons and experience contained within these pages been absorbed into our nation’s educational bloodstream.
Lord David Puttnam, British film producer and educatorLes Walton is a remarkable man and in this book his personality comes shining through. We are treated to stories about Elsie and why she didn’t go to school and Jack the caretaker, who ruled the school like a rod of iron. But there are also stories about the big personalities who walked the corridors of power and the shifts in education policy over many decades. We read about dealing with the aftermath of riots, moving accounts of brushes with death and a careful analysis of systems thinking. Not only is the book full of compelling and humorous stories, it also has a poignancy and a depth of insight that only someone with Les’s unique career in education can capture. I loved it.
Steve Munby, former CEO, National College for School LeadershipI have known Les for many years and his knowledge and belief in the power of education has underpinned our relationship throughout this time. His strong sense of moral purpose comes across every time I hear him speak as well as in this well-crafted and comprehensive overview of an educational era that many of us have lived and breathed. The way that Les weaves anecdote and example of how real people responded to real challenge is what makes this book so fascinating. I loved it!
Sir David Carter, former Schools Commissioner for EnglandInsightful, entertaining and wise. This is a highly recommended read for anyone inspired by those, such as Les Walton, who have truly made a difference in education.
Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive of the Chartered College of TeachingLes is one of the most effective public servants I have ever worked with. He is a man of deep principle, fully committed to improving the educational opportunities of young people everywhere. He combines a formidable intellect with a very down-to earth style, which makes him immensely popular.
Sir David Bell, Vice Chancellor, University of Sunderland, and former Permanent Secretary and Chief HMILes has led an astonishing life in education – from head of Norham High School, which serves the deprived Meadow Well estate in North Shields, to a college principal, director of education in North Tyneside and Chair of the YPLA. This gives him a unique perspective on the English education system over half a century. This book is funny, clever and compelling. The personal stories of leadership are often heart-rending and also entirely relevant to our current social and political circumstances. For example, the riot which surrounded his school and the decisions that the leadership team took the day after to create a sanctuary for children. Part-anecdote and part-analysis, this book charts an extraordinary professional journey.
Leora Cruddas, CEO, Confederation of School TrustsLes has a unique perspective on the education system and a passion to shape it so that it delivers the best for every single child and young person. He is also a brilliant Chair, with a deep understanding of the dynamics of good governance and how to inspire board members to draw on their different experiences, listen to each other's perspective and through that to focus on their shared ambition to support the next.
Peter Lauener, former Chief Executive of the Young People's Learning Agency and the Education and Skills Funding AgencyLes is a giant in the education arena. He has continually strived to make the world of education and schools accessible to all. For many years he has been a powerful advocate for the voice of children and schools, particularly those who face social and economic hardship. ‘Education: the Rock and Roll Years’ is a great way for those of us in the world of business and commerce to gain a better insight into the world of education.
James Ramsbotham CBE, CEO of the North East Chambers of CommerceWhen first I met Les Walton, his clarity of purpose and talk of the need for integrity instantly made a deep impression on me. Les had been parachuted into the middle of an acrimonious education revolution taking place in my city. But he managed to cut through the conflict through sheer force of personality and clear thinking. He was one of the most impressive people I had ever met.
William Stewart. Editor, Times Educational Supplement NewsEducation: The Rock and Roll Years is a uniquely humorous and personal in-depth understanding and insight of the political and social influences on education since the birth of our modern education system.
Carl Ward, Executive Chair, Foundation for Education DevelopmentThe history of the changing shape of the education system in England and the North East needs to be told, and I can think of no one better placed to do it than Les Walton. Not only has been at the forefront of every education innovation of any worth, he is funny. He can tell a story with wisdom and humour.
Gill Alexander Chair of Newcastle Diocesan Board and Former CEO Hartlepool MBCLes Walton has done more than any other single person to promote high educational standards and high professional collaborative standards in schools and among educators in his beloved home region, the North East of England
David Pearmain, Founding Chair of Schools North EastI have worked with many impressive leaders in education, who, through their distinguished careers, have made a big impact. Les fits that bill, but he is one of the most interesting, because he is one of the few who have worked across all of education. That has given him a fascinating perspective which this book eloquently sets out.
David Hughes, CEO, Association of CollegesLes Walton is one of the leading thinkers and practitioners in developing corporate governance. He has a remarkable record across education, spanning every sector and every level. His stories of governance at school, FE College, multi-academy trust, regional and national level are fascinating: he makes governance entertaining, which is rare.
Emma Knights, CEO, National Governance Association
