Drawing on 40 years of working in challenging schools, and a decade of leading some of the toughest schools in London, this book shows Heads, aspiring leaders, teachers and governors how to create vibrant centres of learning in our most broken communities. Headstrong will resonate with ambitious leaders beyond education. It consists of 11 chapters, each exploring one aspect of the challenge of leadership. "I've seen Sally Coates up close, shadowed her on the job for weeks on end, and she's something to behold. She's a phenomenon, sweeping through school corridors like a tornado, making improvements wherever she goes. It's not just her wealth of knowledge, but her sheer force of personality. If she'd gone into politics, I have no doubt she would have risen to the top. But she didn't. Thankfully, she became a headteacher and tens of thousands of schoolchildren have had their lives transformed as a result. If we could only clone her, we'd have the best public education system in the world." --Toby Young, founder of the West London Free School "Dame Sally Coates book is a must read for all those involved in improving standards in inner city schools - exceptionally readable." --Richard Garner, The Independent "The narrative of Headstrong is not just one of school improvement by an inspiring headteacher. Importantly it is a tale of the joy and fulfilment which the role brings." --Roy Blatchford, director of the National Education Trust About the Author Dame Sally Coates is currently named in Britain's 500 most influential people by Debrett's. She became principal of Burlington Danes Academy in London in 2008, when just 35% of students gained the national benchmark of five A*-C grades at GCSE. This figure now stands at nearly 80%, and the school has won national awards in recognition of this transformation. In 2013 she was made Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year's Honours List. In September 2014 Dame Sally joined United Learning, the largest chain of academies in England, as director of its southern academies. She regularly speaks at educational conferences in the UK and overseas and appears frequently on national news media discussing educational policy.