Recommended reading books for primary and secondary aged children in the UK
Welcome to our growing collection of books for teachers, school leaders and the wider education workforce. These focused reading lists cover classroom practice, behaviour, attendance, SEND, safeguarding, teaching and learning, curriculum development, teacher CPD, coaching, wellbeing, school leadership and school improvement. Each list is built around a practical professional question, role or challenge, so you can find useful books for individual reading, staff development, INSET, ECT support, coaching, NPQ study, governor development or whole-school planning.
The best professional reading is connected to a real need. Browse the latest book lists below, or look for a topic that matches your current priorities as a teacher, mentor, subject leader, SENCO, DSL, pastoral lead, headteacher, governor, trustee or MAT professional.
Find books on behaviour management, classroom routines and expectations, low-level disruption, positive recognition, de-escalation, restorative practice, relational approaches, trauma-informed teaching, attendance, emotionally based school avoidance, exclusions, reintegration and mobile-phone-free schools. These lists are useful for classroom teachers, ECTs, teaching assistants, pastoral teams, behaviour leads and senior leaders.
Explore books on adaptive teaching, SEND in mainstream schools, the graduated approach, reasonable adjustments, autism, ADHD and executive function, dyslexia-friendly teaching, speech and language needs, SEMH, sensory needs, EAL, disadvantage, pupil premium and inclusive school leadership. The collection includes practical reading for teachers, SENCOs, teaching assistants, inclusion leaders and school governors.
Find professional books for designated safeguarding leads and school staff on safeguarding culture, child-on-child abuse, harmful sexual behaviour, sexual harassment, misogyny, consent, healthy relationships, online safety, filtering and monitoring, exploitation, self-harm, suicide prevention, mental health and sensitive or controversial topics. Use current statutory guidance alongside any book when developing school policy or practice.
Browse teaching books on curriculum design and sequencing, whole-school curriculum change, subject leadership, literacy, disciplinary literacy, oracy, dialogic teaching, reading fluency, reading for pleasure, writing, vocabulary, formative assessment, feedback, cognitive science, metacognition, retrieval practice, questioning and pupil motivation. These lists are designed for classroom teachers, subject leaders, curriculum teams and instructional coaches.
Find books for trainee teachers, ECTs, mentors, induction tutors, instructional coaches and teachers planning their next step. Topics include evidence-informed teaching, reflective practice, practitioner inquiry, coaching conversations, effective teacher CPD, mentoring, career growth without moving into management, aspiring middle leadership, headship and leadership coaching.
Explore books for middle leaders, senior leaders, headteachers, governors, trustees, school business professionals and multi-academy trusts. The lists cover school improvement, implementation, school culture, difficult conversations, conflict resolution, managing underperformance, parent complaints, self-evaluation, inspection preparation, governance, trust leadership, recruitment, retention, workload, wellbeing, finance and strategic planning.
Find books on AI in education, responsible generative AI use, AI literacy, media literacy, misinformation, cyber security, data protection, digital technology, online harms and school AI strategy. These lists are intended to support thoughtful professional discussion, workload reduction, curriculum planning, governance and safe implementation.
These are professional books for adults working in education. Individual lists can be used for personal reading, department book groups, ECT induction, mentoring, instructional coaching, INSET follow-up, NPQ preparation, governor or trustee development and whole-school improvement planning. We aim to keep each list focused, practical and relevant to the role or problem it addresses, rather than presenting one undifferentiated list of education books.
Books can support professional learning, but they do not replace statutory guidance, school policies or specialist advice. For policy-sensitive topics, check the latest official information alongside the relevant book list.
There is no single best book for every teacher. The most useful choice depends on your role, phase, subject, experience and current priority. Our topic-specific lists explain what each book can contribute and help you compare practical, research-informed, relational and leadership-focused approaches.
Many of the lists are suitable for individual professional reading, department discussion, book groups, coaching, ECT development, NPQ study and structured CPD. School leaders should select books that match the school’s context and use current statutory guidance where relevant.
Yes. The hub is being developed for classroom teachers, ECTs, trainees, teaching assistants, mentors, SENCOs, DSLs, pastoral staff, subject and phase leaders, headteachers, governors, trustees, school business professionals and MAT teams.
The collection will grow as new topic-specific lists are published. Policy-sensitive subjects, including safeguarding, SEND, attendance, mobile phones, AI, curriculum and inspection, should be checked against current official guidance whenever the relevant page is reviewed.
Jo Boaler examines the beliefs and classroom practices that shape how children experience mathematics. Drawing on research, classroom examples and discussion of mathematical confidence, the book explores grouping, mistakes, attainment and mathematical identity. It is particularly useful for primary teachers, maths leads and school leaders interested in developing positive attitudes to mathematics and considering how classroom practice can encourage children to engage confidently with the subject.
Katrina Morley and Sean Harris approach disadvantage as a whole-school and organisational issue, exploring how leaders and staff can understand local context, identify barriers and examine the effects of school systems. The book is particularly relevant to teachers, pastoral teams, inclusion leads and senior leaders working on attendance, participation, belonging and educational inequality. Its reflective and strategic approach provides useful material for whole-school discussion and improvement planning.
Sue Cowley focuses on the everyday decisions that help teachers respond to different starting points, needs and levels of independence while maintaining coherent teaching. The book offers practical guidance on explanation, scaffolding, questioning, modelling and classroom organisation. It is particularly relevant to ECTs, mentors and colleagues reviewing inclusive teaching across a department or phase, with adaptive teaching presented as responsive planning and purposeful classroom practice.
Bennie Kara offers a concise and reflective introduction to diversity in school life, including race and ethnicity, disability, LGBT+ inclusion, neurodiversity and gender. The interactive format lends itself to individual professional learning, staff discussion and curriculum review, while the accessible language encourages readers to examine assumptions alongside policies and resources. It provides teachers and school teams with a manageable starting point for thoughtful conversations about diversity and inclusion.
Aisha Thomas explores anti-racist practice through curriculum choices, classroom language, representation, relationships and school culture. The practical and reflective approach gives individual teachers and staff teams useful material for examining racial bias and discussing how representation shapes pupils’ experiences of education. It is particularly useful for sustained professional learning, curriculum review and wider conversations about creating inclusive school environments.
This reference-style guide brings together practical suggestions for supporting children aged three to eleven whose behaviour or communication may be shaped by adversity, stress or disrupted relationships. The alphabetical structure makes it easy to consult when planning classroom responses or professional conversations. It is particularly relevant to primary teachers, teaching assistants, pastoral staff and safeguarding teams looking for accessible strategies and a shared language around trauma-informed support.
Neil Mercer makes the case for treating classroom talk as an important part of teaching and learning. The book explores dialogue, reasoning, classroom interaction and the ways pupils develop ideas through language. It is particularly relevant to teachers, literacy leads and school leaders considering how spoken language connects with reading, writing and participation, and provides a thoughtful basis for examining oracy across subjects.
Kate Jones brings together educational research, classroom examples and practical prompts for teachers working in primary and secondary settings. The book explores planning, memory, feedback, retrieval and classroom routines while maintaining an accessible approach for busy teachers. It works well for individual professional learning and as a source of discussion for departments or staff teams interested in connecting research with everyday teaching practice.
Tom Sherrington translates Rosenshine’s widely discussed principles into classroom examples involving modelling, checking understanding, guided practice and review. The clear structure gives ECTs an accessible introduction while providing experienced teachers and leaders with shared language for observation, planning and professional dialogue. The book is particularly useful for connecting ideas from cognitive science with practical classroom routines and instructional decisions.
Andy Tharby sets out six principles for improving the teaching of English, with particular attention to reading, writing, modelling and the sequencing of learning. The book connects broad teaching principles with subject-specific decisions, making it particularly useful for secondary English teachers and heads of department. Its practical focus provides useful material for planning, professional dialogue and reflection on how pupils develop as readers and writers.
Daisy Christodoulou examines educational technology through questions about assessment, cognitive science, workload and teacher decision-making. The book explores why some uses of technology are more educationally valuable than others and encourages schools to consider the teaching problems digital tools are intended to solve. It is particularly useful for teachers, digital leads and school leaders evaluating the role of technology in teaching, learning and assessment.
Adrian Bethune and Emma Kell explore teacher wellbeing through practical reflection, manageable routines and questions about workload, boundaries and professional culture. The concise format makes the book particularly accessible for individual reading, mentoring and staff discussion. It is especially relevant to ECTs, mentors, line managers and leaders interested in how everyday school structures, habits and relationships influence professional wellbeing.
John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley focus on the conditions that help teachers remain in the profession and do their best work. The book considers workload, trust, professional autonomy, culture and the relationship between accountability and staff wellbeing. It is particularly relevant to school and trust leaders, governors and staff teams discussing organisational culture, professional conditions and approaches that support a sustainable teaching workforce.
Mary Myatt explores curriculum as a coherent journey shaped by sequencing, ambition, subject integrity and purposeful choices about what pupils learn. The book gives subject leaders, curriculum leaders and senior teams questions that can support curriculum review and professional conversation. Its reflective approach is particularly useful for schools examining the quality, coherence and purpose of their curriculum across subjects and year groups.
Shaun Dellenty presents a whole-school approach to LGBT+ inclusion, covering culture, curriculum, language, prejudice, staff development and pupil safety. The practical, values-led approach makes the book useful to primary and secondary teachers, leaders and staff teams interested in embedding inclusion throughout school life. It provides material for organisational reflection, professional development and sustained discussion about creating welcoming and respectful environments.
Elly Barnes and Anna Carlile offer practical guidance for developing LGBT+ inclusive culture, curriculum, language and policies across nursery, primary and secondary settings. The applied examples provide teachers, governors, pastoral staff and leaders with concrete starting points for professional discussion and school review. Its whole-school perspective makes it especially useful for teams considering how inclusion can be reflected consistently in classroom practice, resources and wider school culture.
Daniel H. Pink explores motivation through the ideas of autonomy, mastery and purpose. The book gives teachers and leaders a useful framework for discussing pupil engagement, staff culture and professional motivation, with accessible examples drawn from a broad range of settings. Its central ideas can support thoughtful conversations about the conditions that encourage people to develop, persist and find meaning in their work and learning.
Christopher Such combines practical classroom guidance with research on teaching reading in primary schools. The book explores the foundations of reading, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, modelling and instructional planning. It is particularly useful for primary teachers, reading leads, trainee teachers and senior leaders reviewing reading provision, with clear connections between research evidence and the decisions teachers make during everyday literacy teaching.
Alex Quigley examines the relationship between vocabulary, reading, classroom communication and educational disadvantage. The book considers how academic and subject-specific language can be developed across the curriculum, making it relevant to primary and secondary teachers as well as literacy and subject leaders. It provides a useful basis for professional discussion about explicit vocabulary teaching and pupils’ access to increasingly complex ideas and texts.
Alex Quigley focuses on pupils who find reading difficult and explores comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, background knowledge and the wider school conditions that support improvement. The book is particularly relevant to English leads, literacy coordinators, classroom teachers and secondary staff supporting older pupils with reading. Its practical approach connects everyday classroom routines with a wider whole-school responsibility for developing confident and capable readers.
This illustrated book explores pathological demand avoidance, communication, stress and the experience of being misunderstood. Its accessible presentation can help children, families and school staff develop a shared language for discussing experiences, needs and support. Teachers, pastoral staff and SEND teams may find it particularly useful for encouraging sensitive conversations and considering how school environments and adult communication are experienced by individual pupils.
Mary Myatt and John Tomsett use a conversation-based format to explore curriculum, leadership and special educational needs and disabilities. The book is particularly relevant to SEND leaders, senior leaders, governors and teachers interested in connecting inclusive practice with curriculum quality. Its discussion-led format provides useful material for leadership meetings, professional development and reflection on how schools can create ambitious and accessible learning for pupils with SEND.
Clare Truman presents practical classroom strategies for supporting pupils who experience a strong need for control, high anxiety or demand avoidance. The book explores relationships, language, flexibility, routines and learning environments, with a clear focus on everyday school practice. It is particularly useful for teachers, teaching assistants and SEND teams looking for approaches that can strengthen communication, reduce anxiety and support pupils’ engagement with learning.
Daniel Sobel and Sara Alston examine differentiation through inclusion, classroom access and the barriers school systems can create for learners. The book combines practical questions with wider discussion of curriculum and classroom organisation, making it useful for teachers, teaching assistants, mentors and leaders. It provides a thoughtful basis for reviewing grouping, classroom tasks and the ways teaching can respond to pupils’ differing needs while maintaining ambitious learning.
Matt Pinkett explores boys’ mental health, emotional expression, masculinity, relationships and the influence of school culture. The book combines discussion with practical ideas, making it particularly relevant to teachers, pastoral staff, PSHE leads and school leaders interested in emotional literacy and help-seeking. It provides useful material for whole-school conversations about how boys experience wellbeing, relationships and expectations within education.
Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts examine how schools understand boys, achievement, behaviour, vulnerability and masculinity. The book encourages teachers, pastoral teams and leaders to reflect on expectations surrounding male identity and consider how anxiety, self-esteem, bullying and classroom relationships can influence pupils’ experiences. It provides a useful basis for professional discussion about school culture, achievement and the ways boys are supported across different areas of education.
Paul Dix focuses on the influence of adult routines, language, consistency and relationships on school behaviour. The book includes practical ideas about expectations, restorative conversations, classroom routines and whole-school culture. It is particularly useful for teachers, teaching assistants, behaviour leads and senior leaders examining how shared adult responses can create calmer, more consistent environments and strengthen relationships across a school.
Paul Dix explores how schools can sustain a wider culture built around relationships, restorative practice, coaching and consistent responses. The book is particularly relevant to schools developing whole-community approaches to behaviour and considering how shared routines and expectations become embedded over time. Behaviour leads, pastoral teams and senior leaders will find useful prompts for professional discussion about culture, implementation and the everyday actions that support lasting change.
Tom Bennett concentrates on the routines, expectations, habits and teacher decisions that help create calm and purposeful classrooms. The book has particular relevance to ECTs, mentors and teachers working on lesson starts, transitions, expectations and responses to disruption. Its practical structure also makes it useful for departmental discussion about consistency and the classroom habits that support productive learning.
Maryanne Wolf traces how the human brain adapts to reading and explores the cognitive processes involved in fluent, deep and reflective reading. The book offers literacy leaders, English teachers and other educators a rich account of why reading matters and how it changes the ways learners think. It is particularly useful for professional learning about reading development, cognition and the intellectual experiences associated with sustained reading.
Stanislas Dehaene explores learning through attention, engagement, error, consolidation and the development of knowledge. The book provides teachers and school leaders with a substantial account of the cognitive processes involved in learning and offers useful material for professional reading groups examining cognitive science. Its research-rich approach can help staff think more carefully about how classroom experiences support attention, practice and long-term learning.
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore explores adolescent brain development, social behaviour, risk, identity and the changing relationship between young people and their environment. The accessible, scientifically grounded discussion is particularly useful for secondary teachers, pastoral staff, tutors and school leaders who want a deeper understanding of adolescence. It provides valuable context for professional conversations about relationships, behaviour, identity and the experiences of young people in school.
Edited by Nathan Burns, this collection approaches everyday classroom problems through metacognition and self-regulated learning. Its short, focused contributions offer useful starting points for planning, questioning, modelling and independent learning, making the book well suited to individual professional reading and staff development. Teachers can use the different perspectives to discuss how metacognitive thinking can be incorporated into subject teaching and everyday classroom routines.
Tricia Moss, Sallie Stanton and Jon Hutchinson provide a practical guide for primary English subject leaders responsible for curriculum, professional learning, monitoring and improvement. The book connects leadership decisions with reading, writing, teaching quality and staff experience, making it useful for both new and experienced subject leaders. Its practical structure supports professional conversations about priorities, curriculum development and the leadership of English across a school or trust.
Kirsten Colquhoun explores how classroom teachers can support pupil wellbeing through relationships, belonging, classroom climate and everyday interactions. The book connects broad wellbeing ideas with practical school situations and provides teachers with accessible strategies for strengthening pupils’ experiences in the classroom. It is particularly useful for ECTs, tutors, pastoral staff and leaders developing a shared language around wellbeing and pupil support.
Brad Gaynor examines the teacher workforce crisis in Australia, drawing on research, frontline experiences and decades of educational leadership. The book considers why teachers leave, what encourages them to stay, workload, professional agency, leadership and possible system-level reforms. Although its policy and institutional context is Australian, many of its questions about retention, working conditions and professional culture will resonate with teachers and school leaders in the UK.
Simon Botten explores headship through the decisions, relationships, conflicts and constant negotiation involved in leading a school. The book combines practical advice with reflective accounts of aspects of leadership that can be difficult to capture in formal frameworks. It is particularly useful for aspiring, new and recently appointed headteachers, while deputies and trust leaders may also find plenty of recognisable material for professional reflection and discussion.
Lynn How focuses on the strategic responsibilities of school leaders who want inclusion to shape culture, teaching, staffing and decision-making across the school. The leadership-focused and practical approach is particularly relevant to headteachers, deputies, trust leaders and governors, while also helping SEND teams frame whole-school conversations. The book provides useful material for examining systems, implementation and the ways leadership can support inclusive practice.
Rachel Macfarlane and Paul Jenkins explore what makes school feel meaningful, coherent and worth attending. The book connects engagement, attendance, relationships, curriculum purpose and the experiences of pupils who may feel disconnected from school. Its broad view makes it particularly useful for leaders and staff discussing how school culture, learning and relationships can work together to strengthen pupils’ sense of belonging and participation.
James Mannion examines how schools can turn improvement priorities into habits, routines and sustained changes in practice. The book explores sequencing, ownership, monitoring, professional development and the organisational work involved in implementation. It is particularly useful for leaders, implementation teams and staff responsible for school improvement who want to think carefully about how change is introduced, supported and embedded over time.
Andy Hargreaves reflects on how teachers and education systems change through disruption, professional learning and experience. The wide-ranging discussion is particularly relevant to experienced teachers, mentors, school leaders and staff thinking about professional identity across a career. It provides useful material for leadership and professional-development conversations about learning from change, developing as an educator and deciding which practices and values deserve to endure.
David Didau and Nick Rose introduce psychological ideas that influence classroom decision-making, including memory, motivation, bias, relationships and common beliefs about learning. The accessible style makes the book suitable for individual professional reading as well as staff discussion. It is particularly useful for teachers, mentors and leaders interested in examining educational claims carefully and developing a more informed understanding of how psychological ideas relate to classroom practice.
Daniel T. Willingham answers practical classroom questions through cognitive psychology, covering attention, memory, knowledge, practice and familiar ideas about learning. The second edition offers teachers, mentors and leaders an accessible introduction to cognitive science and its classroom implications. Its question-led format makes it particularly useful for professional reading groups and discussions about how general principles of learning connect with curriculum content and everyday teaching.
Alex Quigley focuses on pupils who find it difficult to express ideas clearly in writing and considers how schools can strengthen writing across subjects. The book explores vocabulary, sentence construction, modelling, planning, practice and feedback, with relevance to English departments and whole-school literacy teams. It is particularly useful for teachers interested in connecting curriculum knowledge with purposeful writing and developing consistent approaches to written composition.
Fran Morgan, with Ellie Costello, explores the experiences of pupils who do not fit comfortably within standard school structures. The book considers inclusion, compassion, relationships, behaviour, attendance and the assumptions built into routines and systems. It is particularly relevant to teachers, pastoral teams, SENCOs and leaders working with marginalised or misunderstood pupils and provides thoughtful material for professional discussion about belonging and school culture.
Eliza Fricker’s illustrated account of school avoidance follows a family trying to understand and respond to a child who cannot attend school. The book gives families, children and professionals an accessible way to explore the emotional and practical experiences surrounding school avoidance. Teachers, attendance teams and pastoral staff may find its human perspective particularly valuable when developing empathy, improving communication and discussing support with pupils and families.
Marc Rowland provides a practical reference for teachers and leaders working to reduce the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on educational opportunity. The alphabetical structure makes the book easy to use for staff discussions about attendance, curriculum, expectations, family engagement and the allocation of support. It is particularly useful for schools analysing their local context and considering how different aspects of school life can contribute to greater equity.
Mary Myatt explores how leaders can maintain high expectations while creating the trust and security that allow staff and pupils to develop. The book considers challenge, culture, curriculum and accountability in a reflective style, with particular relevance to headteachers, deputies, subject leaders, mentors and others responsible for professional conversations. Its focus on the emotional conditions surrounding improvement gives leaders useful material for thinking about culture, relationships and professional growth.
Ross Morrison McGill introduces teachers to practical ways of thinking about memory, including retrieval, forgetting, explanation, practice and the organisation of learning. The accessible format makes the guide useful for classroom teachers, ECTs, mentors and subject leaders. It provides clear starting points for professional discussion about how teaching, curriculum sequencing and classroom practice can help pupils remember and use important knowledge.
Jennifer Webb explains how teachers and leaders can develop pupils’ ability to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning. The book explores strategies, language, modelling, questioning and habits that support greater independence, with clear relevance across subjects. It is particularly useful for teachers, mentors and school leaders interested in making metacognitive thinking explicit within curriculum content and everyday classroom practice.
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This guide brings together books on SEND in mainstream schools, SENCO practice, inclusive teaching, assessment, leadership and governance, for teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs, governors and school leaders..
A researched selection of books for teachers about school inspections, covering Ofsted preparation, self-evaluation, governance, school improvement and inspection in early years and independent schools.
Books for teachers and school leaders implementing or reviewing mobile phone-free school policies, with titles covering attention, classroom distraction, digital habits, school culture and the case for reducing smartphone use.
A carefully researched selection of professional books on trauma-informed teaching, covering classroom practice, attachment, inclusion, literacy, leadership and early education.
A carefully selected UK-focused reading list on de-escalation in schools, covering pupils, teenagers, families, staff relationships, restorative practice and behaviour support.
A carefully researched UK reading list of professional books on primary behaviour management, from practical classroom strategies to self-regulation, restorative practice and whole-school culture.
A UK-focused reading list of books on classroom routines and expectations, from entry procedures and lesson flow to coaching and professional practice.
A focused reading list for school staff responsible for cyber security, data protection, governance, digital systems, incident response and organisational resilience.
A carefully researched UK reading list of behaviour management books for secondary teachers, ECTs, pastoral staff and school leaders.
A carefully researched selection of books for teachers, attendance teams and school leaders working on whole-school attendance improvement.
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