You arrive in school at 8:00 o’clock, grab a quick coffee, and start sorting your classroom out. At lunchtime you grab a quick sandwich and another coffee, but instead of sitting down and having an actual break, you consume your lunch while diving into a pile of marking.

You know that you should be getting fresh air, exercise, and decent food (your “five a day), and from that point of view this book will not tell you much that you don't already know. However, where it scores is that everything it says is based on research rather than airy-fairy notions. In particular, it draws on research in such fields as neuroplasticity, and even has what it calls “brain tube map” illustrations for easy reference.

The book is very readable and very well structured with end of chapter summaries and practical suggestions. Definitely a book to have as your guide.

This review first appeared in Teach Secondary magazine.