This Much I Know About Truly Great Primary Teachers

John Tomsett has been a teacher since 1988 and a head teacher since 2003. He is head teacher at Huntington School, York. Tomsett writes a blog called 'This much I know ...' and is a regular contributor to the TES. He co-founded The Headteachers' Roundtable think tank and is a popular speaker on school leadership. He is determined to remain a classroom teacher, despite the demands of headship, and believes that developing truly great teaching is the main responsibility of all head teachers.

I'm a simple soul and I'm always looking for ways to bring abstract ideas like 'quality first teaching' to life. Terms like these are talked about a lot; rarely are they exemplified. What John has done in Truly Great Primary Teachers is to identify and profile the work of individual teachers to help me to get some purchase on QFT. As I read these accounts of teachers who are having a profound impact on their pupils both academically and personally, I realised I can learn from each of them: the way they develop rapport with their classes, the way they pitch the lessons high, the way they include every child. And, above all, the delight they take in weaving it all together. This is such a heart-warming, unique lens on the profession. We can all take something from these wonderful profiles of brilliant professionals.Mary Myatt