Reforming Lessons: Why English Schools Have Improved Since 2010 and How This Was Achieved

Reforming Lessons provides a first-hand account of the ambitious programme of reform that has led to a transformation in English schools since 2010 and seen pupils rise through the ranks of international comparison tests such as PIRLS and PISA.

Co-authored by former Schools Minister Nick Gibb and Headteacher Robert Peal, the book explores the key principles behind the reforms and reveals the impact they had on school leadership, accountability, teaching methods, curriculum design, and pupil behaviour. Addressing the long legacy of ‘progressive’ approaches to teaching in English schools, and the development of evidence-led alternatives, the book shows that approaches to education such as 'warm-strict', 'teacher-led instruction', and 'knowledge-rich curriculum' have been simultaneously both controversial and hugely successful. Chapters cover:

• Reforms to the primary curriculum―phonics and mathematical mastery
• The return of rigour in the secondary curriculum
• School structures―academies and free schools
• Academic standards
• Grassroot reforms
• Changes to teacher training and the introduction of the Early Career Framework

Providing a fascinating insight into the major reforms that have shaped England’s school system and the drivers behind them, this is essential reading for anyone working in the education sector, policy-makers, and those interested in education reform.

Nick Gibb was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton from 1997 to 2024. Nick’s interest in education policy led to his appointment as Shadow Schools Minister in 2005. He was Schools Minister from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2014 to September 2021. He was reappointed by Rishi Sunak in October 2022 and resigned prior to the cabinet reshuffle in November 2023 to advocate for evidence-led education policy internationally. He received a knighthood in the 2025 New Years Honours List.

Robert Peal is joint Headteacher of the West London Free School, a high-performing state comprehensive school in Hammersmith. He is the author of Progressively Worse (2014), a critique of child-centred teaching methods in English schools, Meet the Georgians (2021), and the Knowing History series of school textbooks. From 2015 to 2016, he worked at the Department for Education as a speechwriter and policy advisor to Nick Gibb. He received an MBE for services to education in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours list.