Incidentally, this book should be read more widely than just by teachers. I suspect Joe Public would shake his head in disbelief at the description of some of the worst types of behaviour referred to in this book. Sad to say, it is true of all inner-City schools, and alarmingly, increasingly of all secondary schools. I think I may send my copy to Charles Clarke with a recommendation that he reads it before opening his mouth again on any subject to do with education in the UK.

Blum does not have a magic bullet but he does provide a realistic and pragmatic framework of ideas to cope with the commonest behavioural problems you will encounter. He is frank that his advice is probably counter to prevailing wisdom from 'above' but as he never fails to point out most of the educational establishment and management do not have to do the work in the trenches and are therefore removed from the reality of teaching in challenging environments.

The book starts with a checklist of behavioural issues and this technique is used several times to deliver commentary and advice. The book is divided into two parts - the classroom experience and the wider school environment.

For my part, I found that by revealing the innermost secret fears and feelings of a teacher in a similar situation to myself I discovered that I am not alone and that I am mostly doing the right things. With this book, hopefully, you will discover the same.

L Bunting