Book Review: How Do They Do It? by Mark Enser and Zoë Enser

How Do They Do It?: What Can We Learn from Amazing Schools, Leaders and Teachers? (Crown House Publishing, 2025, ~176pp) is the latest contribution from Mark Enser and Zoë Enser — both former HMIs and respected voices in the fields of leadership, curriculum, and inspection. The book explores what makes certain schools consistently high-performing by asking the deceptively simple question: How do they do it? Drawing on the authors’ school visits, experience with inspection, and deep engagement with the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF), the authors distil the practices and principles that underpin sustained excellence.

Relevance and Audience

This book is especially relevant for headteachers, senior and middle leaders, governors, and system-level improvement leads. In a climate of tight budgets, recruitment pressures, and high accountability, Enser and Enser offer a structured, calm framework rooted in real-world school practice and inspection expectations.

Structure and Key Themes

The book is organised along the lines of the EIF, with chapters on:

• Quality of Education
• Behaviour and Attitudes
• Personal Development
• Leadership and Management
• Context

Within each chapter, themes are explored through contrast (what goes wrong / what goes right), along with reflective questions and practical prompts. The authors unpack complex issues like curriculum sequencing, assessment, teacher subject knowledge, learner attitudes, culture, CPD, and leadership alignment — always grounded in both research and vivid examples.

Strengths

• A consistent and accessible structure that allows leaders to dip in, reflect, and apply insights
• Reflective prompts and contrasts that make the work usable in meetings, CPD, and strategic planning
• A balanced tone that combines critical insight with optimism and hope
• Grounding in inspection frameworks without reducing schools to compliance exercises

Limitations

• The relatively concise format means fewer extended narrative case studies
• The heavy alignment with the English Ofsted / EIF context may limit direct transferability in other national systems
• Some readers seeking deep empirical grounding or longitudinal data may wish for more systematic research appendices

Practical Implications

• Senior teams might build meetings around the reflective questions to audit their own practice
• Middle leaders could use the “what goes wrong / what goes right” dichotomy to challenge curriculum or assessment decisions
• Governor training or trusts could adopt the book’s structure as a scaffold for evaluative conversation
• Leaders could use it as a companion text for ongoing professional learning cycles

Verdict

How Do They Do It? is a timely, readable, and practically minded guide for school leaders who believe that excellence is built, not inherited. The Ensers demonstrate that greatness doesn’t depend on magic — it depends on clarity, consistency, and deliberate action. Highly recommended for leaders, governors, and anyone committed to sustaining strong schools.