This Heart Shaped Land: Finding the magic & leading a school in the Forest of Dean (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781838180010)

"This is a truly delightful, hugely enjoyable and wonderful book; it celebrates both Rob's fantastic long term commitment to education but also all internationally minded educators; that incredible global community who bring the world into their schools every day; often amidst a range of many challenges." John Rolfe MBE, Schools Outreach Manager, British Council, UK

"Rob collates meaning through perfectly illustrated examples of school life and in doing so captures the transformation of possibility, referencing Dewey, Plato and Maya Angelou along the way - and many others. The book is also a useful resource for those exploring political and social history during what was an immensely turbulent four years, to say the least. " Carl McCarthy, Executive Headteacher, Frogmore - Wheatfield - Windmill, UK

In uncertain educational times we need a story, a real school story of hope. The Forest of Dean and Welsh borders have long provided inspiration and the fertile ground for writers and stories, from Wordsworth to JK Rowling. It is a beautiful part of the UK and yet still largely unknown to so many. Rob Ford's personal account of leading a school community through an approach that resisted the pull of the way most English schools had been forced in, in the last few years, is the true story of what a school community can achieve to inspire its young people through a positive school culture and transformative learning, based on an outward facing mindset. Rob kept a blog during his time as principal of Wyedean School, borrowing a description of the land between the Severn and the Wye from another Forest son and writer, Dennis Potter; "This Heart Shaped Land". This book captures the powerful impact of the journey of a community from a magical part of the World on their identity, in an interregnum Brexit Britain, by bringing the World into the curriculum and classroom, to transform the hopes of young people going into the 2020s.