Why do so few school improvement initiatives actually improve pupil outcomes? In this practical guide to implementing school improvement, Dr James Mannion argues that there are two main reasons. First, school leaders aren't taught how to implement change effectively - and that's essentially their job. Second, there are many problems with top-down change - and top-down change is our default model. Making Change Stick is a game-changing approach to improving pupil outcomes in real-world contexts. Through using a 'slice team' to drive the process of implementing school improvement, you get much better decision-making - and you get buy-in like never before ... 'The impact has been huge ... As a school, moving forward, everything we try to implement will be done using this method because we've found it so successful. So go for it!' Sarah O'Kelly, Deputy Head, Queen Elizabeth High School