Recently Published

You are not behind. You are just figuring it out. And so is pretty much everyone else, even if they do not look like it. Start Where You Are is not a book full of perfect advice from people who have life sorted. It is an honest, practical companion for the moments that actually happen. When you are waiting to feel ready before you start. When you are comparing your life to everyone else's highlight reel. When something goes wrong and you are not sure what to do next. When you have no idea what path you are supposed to be on. Written by Ash Manuel, founder of Growing With Gratitude and former teacher whose own teenage years included three attempts at Year 12 and a football dream that did not work out, this book is built around real stories, short ideas and small actions you can actually try. Twelve chapters you can dip into whenever you need them, each one a reminder that the messy middle of life is where most of the learning happens. Because small actions repeated over time quietly change everything. Your path will not look like everyone else's. It does not have to. You are not behind. You are building.

Teaching Grammar F–6 $39.95

Grammar is one of the most important and least understood areas of primary teaching. Many educators entered the profession with little formal grammar training, only to find themselves navigating a curriculum that draws on two distinct and sometimes confusing approaches. Teaching Grammar F–6: A Year-by-Year Resource for Building Teacher Knowledge cuts through that confusion with clarity, warmth and practical purpose. Written by a curriculum expert with decades of experience supporting classroom teachers, this book builds confident, working knowledge of both traditional and functional grammar so that teachers can teach it meaningfully rather than simply manage it. Structured year by year from Foundation to Year 6 and aligned with the Australian Curriculum: English Version 9.0, the book gives teachers exactly the grammatical knowledge they need for their year level, without unnecessary complexity. Each chapter unpacks the relevant content descriptions and elaborations, explains the key concepts in plain language, and shows what this looks like in real classroom practice. Whether you are new to grammar or returning to it after years of uncertainty, this book offers the confidence and clarity to make grammar a genuinely powerful part of your students' learning.

Practical AI Strategies 2 $39.95

In the two years since the publication of Practical AI Strategies, generative AI has changed beyond recognition. Chatbots still dominate everyday use, but the industry has moved on to agents and complex systems with AI at the centre. Our questions have changed, too. It is no longer about which tool to use or how to write a better prompt. It is about hallucinations and bias, environmental cost and deepfakes, the human labour hidden behind AI systems, and how to redesign assessment so that students are actually learning. This book is the critical guide educators need for this next phase. Dr Leon Furze returns with his trademark blend of practical advice and unflinching honesty, drawing on his PhD research and years of work alongside classroom teachers. He covers how generative AI actually works, how to choose and evaluate platforms wisely, how to rethink curriculum and assessment, and how to build genuine critical AI literacy in students and staff. Practical AI Strategies 2 is essential reading for educators looking to move beyond chatbots and prepare both themselves and their students for the near future of AI.

Hey. How Are You, Actually? $34.95

Some days you really are fine. And some days you say you're fine because it's easier than explaining what's actually going on. This book is for those other days. You already know how to be a good friend. When someone you care about is having a hard time, you know how to listen, how to be kind, how not to make things worse. Hey. How Are You, Actually? is about turning that same kindness toward yourself – because you deserve it just as much as they do. Inside are twenty small things you can do, most of them only a few minutes long, for the moments that really happen. When your brain won't switch off at night. When you're waiting outside the exam room feeling sick. When a friendship fades and nobody says why. When everyone else seems fine and you're not so sure you are. Nothing you have to believe in. Nothing you have to be good at. Just small, real things that help. One gentle question runs through all of it: what would you say to yourself if you talked to yourself the way you talk to your best friend? Whatever you're carrying right now, you don't have to carry it alone. You can just start here. ________________________________________ For the grown-up holding this book Written straight to teenagers, grounded in real research, and small enough to use on an ordinary day. No pressure. You might find a few of the practices are exactly what you needed too.

Behaviour Is Not the Whole Story $39.95

When challenging behaviour appears in a classroom, an early years setting, or a care environment, it draws immediate attention. But what is visible on the surface is rarely the whole story. Behaviour Is Not the Whole Story is a practical, grounded guide for educators, leaders, and teams who want to move beyond reactive responses and build behaviour support that is informed, consistent, and sustainable. Drawing on extensive field-based experience across early years, schools, and OSHC settings, Kelly Oldfield offers a wider lens on behaviour – one that looks beyond the visible act to the regulation, communication, environment, adult responses, and systems that shape it. Packed with practical tools including reflection prompts, practice scenarios, and ready-to-use frameworks, this book helps educators and leaders ask better questions, build stronger systems, and create settings where young people can genuinely thrive. This is not a book of quick fixes or one-size-fits-all strategies. It is a thoughtful, realistic guide for people who understand that stronger outcomes for young people come from strengthening the adults, environments, and systems around them.

Building Schools for Boys $44.95

What does it take to build a school that forms good men? Building Schools for Boys offers a compelling and practical framework for educators committed to this question. Drawing on decades of global research and real-world school leadership, Dr Phil Cummins and David Atkinson argue that character is not an add-on to a boy’s education – it is the whole work. Grounded in the conviction that boys thrive when they belong, fulfil their potential and learn to do good in the world, this book challenges schools to move beyond narrow academic measures and build cultures of intentional character formation. Spanning six key dimensions of school life – contribution, hope, intention, expectation, value and experience – the book weaves together research, practical frameworks and rich case studies from outstanding schools across Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Whether you teach or lead in a boys’ school, a co-educational school or are interested in what education for young men can and should be, Building Schools for Boys offers both the rationale and the roadmap for schools where boys become the good men the world needs.

Stretch $39.95

Middle leaders are the engine room of school improvement – yet they are too often underprepared, overstretched and under-supported. Stretch: Navigating Pressure and Impact in Middle Leadership is a practical guide for middle leaders navigating the demanding space between classroom and boardroom, between doing and leading. Drawing on decades of real-world leadership experience, Steven Trotter offers honest, research-informed insights into the pressures that define middle leadership, and the strategies that make those pressures manageable, meaningful and ultimately transformative. Structured across three parts, Stretch moves from the lived realities of middle leadership – cognitive load, time pressure, emotional intelligence and role ambiguity – through to six concrete levers for elevating leadership practice, and finally to a set of reflections for leaders building toward the future. This is not a book of tidy answers or one-size-fits-all solutions. It is a guide for leaders willing to pause, reflect and grow – because when the stretch is understood and embraced, it becomes the very engine of lasting impact.

The Virtuous Leader $39.95

What kind of leader are you when no one is watching? The Virtuous Leader makes a compelling case that effective leadership is, first and foremost, a moral activity, and that competence without character is never enough. Drawing on decades of experience leading some of Australia’s most respected independent schools, Dr Timothy Wright and Clive Logan argue that the leaders who earn lasting trust and create genuinely thriving organisations are those who do not merely hold good values, but who live them, consistently and habitually, until virtue becomes reflex. Grounded in the rich tradition of Aristotle and Aquinas and brought to life through honest reflection and real-world experience, The Virtuous Leader explores the virtues that matter most for leaders navigating the complexity of schools and organisations today: practical wisdom, love, courage, truthfulness, justice, humility and hope. This is not a book of quick fixes or leadership slogans. It is a thoughtful, searching guide for leaders willing to examine their own motivations, confront their blind spots and commit to the slow, worthwhile work of becoming the kind of leader others are proud to follow.

Grand Designs $44.95

Every generation of Christian school leader stands in the quarry, chisel in hand, cutting stone for something far greater than themselves. Grand Designs: Building Faithful Christian Schools That Endure is a compelling guide for leaders committed to building Christian schools that endure as living communities of faith, formation, and purpose. Dr Darren Iselin and Dr Daniel Pampuch argue that the greatest risk facing Christian schools today is not external pressure but internal drift. When foundational vision fades, a once vibrant community becomes an impressive but empty monument. Structured around four foundation stones of Alignment, Belonging, Excellence, and Imagination, and four dimensions of formation for the next generation, Grand Designs offers both a framework and a call to action for Christian school leaders, educators, and board members. Rich with research, theological grounding, and honest reflection from the field, this is a book for those who understand that Christian schooling is an intergenerational project, one that demands clarity of purpose, courage of conviction, and the wisdom to prepare those who will continue building long after we are gone.

From Feedback to Advice $44.95

You invest hours crafting thoughtful feedback. Students spend seconds looking at it. They skim comments, correct surface details, or ask “Is this good?”—not because your feedback lacks quality, but because they haven't yet learned how to identify what they need or seek the right help. Guidance that should accelerate learning stalls, through no fault of teacher expertise. This isn’t a feedback problem. It's a learner capability problem. From Feedback to Advice shows how to develop students who actively seek the help they need and act on it with purpose. By making your thinking visible—revealing the feedback process you’ve always managed internally—you help students understand how improvement actually works. Through six progressive stages, James Anderson presents a practical pathway for developing students’ capacity to direct their own improvement. You'll learn how to cultivate students who: Shift from “Is this good?” to “Here's what I've tried, and here's where I need help” Understand and navigate the improvement process themselves Identify their learning gaps and present evidence of their attempts Request specific, purposeful advice rather than waiting for evaluation Take increasing ownership of their learning—lesson by lesson, year by year This isn't a book about writing better comments. It's a book about developing the learner capability that makes feedback matter. With practical strategies for primary and secondary classrooms, and a clear progression leaders can implement school-wide, this book offers a systematic approach to strengthening learner expertise. When students develop the capability to seek the help they need—and act on it—feedback finally works as intended. Learning accelerates. And the improvement process you once carried alone becomes a genuine partnership.

The Livewired Child $39.95

Every child is born with the most extraordinary organ on earth – a brain that is constantly growing, adapting and rewiring itself in response to the world around it. In The Livewired Child, renowned educator and neuroscience researcher Dr Michael C. Nagel takes parents and educators on a fascinating journey through the developing brain, from conception to the early school years. Drawing on the latest neuroscientific, educational and psychological research, Dr Nagel reveals how the experiences we provide children in their earliest years don’t just shape who they are – they quite literally wire the architecture of their brains. Written in an accessible and engaging style, The Livewired Child bridges the gap between cutting-edge brain science and the everyday realities of raising and educating children. Covering everything from learning and language to emotional intelligence and cognitive development, Dr Nagel offers practical insights to help parents, teachers and caregivers make the decisions that matter most – because understanding how a child’s brain grows is the first step to nurturing it well.

Teaching Business $44.95

Ditch the dense theory. It’s time to transform your business classroom. Teaching Business: A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers cuts through the educational noise to deliver clear, classroom-tested strategies that actually work. Built around three core pillars – content delivery, application strategies, and business communication – this guide gives you the practical tools to streamline complex concepts, reduce cognitive overload, and build flexible business thinkers. Business education isn't just about passing exams; it’s about building the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and critical thinkers. Whether you’re a first-year teacher handed a syllabus and dated faculty resources, or an experienced business educator looking to refine and diversify your game, this book delivers the insights and actionable guidance you need to thrive. Stop managing your classroom. Start inspiring it.

Empowering Schools $39.95

Australian education is caught in a storm. NAPLAN dominates the headlines, 'best practice' has become a byword for compliance, and the data tells a sobering story – falling attendance, disengaged students, and nearly four in ten teachers planning to leave the profession. Yet the system's response has been more of the same: narrower accountability, thinner pedagogy, louder metrics. Empowering Schools asks a different question: what if the problem isn't that we need better practices, but a better way of being in education altogether? Drawing on thinkers including Biesta, Freire, Ahmed and Spinoza, Dr Benjamin C. Zonca makes the case for empowerment as a relational, collective and continuous process – one that cannot be reduced to a checklist but can be cultivated and sustained. Through a clear Framework for Empowerment and eight interconnected Empowerment Practices spanning time, assessment, curriculum design, collaboration, critical literacy and policy, this book invites teachers and leaders to slow down, challenge their assumptions, and build schools where students, teachers and communities can genuinely thrive. Empowerment cannot be given – but the conditions for it can be created.

Digital Literacy Handbook $29.95

Navigate the digital world with confidence using this practical, student-centred guide that transforms online safety and digital literacy from abstract concepts into real, actionable skills. From spotting misinformation and understanding algorithms to managing your digital footprint and using AI responsibly, this comprehensive handbook walks you through everything you need to think critically, stay safe and make smarter choices in the online spaces you already inhabit every day. Each chapter builds essential skills – from protecting your privacy and data to practising ethical digital citizenship and harnessing technology for creative, productive learning. With relatable real-life examples, engaging reflection activities and guidance across social media, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, this book equips students with the tools to not only navigate today's digital landscape with confidence but also shape a positive, purposeful online identity that works for them – not for the algorithm.

Teach, Lead or Leave $39.95

After twelve years as a principal, Jenny Cole walked out mid-meeting and never returned. That spectacular moment of burnout taught her everything she needed to know about the impossible choices facing educators today. Teach, Lead or Leave is the honest, practical guide for every big-hearted teacher and leader who's ever whispered, 'How much longer can I keep doing this?' This isn't a book about convincing you to stay or go – it's about helping you make a conscious, informed decision that aligns with who you are and what you need to live a deeply satisfying life. Through personal stories, research-backed frameworks, and real experiences from educators across Australia, Jenny offers six distinct pathways forward. Whether you choose to stay and reshape your role, step into leadership, pause to rest and reset, pivot sideways within education, ease out with grace, or leave entirely, this book provides the clarity and courage to move from restlessness to intentional action. Complete with reflective prompts, practical tools, and frameworks for understanding your values, strengths, and purpose, Teach, Lead or Leave is the coaching conversation every educator deserves when facing one of the most important career decisions they'll ever make.

The Flourishing Factor $39.95

Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions on earth – and one of the most demanding. So why do we so rarely extend to ourselves the care and kindness we pour into others every day? In this warm, evidence-based guide, positive psychology coach and educator Chris Egan makes a compelling case for self-compassion as the missing ingredient in educator wellbeing. Drawing on 20+ years of robust research, 35 years in education, and the real stories of teachers and school leaders who have transformed their inner lives, this book offers a practical roadmap for moving from burnout and self-criticism towards genuine flourishing. With reflective prompts, innovative practices, and honest stories from the classroom and beyond, this book meets educators exactly where they are – and gently, powerfully, invites them somewhere better. Because the same compassion you give your students? You deserve it too.

Leading for Tomorrow, Today $39.95

You’ve worked hard to get where you are – but what got you here won’t get you there. This book is for educational leaders who sense they’re stuck in the weeds, overwhelmed by daily tasks, firefighting, and keeping their heads down while others seem to move ahead. Drawing on decades of experience as a teacher, school leader, and leadership coach, Janine Stratford reveals the game-changer that separates leaders who survive from those who thrive: strategic thinking. This isn’t corporate jargon or abstract theory – it’s a practical blueprint for leading with purpose, direction, and clarity that will transform both your team’s success and your future career. Through the Leadership Blueprint Model – Brand, Recognise, Align, Nurture, and Demonstrate – this book shows you how to step back from the busyness, build the culture your team needs to succeed, and position yourself for the impact and recognition you deserve. Packed with real stories, actionable strategies, and honest insights about what actually works, this is the book that helps you work smarter, lead differently, and create change that lasts. Whether you’re an aspiring leader or an experienced one ready for your next step, this is your roadmap from overwhelm to strategic leadership – and from hard work to lasting legacy.

Beyond Survival Mode $39.95

We've become skilled at applying trauma-informed practices to our work with young people. But what about the adults doing this work? Teachers, youth workers, social workers, carers and support staff are wading through water daily, pretending we can do so without getting wet. This book challenges that assumption. Drawing on trauma theory and research, wellbeing science and two decades of frontline experience, Megan Corcoran makes the case that trauma-informed practice cannot be something we apply to others – it must be something we embody ourselves. Beyond Survival Mode offers a compassionate and practical roadmap for professionals working in trauma-affected environments. Through the NEST framework – Notice, Embed, Strengthen, Thrive – Corcoran guides readers beyond baseline coping towards genuine flourishing, even amid challenging work. This book illuminates how trauma exposure, unsafe team culture and systemic pressures compromise practitioner wellbeing, and what we can do about it. It’s not another call for individual self-care; it's an invitation to reimagine what becomes possible when organisations create the conditions for adults to feel safe, valued and supported to do meaningful work together.

Teach, Parent, Repeat $39.95

Teaching has always been demanding. But somewhere between the staffroom and the school run, the lesson plans and the bedtime routine, it became something else entirely: relentless. Teach, Parent, Repeat says what teachers are thinking but are rarely allowed to say out loud: that the emotional labour is enormous, the expectations are contradictory and the line between who you are at work and who you are at home stopped existing a long time ago. Written by teacher, researcher and mother Emma Derainne, this is an honest, warm and wickedly funny survival guide for educators who still care deeply – and are quietly wondering how long they can keep going at this pace. Through sharp personal storytelling and grounded research, Teach, Parent, Repeat names the invisible load, challenges the myth of endless holidays and offers something genuinely rare: permission to set boundaries, lead with humanity and fall in love with teaching again – on your own terms.

The Relational School $39.95

Schools say they value relationships – but do their systems actually support them? The Relational School is for educators and leaders who sense the gap between what their school aspires to be and what it feels like to work and learn there every day. Drawing on decades of experience as a teacher, counsellor and school leader, Sue Chandler explores why well-intentioned relational initiatives struggle to stick – and what it takes to build a culture where connection, accountability and trust aren't just ideals, but everyday practice. Through compelling stories, practical frameworks and honest reflections, this book introduces the Relational Practice Bridge – a systems-level approach to embedding relational culture across leadership, policy and daily interactions. Complete with the Relational Practice Assessment Audit Tool, this is not another quick-fix behaviour management model. It's an invitation to reimagine how schools relate, lead and respond – with clarity, courage and a willingness to align what we say we value with how we actually work.

Writing a Non-boring Family History $29.95

FAMILY-HISTORY SLEUTHING IS TODAY'S BIGGEST HOBBY WORLDWIDE This unique and practical handbook will help you craft the history of your ancestors in an interesting and rewarding way that other people will want to read. Hazel Edwards addresses the vital issues of how to: interview elderly relatives and people close to the family use anecdotes and record memories do justice to intriguing ancestors structure the drama and tension inject life into a name on a shipping list present the family's secrets diplomatically. This revised edition of Hazel's best-selling guide to writing a family history acknowledges the latest e-formats that writers use, includes helpful tips on how to write history for children or write a eulogy, and covers the growing interest in touring military battlefields and researching onsite material.

Instructional Leadership $49.95

Effective instructional leadership doesn't just happen – it's created by design. Research shows it has a greater impact on student outcomes than any other form of school leadership, yet developing this capability remains one of education's most pressing challenges. Instructional Leadership: 15 High-Impact Practices to Develop Instructional Leaders provides a comprehensive framework for building the leadership capability that matters most. Drawing on extensive research and decades of practical experience, Glenn Forbes presents five critical components and fifteen evidence-based practices proven to improve student outcomes. Whether you're a new leader seeking foundational knowledge, an experienced principal developing your team, or a system leader supporting schools, this book equips you with the tools to move beyond administrative management and become an active driver of instructional improvement.

Connecting with Your Students $34.95

Connecting with Your Students is a simple, practical resource for all educators who want to build meaningful relationships with their students while developing essential life skills that drive academic success. This engaging and effective book contains 40 chapters organised across four school terms, each focusing on a different life skill. Teachers can follow the chapters chronologically throughout the year or select specific skills that align with their students’ needs. Each chapter features inspiring quotes, student-friendly definitions, ten practical classroom activities requiring minimal preparation, and real-life stories illustrating each skill in action. The activities foster positive classroom relationships while equipping students with the tools they need to overcome challenges and flourish. Learning these skills will help your students not only navigate the demands of school life but also thrive throughout their lives. Preparing developing brains for life. Andrew Fuller Andy shows teachers exactly how to build genuine relationships. Professor Pasi Sahlberg The secret sauce for teachers: relationships before curriculum. Andrew Dalgleish

The Leadership Edge $39.95

Leadership in schools goes far beyond titles, as Executive Assistants (EAs) prove every day. Working behind the scenes, EAs straddle multiple departments and functions while creating an environment in which staff and students can thrive. Few people fully understand the challenges, complexities, and rewards of their work. In The Leadership Edge, Kristine Niven draws on her extensive experience as an EA − and founder of EAs in Education − to offer insight into a role that is often marked by ambiguity in schools and the wider EA community. This book provides practical tips, strategies, and approaches to help EAs develop their personal and professional practice, while offering a fresh perspective on leadership that goes beyond hierarchies and salary brackets. Drawing together hard-won lessons from Niven’s personal journey and insights from leaders, thinkers, philosophers, and artists, this book provides EAs with a clear roadmap for developing their own leadership edge.

Search Amba Press

Expert authors

Free shipping over $100

School orders welcome