Schools and Communities: Working together to transform children's lives is essential reading for all those concerned with the future of education and schools. It will be of particular value to those involved with strategies to raise achievement, implement The Children Act 2004 and embed Every Child Matters into professional practice and school policies. The book argues for a change of focus in the strategies that are being used to maximize the achievement of every child, based on the scenario that results at national level are 'plateauing' and notable improvements are increasingly difficult to secure. It is the case that social factors are disproportionately significant in their impact on children's academic achievement, and it may therefore be an appropriate time to focus on the social environment of the learner rather than purely increasing the emphasis on school improvement.