What Matters Most: A Collection of Pieces - Softcover

Chris Woodhead stimulated controversy and roused passions. He is best known as the Chief Inspector of Schools who demanded higher standards across the board. Admired and condemned in equal measure, he was forthright in his views and they became part of the national education debate. But he was a courageous man who confronted taboos wherever they lay; his final challenge was with Motor Neurone Disease and death, which he confronted with an empathy and eloquence that struck a chord with many people. His education journalism is the core of this book but it also reflects his passions for literature and climbing, all written with the precision and clarity that became his hallmark. What Matters Most concludes with his fearless thoughts on assisted dying and with a challenge for people to be allowed to die with dignity at a time of their own choosing.

One of the foremost educationalists in recent years Sir Chris Woodhead was Chief Inspector of OFSTED from 1994 to 2000, and was one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of English education policy. He later became a columnist with the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times. He was patron of the Dignity in Dying campaign. Foreword by John Clare. Edited and introduced by Christine Woodhead.