As a retired teacher I very much appreciated this. The guys are passionate and obviously talented teachers and parents too. They have a lot of funny stories to tell, (a disproportionate number of them involve farting in my opinion!), and have a couple of rants about being stressed and over-worked, the government's policy changing, etc. "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is full of funny anecdotes about life in a primary school. The authors are engaging and know how to tell a story and I bet their podcast is a fun listen.

I read it all at once but I think it would be funnier if you dipped into it and read the chapters at or just before the appropriate time of year. It is a long time since I was at primary school and I had never heard of the cauliflower song but this book made me look it up! I did recognize all the types of parents they talk so amusingly about though.

The last few chapters are much more serious about modern education and its future but I just skimmed those as this is not a thing I am interested in but I am sure the points made are reasonable and insightful.

Some good jokes, anecdotes and insights - the structure is a bit chaotic, but it is not a bad fit for this book.
There are parts you can share with your children too.
Overall, good stuff. Those who are familiar with the Parkisons will enjoy this more than I did.

How to Survive the School Year by Lee & Adam Parkinson

A hilarious, heartfelt, and wonderfully chaotic romp through the school calendar. The Two Mr Ps deliver laugh-out-loud anecdotes and sharp insights about life in the classroom that will have every parent and teacher nodding in recognition. I loved their honesty about not offering parenting advice—this is more Jackass 3 than self-help—and it works. Instead, we get stories from the trenches: relatable, ridiculous, and surprisingly moving. A must-read for anyone navigating the school-gate circus.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so pleased to be able to review this book. I work as a Learning Advisor and Senior Invigilator at the local School. I first came upon Lee and Adam Parkinson on Facebook ICT with Mr P - Tech to Raise Standards which I love- their anecdotes, warm wit from the staff, pupil and parent perspective had me in stitches sitting out in the sunshine laughing out loud so so true.

This is Andy Seed, Gervaise Phinn and Jack Sheffield rolled into one.

Highly recommended read this summer holiday to get you chuckling into the September term time.

Due for publication August 29th 2025.