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Tributes paid to Teacher’s Toolkit author Paul Ginnis who died suddenly on Friday

The family of Paul Ginnis, who wrote the influential best-seller The Teacher’s Toolkit, have paid tribute to the “inspiring” author after he died suddenly on Friday.

Mr Ginnis, who also co-authored Curriculum with Stories with his wife Sharon and A Guide to Student-Centred Learning and The Student-Centred School with Dr Donna Brandes, was a former head of religious education in Birmingham and staff development tutor who has worked in more than 4,000 secondary schools.

The Teacher’s Toolkit is currently in its 12th reprint, is a Waterstones best-seller and has already been translated into Slovenian, Hungarian, Indonesian and Arabic.

In a statement posted on Twitter, his family said: “We are devastated to confirm that Paul suddenly passed away at home on Friday.

“Thank you for all your kind thoughts. He was an inspiration to us all. Let his ideas live on in your schools and beyond.”

David Bowman, managing director of Mr Ginnis’s publisher Crown Publishing, said in a statement: “It is with great shock and sadness that we announce the death of Paul Ginnis, one of our most loved and respected authors.

“Paul was the pioneer of what became the ‘Ginnis’ way of teaching, and thousands of teachers and their pupils have benefited from his practical and engaging pedagogy. Along the way he inspired many other authors and trainers, who will now take up his mantle and keep his name alive for generations to come.

“Our thoughts are with his wife Sharon and his children Stephen, Claire and Helen and their families.”

Editor’s Note: Paul Ginnis wrote the book Teacher’s Toolkit and should not be confused with Ross McGill, who tweets as @TeacherToolkit and runs a website of the same name.

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10 Comments

  1. Maureen Laycock. OBE

    I am really saddened to hear of the passing of Paul. He did some grat work in my school in the early days of my headship in an inner city secondary school. I saw him regularly at conferences and other educational meetings.

    I loved his enthusiasm for education, his professionalism, infectious humour, drive and passion to change things for the better for students and innovative teaching and learning.

    What a great loss to education and all that remains fighting for despite the current unreasonable government agenda.

    Such a character and a great person.

    My sincere condolences to his family.

  2. Entertaining presenter,but have to disagree with his philosophy on teaching. The emphasis being on how you learn not what you learn. His views however are the predominant view in British state school education.

  3. Mike Fitzpatrick

    I had the pleasure of introducing Paul to our staff for an INSET day some years ago. We were looking forward to his delivery knowing his expertise, reputation and deep understanding as well as love of learning & teaching. Following some words from myself Paul began, “After that glowing introduction I can’t wait to hear myself speak! ” It was all true and remains so to this day. Such a sad loss for family, friends, colleagues
    and a generation of students whose teachers rediscovered their true vocation to unlock learning with active, engaging and effective strategies in the classroom. His work continues in schools and colleges throughout the country and beyond as a fitting testimony to an inspired educator.

  4. vivienne

    An inspiration to myself and many teachers. He made us be critical of our teaching and gave a good reason to share good practice. He altered my approach positively and we fought against tge sceptics to improve our students eduxation experience. Thank you paul

  5. What a terrible loss to education. Paul delivered the best CPD training I have ever had.He shook me out of my educational slumber and inspired me to be more innovative and question why . A lovely humble human being who will never be forgotten.I will continue to teach the Ginnis way as will so many others.Very fortunate to have crossed your path!

  6. I was lucky enough to be invited at the last minute to a CPD session held locally. It was, without doubt, one of the best training days I’ve ever been on. I have used almost every single idea he shared with us – and still do, several years on.
    Hopefully his skills and tips will live on in everyone who was inspired by him. His family are in my thoughts.