Some schools have been using silence for years to benefit children and facilitate their learning. Yet this is the first book to examine the practice of silence in schools as an effective - and cost free - pedagogic tool.

The author talks with headteachers and teachers about how they use silence in the classroom and they reflect on its benefits to the children and themselves. She presents case studies of schools which have introduced meditation, quiet spaces and silent moments, and analyses how these initiatives contribute to the students' experience and learning and enhance the schools' ethos.

The book could not be more timely. It brings readers right up to date with the theoretical exploration of planned silence, which is in its infancy but growing fast. But this is also the time when the ideas around using silence with children are being enthusiastically promoted by popular figures such as Goldie Hawn and David Lynch, thus attracting much attention in the education arena.

It is important reading for headteachers and teachers, policy makers, educational researchers and parents.