'Why the hell have you come to a place like this?' These are the words of a twelve-year-old pupil upon meeting one of the Prime Minister's key strategists in the playground. Why has Peter Hyman, the Prime Minister's chief speech writer, swapped the corridors of power for the corridors of a tough inner-city comprehensive? And would ten years at the heart of Westminster politics be adequate training for a new life in the classroom? Peter is thrown in at the deep end. He has to cope with a child trying to escape out of a sixth-floor window, a detention room full of disruptive children and a staff room of teachers hostile to many of New Labour's reforms. This is an insider's account of leadership - a Prime Minister and a Head Teacher. What makes someone want that kind of responsibility? And what makes them good at it? It is also an exploration of change, whether it's a political party, a school, an individual or a country. It is often said that politicians and their advisor's have no idea what the 'real world' is like. After Peter Hyman's jolt of reality, both his view of politics and his own priorities have been surprisingly reshaped.