Teacher Books in Order
Part ofJack Sheffield Books in OrderSee all the Teacher books by Jack Sheffield in order, with short summaries, series background on Ragley village school and simple advice on where to start reading.
Last updated: January 12, 2026
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Publication Order
17 books
University Challenges
by Jack Sheffield
2024
Now in 1989 and his second year at the University of Eboracum, Tom Frith is asked to mentor new lecturer Rosie Tremaine just as trouble erupts on campus. Investigating a dubious bursar and a voyeuristic student, Tom also works out how and when to propose to Inger.
University Tales
by Jack Sheffield
2023
In 1988, former primary teacher Tom Frith starts work as a tutor at the University of Eboracum in York and quickly discovers that student life is anything but tidy. Between eccentric undergraduates, a scheming faculty boss and meeting music tutor Inger, his first year proves eventful.
Last Day of School
by Jack Sheffield
2022
In 1987, after a decade as head at Ragley-on-the-Forest, Jack Sheffield faces a year of endings and beginnings. With a baby on the way, curriculum changes looming and a difficult new governor, an unexpected job offer forces him to weigh leaving the village school he loves.
School Days
by Jack Sheffield
2021
By 1976, Jack Sheffield has spent six years as deputy head at Newbridge Primary and would happily stay forever. When new colleagues, an unexpected romance and a buried threat shake that routine, Jack is forced to rethink where his life and career should go next.
Back to School
by Jack Sheffield
2020
In 1969, newly qualified teacher Jack Sheffield lands his first post at Heather View Primary on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The grim building, thin budget and disinterested head make life tough, but Jack fights to give his pupils the education they deserve.
Changing Times
by Jack Sheffield
2019
Changing Times returns to Ragley as postwar austerity gives way to spin dryers and pop music. Teacher Lily Feather still carries a painful secret, while her rugby mad brother Freddie stumbles on the truth and must decide what kind of future he wants for them both.
Starting Over
by Jack Sheffield
2018
In 1952, young teacher Lily Briggs arrives in Ragley hoping a job at the village school will let her start afresh. As she settles in with headmaster John Pruett and the local bobby, a long buried secret threatens the new life and love she is building.
Happiest Days
by Jack Sheffield
2017
In 1986, Jack Sheffield's tenth year at Ragley brings weddings, new staff and the shadow of the coming National Curriculum. Ruby finally finds happiness, Vera weighs a major choice and a sudden disaster forces Jack to rethink what his future in teaching should be.
Star Teacher
by Jack Sheffield
2015
Set in 1985, Star Teacher follows Jack Sheffield through a turbulent ninth year at Ragley, framed by Halley's Comet, pop charity singles and looming education reforms. As Ruby discovers new love and Vera eyes retirement, Jack must fight to protect both his post and the school.
Silent Night
by Jack Sheffield
2013
In 1984, the Ragley school choir is chosen to sing carols in a York church for a televised Christmas service, sending pupils, parents and staff into overdrive. While Jack manages rehearsals and nerves, he also wrestles with more private worries at home.
School's Out!
by Jack Sheffield
2013
It's 1983 and another school year at Ragley brings a new teacher, a bold five year old called Madonna Fazackerly and big changes for Ruby the caretaker. As strikes and new technology reshape Britain, Jack faces a mix of village comedy and real heartbreak.
Educating Jack
by Jack Sheffield
2012
In 1982, Jack Sheffield returns for a sixth year at Ragley village school, where a new term brings a troublesome nativity play, job worries for familiar locals and the arrival of the 20p piece. Behind the classroom humour, Jack is heading toward a life changing surprise.
Please Sir!
by Jack Sheffield
2011
By 1981, life at Ragley primary is speeding up: computers arrive, pop music blares and the Falklands conflict looms in the background. Jack Sheffield juggles school crises, Vera's royal moment and Ruby's new romance while wondering whether wedding plans will really go smoothly.
Village Teacher
by Jack Sheffield
2010
In 1980, recession, school closures and royal wedding fever reach Ragley-on-the-Forest, where Jack Sheffield starts his fourth year as headteacher. While Vera battles a new electric typewriter and Ruby marks ten years at the school, Jack fights to secure the village school's future.
Dear Teacher
by Jack Sheffield
2009
Set in 1979, Dear Teacher follows Jack Sheffield through his third year at Ragley village school as strikes, pop culture and village gossip swirl around him. Amid nativity mishaps and staff romances, Jack is finally pushed to choose between Beth and Laura Henderson.
Mister Teacher
by Jack Sheffield
2008
In 1978, Jack Sheffield begins his second year leading the Ragley village school and finds three letters waiting on his desk, including one from nine year old Sebastian in hospital. Helping the boy pulls Jack and the whole community into an emotional school year.
Teacher, Teacher!
by Jack Sheffield
2007
Newly appointed headmaster Jack Sheffield arrives at a small primary school in Ragley-on-the-Forest in 1977 and meets a riot of pupils, parents and staff. Between classroom crises and village dramas, he also finds himself drawn to fellow teacher Beth Henderson.
Series background & context
The Teacher series follows fictional headmaster Jack Sheffield as he runs a small primary school in the Yorkshire village of Ragley-on-the-Forest. Inspired by the author's own years in village classrooms, the books mix staffroom humour with the rhythms of rural life.
Most of the novels each cover a single school year, beginning with Teacher, Teacher! in 1977 and moving through the late 1970s and 1980s. As a new term starts, readers see fresh pupils, new teachers and the same core cast of villagers returning with fresh problems.
Jack is at the centre, but he is rarely alone. Ruby the outspoken caretaker, Vera the efficient yet sentimental school secretary, local cafe owner Dorothy and a stream of parents, governors and eccentric children weave in and out of the stories. The school is the hub of the community, so village romances, feuds and festivals all spill into Jack's day job.
Because each book is tied to a particular year, the background is full of small period details. Pop songs on the radio, television cliffhangers, new gadgets and political changes such as elections or education reforms all filter into staffroom conversations. It feels like opening a time capsule to late twentieth century Yorkshire, seen from one busy village school.
Underneath the jokes and classroom mishaps there are real stakes. Jack worries about school closures, funding cuts and how national policy will affect his pupils. Families face illness, bereavement and money worries, and sometimes a seemingly light subplot, such as a letter from a sick child, becomes the emotional heart of a book.
Later instalments widen the series' scope. Starting Over and Changing Times travel back to the 1950s and 1960s, showing earlier generations at Ragley school, while Back to School and School Days follow a younger Jack in tougher urban classrooms before he ever reaches the village. Finally, Last Day of School brings his time at Ragley to a crossroads as the National Curriculum arrives.
You can dip into the Teacher books almost anywhere and still enjoy the gentle humour and village gossip. Read in order, though, they build into a long portrait of one man's teaching career, a changing education system and a close knit community dealing with whatever history throws at it.
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