Key Voices: Recent Episodes

View Details

Recently published research* highlighted that school pupils who identify as LGBTQ+ have lower feelings of safety than those who identify as heterosexual. What can school and trust leaders do to change this?

This is the question we explored in a recent webinar, which you can now listen to in this podcast. Our guests were Evie Cryer, LGBTQ+ advocate for staff and pupils across the Oasis Community Learning trust, and Jo Brassington, educator, author and co-founder of the Pride & Progress podcast.

We talk about:

• Evie and Jo’s roles and how they influence and support schools to become safer spaces for all pupils
• Practical advice and strategies to help school and trust leaders reflect on their own safeguarding provision
• How schools and trusts can equip their staff to support pupils who identify as LGBTQ+
• … and much more

You’ll find Jo’s podcast and links to more resources that Jo mentions, here.

If you’re a member of The Key, you can use our resources to help you make school a safe space for all pupils, including our gender and LGBTQ+ inclusivity whole school and curriculum audits.

*The Pupil Safeguarding Review, published in January 2023 by Edurio and The Key, highlighted that among school pupils in years 9 to 13, children who identified as LGBTQ+ typically had lower feelings of safety than those who identified as heterosexual. View the reports here.

View Details

This week we talk to Sir Dan Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation about leading the trust through a major cyber attack last year. We also talk about some of the systems that underpin the Harris Federation’s school improvement and efficiency models, as well as hearing Sir Dan’s reflection on the role of the CEO.

We talk about:

• How the cyber attack happen and how the story unfolded including how they got support to negotiate with the hackers
• How prevalent such attacks are and how all schools should assume they will be targeted
• The challenges the team at Harris faced and the support they got to recover including how the precautions they had taken had allowed them to open safely with all IT systems down
• Sir Dan’s own experience of being in charge during such a difficult time
• Additional steps the trust is taking to protect itself in future
• How Harris uses a team of subject specialists to support school improvement on the ground as part of its turnaround process
• How they have managed to find efficiencies through centralisation and simplification
• The need to retain agility even as the organisation becomes larger and the importance of feedback from the schools about the central services they provide.
• The role the CEO has in constantly articulating the vision and mission of the organisation, recruiting talent, enabling action and dealing with difficult problems

You can get more detail about The Harris Federation’s experience of a cyber attack here.

You can learn more about The Harris Federation here.

View Details

This week we talk to Shaun Brown, Programmes Director at The Difference and Mohamed Abdallah, Head of The Difference Inclusive Leadership Course about their pioneering inclusive leadership training. We discuss the theory that underpins the learning and how to overcome some of the barriers schools can face when being truly inclusive in their approach.

We talk about:

• Mohamed and Shaun’s experiences in mainstream and alternative provision
• What The Difference does as an organisation
• Why the inclusive leadership course exists and how it is different from other training available
• The theory that underpins the course and an understanding that all pupils have wellbeing, learning and safeguarding needs
• How behaviour practice and behaviour systems should ideally fit together and align
• Some of the ways in which participants have implemented strategies from the course and the impact it has had on their schools
• How the pandemic may have provided an opportunity for schools to rethink their approach to behaviour and inclusion

You can find out more about The Difference here and the Inclusive Leadership Course here.

View Details

This week we talk to Mandy Coalter, Founder of Talent Architects about her recent paper on the role trusts can play in making schools great places to work. She also explains how policymakers should consider trusts more when making policy that impacts the education workforce. Mandy also talks about how schools and trusts are broadening their understanding of what can be achieved for pupils when you take a strategic approach to recruiting, retaining and developing your people.

We talk about:

• Mandy’s career and why she founded Talent Architects
• How trusts can create additional capacity for school improvement
• The role policymakers can have in shaping the sector and how they need people with education expertise to help them make the best policy
• The vital role trust and school leaders play in shaping the culture in their own schools and trusts, and building their employer brand
• The need for more joined-up thinking in education policy so improvements in one area are not cancelled out by changes in another
• The changing role of HR professionals and how transformative they can be when they work right at the heart of an organisation
• Why education can be slower to change employment practice than other industries
• Practical ways to become an employer of choice
• HR issues on the horizon for trust leaders and how to balance day to day issues with longer term strategic plans

You can read Mandy’s original paper for the Confederation of School Trusts here.

View Details

This week we talk to Iona Jackson, Head of Research at Edurio and Anna Menzel, a university student who got involved with Edurio’s research when she was still at school. We hear about what they discovered during the course of their surveys and their thoughts about what makes a difference to pupil well-being. Anna also shares her insights into being there for her friends as a “first responder” to their problems and her reflections on mental health while at school.

We talk about:

• Why Edurio decided to design and run the survey
• How Anna got involved with Edurio in the first place and how she inspired one of the questions in the survey
• The main findings of the survey, including what it tells us about how well, safe, happy, lonely pupils are feeling and how that changes depending on various student and school characteristics
• Some of the factors that might be driving pupils to feel more stressed and anxious
• Edurio’s finding that a higher proportion of pupils are now feeling lonely and who they go to for support
• Some of the challenges of balancing growing older and building resilience with unhelpful and negative stress
• The importance of the role of the first responder and how schools can support pupils in these roles, and indeed all pupils, to listen to their friends when they need them

“Looking back at my exams now that I’m out of school… they always felt like the be-all and end-all and they never were.”

You can download Edurio’s Pupil Learning Experience and Well-being Review

here

View Details

This week we talk to Asma Maqsood-Shah, Principal at High Hazel’s Academy in Sheffield and part of United Learning Academy Trust, about how she overcame her doubts about introducing flexible working at her school and how creating a flexible culture contributed hugely to the school’s improvement journey. We discuss the initial issues the school faced, how they adopted flexible working and what some of the benefits have been.

We talk about:

• Asma’s background and career to date
• The school’s history, context and issues with staff turnover, absence and morale
• Why Asma was initially concerned about encouraging flexible working amongst her staff
• The importance of developing a rationale around flexible working and a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to flexible working requests
• How flexible working fitted into work the school was doing to improve alignment, engagement and leadership
• Some of the challenges Asma and her team overcame around cost, articulating equity of access
• The benefits and improvements staff, pupils and parents have seen as a result of adopting a culture of flexible working
• What further developments there might be in the future

You can learn more about the benefits, practicalities and how to overcome the challenges associated with flexible working here and here

WomenEd also have a range of case studies on how to make flexible working work.

You can watch the original Teaching Vacancies webinar referenced in the introduction here. You can also check out the Teaching Vacancies service here - which makes it easy for you to search for and post jobs that are flex friendly.

View Details

This week we talk to Hannah Stolton, Chief Executive at Governors for Schools and Nisadha Bandhara, Chair of Governors at Webster Primary School in Manchester. We discuss what makes a good governor, trends in governor recruitment and Nisadha’s own experience taking over the chair at her school. Hannah and Nisadha also share advice for prospective governors and make the case for volunteering.

We talk about

• The work of Governors for Schools
• Nisadha’s experiences of governor recruitment and becoming Chair of a Single Academy Trust
• Governors for Schools’ new ‘All Pupils Every Ambition’ campaign
• The skills Nisadha has brought to the role and what she has learned from being a governor
• The kinds of skills governing boards are looking for in new recruits
• How Covid-19 has impacted governor recruitment
• The benefits and challenges of remote governance
• Advice from prospective governors

You can see some of the work going on at Webster Primary on their instagram page here

You can sign up to Governors for Schools Webinars here and learn more about the ‘All Pupils Every Ambition’ campaign here

View Details

This week speak to Adele Bates, behaviour and education specialist, keynote speaker and author. We talk about her ideas around behaviour and her new book ‘Miss, I don’t give a s**t: Engaging with challenging behaviour in schools.’ Adele talks about the importance of finding your own authentic way to ‘do’ behaviour, shares a range of tools and techniques for those working in schools to add to their “toolbox” and considers some powerful ways schools can develop their whole school behaviour policy.

We talk about:

• Adele’s surprisingly long and varied teaching career
• Why Adele decided to focus on behaviour and her work in alternative provision
• Adele’s advice for being authentic in your approach to managing behaviour
• Why Adele wrote her book and the thinking behind its eye-catching title
• How Adele got to understand some of the reasons behaviour can become a barrier to learning
• The difference between a behaviour policy on paper and understanding how it works in practice, and the need to involve all stakeholders in drafting a policy
• The importance of senior leaders hearing pupil voice and understanding the experience of pupils who struggle with their behaviour
• Some practical tips for managing difficult classes

You can learn more about Adele’s work here

View Details

This week we talk to Tom Harbour, CEO of Learning with Parents about how schools can make engaging parents in their children’s learning inclusive. Tom tells us why he was motivated to set up an organisation focussed on parental engagement. Tom shares what he has learned about how to break down all possible barriers and help every parent access ways to support their children at school. 

We talk about:

• Why Tom set up Learning with Parents and how it has developed
• The various different strands to Learning with Parents’ work
• What Tom and his team have learnt about effective pupil engagement, with a particular focus on how to make activities fully inclusive
• Tom’s reflections on how schools and parents can best work together to support learning
• What Tom thinks the impact of partial school closures has been on parental engagement

You can learn more about Learning with Parents here.

*You can read the original report from The Joseph Rowntree Foundation that Tom quotes here.

View Details

This week we talk to Andy Mellor,  Strategic Lead for the Carnegie Centre of Excellence in Mental Health in Schools based at Leeds Beckett University, and the National Wellbeing Director for Schools Advisory Service about mental health and wellbeing. We discuss the emerging role of the senior mental health lead and the various aspects of this role and associated training. We also consider the need for whole-school preventative approaches, as well as support for those most acutely affected by mental health difficulties. Andy also shares some successful strategies from his own time as a headteacher.

We talk about:

• Andy’s own long career working in and with schools
• The changing landscape with regard to volume and complexity of mental health need
• Andy’s advice for serving headteachers based on his experience
• The links Andy has observed between schools that have a strong wellbeing approach and sustained school improvement
• The role of senior mental health leads and what their training might involve
• The full range of areas the senior mental health lead could be having an impact on, and the importance of that person either being on the SLT or having good access to those who are
• Some of the ways in which Andy improved pupil engagement and outcomes using a wellbeing informed approach
• Different training and support options available for senior mental health leads including a free community
• How schools might think about the mental health of their staff and the importance of school leaders prioritising their own mental health and wellbeing

You can sign up to the free senior mental health lead community Andy mentions here.

“I think school leaders are past masters at making bad situations work but schools are currently on their knees. If you combine all of this with decreasing funding levels and increased responsibility, it feels like we are coming close to a breaking point.”

View Details

This week we speak to Sarah Dove, Director of Phoenix Education Consultancy about her diverse experience of supporting children outside of mainstream schooling in a variety of different contexts. We discuss what prompted Sarah to write her book ‘Behaving together in the Classroom’. Sarah shares what she’s seen change in the last 20 years of working in education, the changes she’d like to see in the future and what she learnt from conducting her own surveys into pupils' experiences of remote learning.

We talk about:

• The different types of settings Sarah has worked in
• Sarah’s collaborative and curious approach to behaviour
• The importance of thinking about different ways to respond to challenging behaviour, rather than repeating the same tactics
• What has changed about the way alternative provision and mainstream interact
• How social media has brought more behavioural issues inside the school gates
• What further change is needed to make sure alternative provision and mainstream can work together in the most effective way for the child
• What Sarah found out from surveying pupils about their experiences of lockdown and their feelings about returning to school
• Sarah’s thoughts on the importance of listening to pupil voice

The report from the Centre for Social Justice Sarah mentions can be found here.

You can find free to download resources on Sarah’s website here and more about her book here.

View Details

This week we speak to Claire Oatway, a Leadership and Strategy Consultant, and Sam Smith, Headteacher at Stoke Damerel Primary Academy about some work they did together to imagine the future of schooling. Claire created an immersive representation of what a completely AI and technology enabled school could look like. This was then passed on to Sam and her team, who used it as a jumping off point for thinking more about how they could prepare their pupils for the future, and embrace technology in their curriculum and practices.

We talk about:

• Sam and Claire’s backgrounds and past experiences
• How their partnership came about
• How Claire created an immersive vision for the future of education for Sam and her team to respond to
• The importance of giving children at primary school a better understanding of STEAM careers
• What a fully AI/ tech enabled school environment could look like without teachers and what that tells us about the highest value work teachers can actually be doing in schools
• Why and how school leaders can think bigger and differently about education if it is augmented by technology
• Sam’s reflections about her school’s experience of remote learning and how the school evolved their offering over time
• The potential for tech to support personalised learning for children who need additional support and other likely near term developments in EdTech

The original presentation Claire delivered at Sam’s school is here.

You can read about Claire’s work in this area here and you can contact her directly via LinkedIn to learn more.

The television programme Sam mentions can be watched on catch-up here.

You can find out more about Sam’s school here.

View Details

This week we talk to Mike Foster, Assistant Head at Thorntree Academy in Middlesbrough, Tom Hooper, Founder and CEO of Third Space Learning and Baz Ramaiah, an associate at The Centre For Education and Youth (CFEY). We hear more about CFEY’s report ‘A Space for Maths: Exploring the need for maths tutoring and the potential role of Third Space Learning’, the importance of early maths achievement and getting children confident with numeracy. Mike tells us about his school’s experience of using Third Space Learning and we discuss what makes for a really effective maths tutoring intervention.

We talk about:

• Mike’s school and the community it serves

• The case for early intervention building strong maths skills early

• The findings of the ‘A Space for Maths’ report and how teaching and learning numeracy differs from literacy
• The difference tutoring can make to pupils
• The impact of the pandemic on maths skills and the issues with parental support for maths home learning
• How difficulties with and anxiety about maths can become intergenerational
• The potential economic impacts of a lack of maths ability
• Mike’s maths catch-up focus at school - vocabulary and application of mathematical skills
• Why Mike wanted a tutoring intervention and what he was hoping to gain from it
• The importance of a tutoring solution that is responsive and aligns with what is going on in class teaching
• How Third Space designed their solution to make cost-effective, high-quality, one-to-one tuition available to pupils in need
• The impact good quality tutoring can have on pupils

You can find the report from CFEY ‘A Space for Maths’ here.

You can find the Third Space Learning impact report here and read about other schools’ experiences here.

View Details

This week we talk to Nav Sanghara, CEO of The Woodland Academy Trust and Alice Gregson, Chief Operating Officer at Forum Strategy about Forum Strategy’s recent publication ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion amongst Academy Trust CEOs’. We discuss why the research was conducted and the challenges that persist when it comes to tackling the lack of diversity at senior levels within trusts. We also delve into some of the more positive findings emerging from the research, and discuss the recommendations and potential solutions raised in the report.

We talk about:

• Alice and Nav’s careers and backgrounds
• Why Forum Strategy wanted to conduct the research
• Some of the positive findings that denote a level of progress on this issue
• The more challenging findings from the report and the work still to be done, particularly around data collection
• Some of Nav’s experiences as a senior leader within a trust
• The importance of inclusive practices as well as having diverse teams
• The fear of using the wrong language being a barrier to people getting involved in the important work of diversity & inclusion and ways to address this
• How a consistent approach to diversity data collection across all the characteristics would help progress this work
• Some potential solutions, including the need for organisations to have a long-term strategic plan that tackles all aspects of this agenda across all relevant policies and activities, but recognising that this will take time and sustained effort

You can download the report from Forum Strategy here

You can learn more about the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s nine protected characteristics here

If you would like to get in touch with Alice or Nav, or have any questions or feedback on the podcast, please email caroline.doherty@thekeysupport.com

View Details

This week we speak to Professor Becky Allen, Co-Founder of Teacher Tapp, Ben White, Assistant Headteacher of a secondary school in Kent and Matthew Evans, Headteacher of a secondary school in Gloucestershire, about a book they wrote together entitled, ‘The Next Big Thing in School Improvement’. We discuss the main themes of the book, namely: the complexity of the school system, the limits of our knowledge and the problems that arise when an approach to school improvement (that might well be effective in some contexts) becomes a generalised “fad” and actually has limited impact.

We talk about:

• How the three authors met and why they decided to write a book together on this topic
• What it means when we say schools are “complex” systems and why they are difficult to improve
• Some of the important things about learning and education that we just don’t know yet and may never know
• Advice for headteachers contemplating school improvement
• The limits of the education system as it has currently been designed and what some of the potential options could be for overcoming them
• The group’s thoughts on the current focus on curriculum
• How each of our guests thinks education research, time and funding could be spent to tackle some of the challenges they have identified around school improvement
• Activities they have each participated in as part of past school improvement fads that they now regret

You can order Becky, Ben and Matthew’s book here

View Details

This week we talk to Katy Pinchess, Headteacher at Bentley Church of England Primary School about her school’s approach to reading. Katy shares how they have used a digital tool (Lexplore) that uses artificial intelligence and eye-tracking technology to dig further into exactly what children find challenging about reading. We also talk about other ways in which Katy has built a strong reading culture at her school, discuss briefly her recent experience of an Ofsted inspection and hear her observations of how pupils are adjusting to being back in school.

We talk about:

• Reading as a focus across the school
• What using the digital tool adds to the school’s approach to teaching reading
• How administering reading assessments works and how the results are used to support pupils progress
• The school’s context and the importance of reading across the curriculum
• How using the digital tool has supported parental engagement with reading
• The impact of Covid-19 on pupil’s academic resilience
• How the team at Bentley have applied a ’back to basics’ approach this term to support pupils back into the classroom.

You can learn more about Bentley Church of England Primary School here

More information about Lexplore is available here

View Details

This week we talk to Anna Trethewey, Head of Strategy and Andrew Cook, HMI and Regional Director North West, both from Ofsted about Ofsted’s rapid evidence review into peer-on-peer sexual abuse. We talk about how the review was conducted, the findings that emerged and how schools can start to take steps to respond to this issue. We also discuss the nature of the challenge in more detail and the importance of taking a deep and considered approach to building a safe and inclusive culture. We also touch on the role that governors can play in supporting schools with this work.

We talk about:

• How Ofsted worked to produce a high impact report that conveyed the scale of the problem at speed
• The pivotal importance of pupil experience and testimony to this review and how organising single-sex discussion groups proved to be a valuable way to capture views during the school visits
• How problematic sexual behaviour seems to have become almost normalised and the need to be more clear about thresholds and really defining what behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable for young people
• Why inclusive language and strong role modelling can play such a key part in establishing a positive school culture
• The link between RSHE and PSHE provision and pupils’ experiences
• Some of the changes already resulting from the review’s publication
• How hard it can be for schools to navigate behaviour that happens online or out of school premises
• How governors can support school leadership teams with this work

You can read the full review from Ofsted here.

View Details

This week we talk to Dr Helen Edwards, Co-Founder of Tapestry about changes happening in the Early Years (the new Early Years Framework and updated Development Matters). Helen shares some really useful tips for governors visiting the EYFS. We also reflect on the impact of the pandemic and the opportunity it presented for those working in the early years to embrace technology, particularly as a way to maintain the connection between their setting and home, and consider what the future might look like. 

We talk about:

• The changes to the EYFS Framework, Development Matters and Early Learning Goals and what these mean in practice
• How to be a curious governor when visiting the EYFS and some good questions to ask
• Some of the ways in which settings and Edtech providers had to adapt during the pandemic
• The importance of achieving a balance around use of technology in the Early Years and balancing the workload associated with recording and reporting
• The role EdTech can play in CPD, especially in a nursery setting where there will be limited time and budget
• What is special about working in the Early Years

You can learn more about Tapestry here

View Details

“Heck! The reason this job is so hard is not just because we believe it to be so, but because a lot of the expectations of what headteachers have to do day-to-day... are implicitly demanding of a very high stage of adult ego development.”

This week we speak to Dr Neil Gilbride, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gloucestershire. We discuss his research into School Principals at Different Stages of Adult Ego Development: Their Sense-Making Capabilities and How Others Experience Them. Neil tells us about why and how he conducted the research, what it tells us about leadership in a school setting and the particular challenges school leaders face.

We talk about:

• Neil’s career and background
• Why he chose to undertake the research and the possible implications the findings might have
• What the ‘ego’ is, what it does and how it develops according to Loevinger’s model of the 8 stages of adult ego development
• More details about the 3 stages of ego development the study focuses on
• What the research shows us about how difficult it is to be a leader in a school setting
• What constitutes a ‘wicked’ problem as opposed to a ‘tame’ problem
• Why it is important to understand education leadership and its challenges first, before working out what we can learn from other sectors
• How he designed the study and carried it out
• What kind of scaffolding leaders might need to help them sense-make more effectively and the impact stress can have on someone’s sense-making abilities
• Role of experience and experiences in leadership development
• Neil’s plans for further research

You can read Neil’s paper here it includes full details of Loevinger’s model of adult ego development

You can learn more about his international project Getting Heads Together here

“Some people described the headteacher who was “individualist” as magical. They could just seem to put their finger on the problem and they think it is some kind of divine intervention, and it isn’t. Actually the way they make sense of the problem incorporated so many different perspectives and views that by the time they got there everyone felt they’d been heard and everyone could see where the headteacher was coming from.”

View Details

This week we talk to Kat Howard, Head of Professional Learning at David Ross Education Trust Teaching School Hub, Author and Founder of Litdrive. We talk about some of the key themes of Kat’s books: Stop Talking About Wellbeing and Symbiosis. We also talk about some of the lessons that can be learned from remote learning for both teaching and flexibility in schools, and how to have meaningful conversations about curriculum development.

We talk about:

• Why we should stop talking about wellbeing
• Some of Kat’s observations coming from another sector outside education
• The opportunities the pandemic has presented to do things differently such as;
  • Engaging in more CPD
  • Collaborating more easily
  • Working more flexibly
  • Using remote learning as a chance to watch other teachers and really honing in on certain aspects of teaching
• Kat’s approach to blogging and writing books
• How Kat chose to use time while on maternity leave to participate in and deliver CPD
• The vital role curriculum can play in engaging pupils and staff
• How to have successful curriculum conversations
• Adapting your curriculum to support catch up

Here is the blog Kat mentioned about how she writes books and blogs

You can learn more about Litdrive, the organisation Kat founded, here

You can learn more about the Maternity Paternity Teacher Project here or listen to the Key Voices episode with its founder here

View Details

This week we talk to Diana Osagie, ex-headteacher, coach and leadership specialist . We talk about Diana’s experiences of headship and the work she is doing to support female leaders thrive.  Finally, Diana shares some super practical advice for new headteachers and the governing bodies supporting them. 

We talk about:

• The fact that no-one teaches school leaders to be leaders
• Some of the lessons Diana learned from her time in headship
• Diana’s thoughts about why and how women lead differently
• The power of coaching
• Covid-19 and how to manage and empower your team in a crisis
• Very practical advice for new heads
• How governors can support new headteachers

You can register for the free 3 day Transformational Leadership Challenge we discuss (starting on Monday 13th September) here 

You can learn more about Diana and her work here

View Details

This week we talk to Sir Jon Coles, CEO of United Learning. Jon shares his thoughts on this year’s exam arrangements and what could happen next year. As well as, why it is so hard to make good policy and how he feels the pandemic has really emphasised the benefits of being part of a large trust. 

We talk about : 

• This year’s exam results and what they could mean for future cohorts
• The various options for next year’s exams and the considerations that would need to be made depending on which way forward is chosen
• How to close the gap between those who make policy and those who implement it
• Jon’s time in the civil service and his thoughts on exactly why it is so hard to make successful policy
• How additional capacity made Jon’s trust more resilient during the pandemic
• Establishing remote teaching during the pandemic
• The most powerful ways technology can make a difference in education

You can learn more about United Learning here

View Details

This week we talk to Steve and Paula Kenning, Managing Directors of Aspirations Academy Trust, and Ian Livingstone CBE, a games industry veteran, who is working with the trust to found a new academy in Bournemouth - the Livingstone Academy. We talk about the principles underpinning the work of the Aspirations Academy Trust and hear about how Steve and Paula have worked with Ian to found a different and exciting new school.

We talk about:

• Steve and Paula’s experiences building a trust and developing their educational philosophy
• Ian’s background, the work he has done on improving the quality of digital education and why he wants young people to move from being in the passenger seat as users of technology, into the driving seat where they are creating it
• The central focus the trust has on making education exciting, engaging, practical and interdisciplinary
• How the plan for the school came about and some of the innovative ways they plan to work in terms of curriculum, leadership and use of digital tools
• What a successful launch and first year would look like
• The future world of work
• What Steve and Paula have learned from working closely with employers about how to make young people world ready and work ready

You can learn more about the work of Aspire Academies Trust here

View Details

This week we talk to Iona Jackson, Head of Research at Edurio and Amy Ferguson, Deputy Headteacher of an Independent Special School. We discuss Edurio’s recent research report on Equality, diversity and inclusion among school staff. Iona tells us about the report’s main findings and Amy shares her reflections, and suggestions as to what schools can do practically to become more inclusive.

We talk about:

• What the terms equality, diversity and inclusion actually mean
• The main findings of the report: notably how less than half of respondents felt their school was diverse and that white staff, men and staff without a disability reported feeling more confident that staff are treated equally than their peers
• The impact that bias, either conscious or unconscious, can have in schools
• How to close the perception gap between a leadership team who feels they are adequately addressing equality, diversity and inclusion, and a staff that feel differently
• The importance of involving staff and getting honest feedback from staff in relation to equality and diversity
• The evolving nature of equality, diversity and inclusion at work
• How to address some of the issues around hidden difference

You can download Edurio’s report here

Amy mentions the work of the following organisations who provide further support Diverse Educators, BAMEed and LGBTed

View Details

This week we talk to Kaley Foran, Lead Content Editor and Nicola West-Jones, Head of Market Research at The Key. We talk about the continuing challenges thrown up by COVID-19 and how schools have been tackling them, as well as thinking about what issues are on the horizon. We also consider how different governance has been during another extraordinary period for schools. 

We talk about: 

• Learnings from lockdown
• School leaders’ impressive ability to make the right decisions for their pupils and their communities
• The changing role of the DfE against a potentially more confident and empowered generation of school leaders
• Focus topics for September: preparing for Ofsted, addressing sexism and sexual abuse in schools, wellbeing, curriculum and CPD
• The experience for governors in this period of largely remote meetings
• The future of school funding
• Some of the findings from our recent survey on schools’ plans for catch-up activity

View Details

“It’s the best thing you can do for the relationship between staff and students. Do it with the students, don’t assume for them… try asking the students what they want and finding a compromise that works from both perspectives.”

This week Key Voices has been taken over by students at Townley Grammar School. They share their thoughts about their school changing its hair policy and talk passionately about the difference it has made to them and their peers. They also interview Desmond Deehan, CEO of Odyssey Trust for Education, which Townley Grammar is part of, about the decision-making process the trust took to change their hair policy. They also ask about why he wanted to start a dialogue with other schools, and what further plans there are to examine bias and inequality across their uniform policy.

We talk about:

• What changing the hair policy at school has meant to the girls and their peers
• The negative impact having restrictive hair rules has, particularly on students from diverse backgrounds and on relationships between students and teachers
• The connection between hair, confidence and self-expression
• The importance of engaging students in changes like this
• What other aspects of school uniform policy might need changing
• What inspired Desmond to decide to change the policy
• Communicating policy change and why Townley decided to try and use publicity to try and get other schools to think about hair rules differently
• How they feel they have shattered the illusion that education and standards in schools are linked to clothing
• The connection between awareness raising, protest and how real change happens

This is the book Desmond mentions Don’t touch my hair! By Emma Dabiri

“The recognition that just challenging someone [about their hair] is a sanction. If you are picked out in your class and something public is said to you about your hair, that is a sanction. You don’t have a detention for that, and it doesn’t get recorded as such but you walk away from it as the student thinking, I feel bad now and I didn’t feel that before, and the teacher might not even feel they have told you off, but that is how it lands.”

View Details

This week we talk to Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton, Head of Education & Youth, (she/her) and Katherine Fowler, Content Editor at The Key (she/her) about being in an LGBTQ+ inclusive school. We talk about the importance of high-quality age-appropriate Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) as well as making sure that you embed gender and LGBTQ+ inclusivity throughout your curriculum.

We talk about:

• The changes to RSHE and how schools can respond in an age-appropriate way and deal with any opposition from the local community
• Why it is important for all young people, but particularly those who identify as LGBTQ+ or think they might, to experience a curriculum that represents them and the relationships they seek
• The responsibilities of governing boards and how they can support school leaders on this agenda
• The importance of training for teachers to feel confident when talking to students about gender, sexuality and identity, and tackling biphobic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist language
• Practical considerations about which of a school’s policies relate to inclusion such as anti-bullying, child protection and behaviour policies
• How to audit your curriculum to be more inclusive
• Returning to your school’s core values and thinking about how you can use them to become more inclusive and make sure all pupils feel safe to be who they are in your school
• The Ofsted review of peer-on-peer sexual abuse and some specifics relating to LGBTQ+ inclusion

You can find best practice, toolkits and resources from Stonewall here

You can find more information on Stonewall’s e-learning here or their School and College Champions Programme here

Members of the Key for School Leaders can access our curriculum audit here

View Details

This week we talk to Major Pat Burgess, MBE, The Armour Centre Bovington and Sara White, Principal at Bovington Academy (part of The Aspirations Academy Trust). Major Pat has been delivering mindfulness sessions to pupils at Bovington Academy to help them deal with anxiety and prepare for their transition to secondary school. We hear about how the army and the school work in partnership and the benefits of applying mindfulness techniques in a school setting. 

We talk about: 

• Bovington Academy’s context and high mobility (circa 70%)
• Their experience of the pandemic, with many children attending the school during partial closures
• How transferable Major Pat found the mindfulness training he does with his colleagues to a school setting
• The high levels of anxiety experienced by pupils and the need to help them cope with difficult situations they might encounter
• Why transition to secondary school is challenging for pupils, particularly this year
• Other ways in which the army supports the school
• The importance of mindfulness in schools

You can learn more about the Mindfulness in Schools project Major Pat references here. 

View Details

This week we speak to Sarah Baker, CEO, Alison Bingham, Director of Development and Rachel Watson, Associate Principal and Director of Education and Achievement from TEAM Education Trust, in the final instalment of our series of podcasts covering their first year as a trust. We talk about what they feel they have learned and achieved,  their plans for further development and Sarah shares her top tips for first time CEO’s. 

We talk about: 

• The resilience and adaptability of their staff during the pandemic
• How proud they are of what has been achieved this year
• What their first year as a trust might have looked like without challenges raised by COVID-19
• The importance of building strong relationships across a trust
• What Sarah has learned in her first year as a CEO, including delegation and trying to let go of her inner perfectionist
• The importance of work-life balance for all staff, especially for the central team as role models for the other staff
• How to work towards becoming an employer of choice
• TEAM Education trusts CPLD programme

View Details

This week we speak to David Chapman, Vice Principal at Aston University Engineering Academy (AUEA) about his experiences running careers information advice and guidance at the longest-running University Technical College (UTC) in the country. We talk about how he met some of the challenges of running a careers programme during COVID-19 and the importance of contextualising learning and involving parents in the careers process.

We talk about:

• The purpose of UTCs and the history and context of AUEA
• David’s own career journey
• The impact of the pandemic on delivery of careers information advice and guidance in schools
• The remote offering that David developed at AUEA
• Whether the english system asks young people to specialise or decide about careers too early
• How David is planning to compare what students think they might want to do on entry with their destination data to understand more about the impact of AUEA’s careers work
• Some of the challenges other UTCs have faced with regard to recruiting students
• Schools, government and parents’ relative roles and responsibilities with regard to careers
• The value of collaboration between schools on their careers strategies
• What government has done and could do to support good careers guidance in schools
• How crucial it is to involve parents in careers work and to make sure the child’s voice can be clearly heard
• The importance of developing the whole child, as well as their academic abilities to help them reach their full potential

You can read the Careers after Covid report we mention here

You can find out more about Launch My Career here

There are useful resources for governors and leaders from The Careers Enterprise Company here

View Details

This week we speak to James Page, CEO of Haringey Education Partnership (HEP). HEP is a not-for-profit, schools-led school improvement company established by Haringey schools in partnership with the local authority. We talk about what education partnerships do and how HEP helps local schools work together in a high challenge, high support, high trust environment for the good of all pupils. We also hear about some of the recent work HEP has been doing on school improvement, curriculum and BAME achievement.

We talk about:

• How being genuinely schools-led is central to the way HEP works
• Haringey and the challenges schools serving the borough face
• How they are working as a family of schools on curriculum development
• The focus HEP have had over the past 4 years and continue to develop around Black Carribean and BAME achievement
• How, as a school partnership HEP resources and approaches school improvement differently
• The importance of keeping school improvement on the agenda even during the early stages of the pandemic
• How the support HEP offers adapted to remote delivery
• The work of their Black Caribbean and BAME Achievement Steering Group. In particular how they are helping schools to recognise and understand the systemic issues preventing all pupils achieving their potential and then finding really concrete ways to make meaningful change
• The future evolution of HEP and other education partnerships like it

You can watch HEP’s 2021 BAME Achievement Conference here

View Details

This week we speak to Shaun Paskin, Partnerships Manager for the Midlands at Governors for Schools, Linda Unternahrer, Lead Content Editor at The Key and Gulshan Kayembe, Education Consultant about remote governance. We discuss what we have all learned from doing governance remotely during the pandemic and think about how going forward, a blended approach might actually allow those involved with governance to innovate and fulfil their roles more effectively.

We talk about:

• The roles and responsibilities of governors and wide range of complex issues they get involved with
• The importance of governors understanding a school’s context and being able to talk to pupils and staff to better triangulate what they hear from the leadership team
• How governors can work collectively to enable some governors to carry out their role remotely
• How specific roles, such as safeguarding link governor or Chair are better carried out by governors that can easily visit the school
• Remote governance as a good way to increase diversity on governing bodies and can make it easier for everyone’s voice to be heard
• How remote meetings are a more accessible way for governors to observe meetings at other schools and share best practice
• As an increasing proportion embrace remote technology for work now and in the future, governors shouldn’t shy away from using remote means

View Details

This week we talk to Gareth Conyard, Deputy Director of the Developing Teachers and Leaders Division of the Department for Education, and Jacqueline Gilbert, Deputy Head at Park View Community School about the Early Career Framework (ECF). We hear from Jacqueline about her experiences as lead mentor for a group of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) as part of the early roll-out. We learn more about why the ECF is being introduced and how it works in practice for schools.

We talk about:

• The rationale for the introduction of the ECF and how it will work
• How it is different from previous NQT induction
• Why Jacqueline and her school got involved in the early roll-out of the framework
• How Jacqueline found being a mentor and her thoughts about her ECTs’ experience of the programme
• How Jacqueline found juggling being a mentor alongside class commitments and the positive impact working with the ECTs had on her own practice
• The fact that the ECF provides a very supportive and consistent experience which is proving helpful for new teachers whose ITT was disrupted by Covid
• While the introduction might prove to be an extra challenge for already stretched schools initially it could potentially really support the catch-up effort

You can sign up for a webinar about the ECF here

You can also find further information here

View Details

This week we talk to Viv Grant, Founder of Integrity Coaching and Colette Morris, Headteacher at Christ Church Primary School. Viv has created a programme called Race, Identity and School Leadership and Christ Church Primary are participating in it. Colette and her staff have been working with Viv to explore their own racial identities, bring about long-lasting change and impact whole school leadership, learning, policy and practice with regards to race equality.

We talk about:

• The history of work that has been going on in schools regarding race and how this conversation is now starting to broaden out and involve more schools
• The importance of understanding your own racial identity and how you view the world before rushing to antiracist “action”
• Why school leaders and their staff should become experts in the racial context of their schools and should seek to understand the conversations that take place both in school and outside school about race
• The need for teachers to understand and be comfortable in their own identities before they talk about race with pupils
• How Colette has taken a whole school approach to addressing race and identity, and established specific “lines of enquiry” to work on
• How vital it is to talk to pupils about their feelings about race
• How the Race, Identity and School Leadership programme balances academic thinking, discussion and co-creation
• Both guests’ hopes for the future of this work

You can find out more about the programme here

View Details

This week we talk to Paul Ainsworth, School Improvement Director at Infinity Academies Trust. Paul talks to us about the philosophy that sits behind his book No Silver Bullets: Day In, Day Out School Improvement. He focuses on the importance of incremental and sustained improvement rather than magic ideas to revolutionise how schools work. We also talk about Paul’s career to date, his role as a system leader and how multi academy trusts can be an effective vehicle for school improvement.

We talk about:

• Paul’s diverse school leadership experience
• Why Paul wanted to write a book that captured his school improvement “playbook”
• What Paul means by “day in, day out improvement” i.e. small regular improvements rather than trying to find that mythical silver bullet or quick fix
• Why it can be beneficial to work on and with existing systems rather than replacing them
• Some of Paul’s techniques for conducting school improvement work across a trust
• Why Paul finds working as a system leader and having an impact in multiple schools especially fulfilling
• Paul’s thoughts about working in both primary and secondary schools
• The kind of support Paul provides to headteachers
• How a trust structure can support heads to improve their schools

View Details

This week we talk to Dr. Victoria Carr, Headteacher at Woodlands Primary School. Victoria tells us about her current role, as well as her previous diverse teaching experiences, and how she balances work and study with being a parent and an army reservist. We also talk about some of the issues around using social media as a school leader and her thoughts about what might change as a result of the pandemic.

We talk about:

• Victoria’s current school, its improvement journey and her recent experience of Ofsted
• The fascinating career journey Victoria has been on, including stints setting up a school in Kenya and teaching soldiers in Germany
• The academic study Victoria has done alongside her job and how she balances a demanding school leadership role with significant external commitments and being a single parent to two teenage children
• The relationship Victoria has with her governing body
• Victoria’s thoughts on how schools can flex to support teacher parents
• Victoria’s experiences of the opportunities and challenges of engaging with social media as a headteacher
• How connection and collaboration via social media can be really helpful
• Why Victoria chooses to share aspects of her work and life on social media
• What Victoria thinks might change as a result of the pandemic

The TED Talk that Victoria gave on the power of language can be found here

View Details

This week we talk to David Weston, CEO at the Teacher Development Trust about his recent report reviewing the evidence around the impact teacher working conditions have on other aspects of a school. David explains how teacher working conditions link to effective CPD and tentatively to school improvement and better pupil outcomes. David also tells us about how the findings of the research reviewed in the report, underpin the Teacher Development Trusts (TDT) curriculum for their NPQs and ultimately, how schools can make sure both their teachers and pupils continue to thrive and learn.

We talk about:

• The new options and opportunities the pandemic has unlocked for staff CPD
• The introduction this September of a suite of new National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), the Early Career Framework and the emphasis on CPD from government
• How the right kinds of collaboration and professional development will actually help teachers cope with the complex demands of returning to face-to-face teaching
• What the literature review tells us about what effective working conditions look like
• How collaboration between teachers might work and how best to support new entrants into the profession
• Empowering staff to take ownership of their own development as well as feeling that they have a stake in the school’s development and direction
• Creating conditions for teachers to learn and thrive in their professional practice
• The TDT’s plans for future research in this area
• How the TDT’s new NPQ will put the evidence in this report into practice, alongside a further exploration of leadership skills in general and knowledge specific to schools

You can read the research paper we discuss here

You can read the blog by Dr. Sam Sims that David mentions here

You can find out more about the TDT’s NPQ here

View Details

This week we talk to Maria Brosnan, an educational leadership and well-being specialist. We discuss in some detail what happens in the body when we experience stress, plus Maria shares some practical techniques that can help us manage our response. We also consider coaching as a way of resolving issues, the importance of sleep and the ongoing impact of anxiety linked to the pandemic.

We talk about:

• Maria’s background in well-being and her work in schools
• Why school staff can sometimes find it hard to practice genuine self-care
• The physiology of what happens to our bodies when we react to stress
• The different biological ways men and women respond to stress
• The impact of chronic stress and anxiety, and a demonstration of a technique for self-regulation
• How to take a holistic approach to your well-being
• Why coaching can be an effective tool for feeling more in control of your life
• How Maria’s work has changed since the pandemic and how she is currently supporting school leaders, including with her work on sleep
• The importance of nuance and compassion when dealing with others at this difficult time

You can learn more about Maria’s approach to well-being here

Her work on sleep can be found here

She has some free resources available here

View Details

“Schools are about communities of humans coming together in real-time to talk to each other and to build relationships. We might have learned a bit more about how we can learn efficiently and effectively, but ultimately it is still about those relationships and being available to those people - learning with them, learning for them and learning from them.”

This week we talk to Derek Peaple, Former Headteacher at Park House School, Head of Education at SafeToNet and Director of Operations at Aspire 2Be about his career in teaching and headship. He shares his thoughts on how although school leadership itself has evolved, the role of the headteacher at the centre of the community has remained constant. We also hear more about how he developed computing and sport specialisms in his school.

We talk about:

• Derek’s route into headship and his passion for leadership
• How he has seen the role of headteacher change throughout his career and how he’s built a team of specialists around him over the years
• What the shift to a more ‘academised system’ means for school leadership
• Why he decided to retire from headship
• How Park House School developed a Computer Science specialism and became an NCCE Computing hub
• The importance of PE in the curriculum, Park House’s work as a specialist sports college and other projects Derek has been involved in

View Details

“79% of schools want clear proof the solution works, but only 8% trust the claims made by the suppliers*, so there is this big trust issue.”

*Teacher Tapp Survey December 2019

This week we talk to Michael Foreshaw, Founder and CEO, EdTech Impact about how he is helping schools make more granular comparisons of EdTech products before they buy, and helping EdTech suppliers focus more deeply on the impact of what they do. We discuss the changes resulting from the pandemic and think about the future ways in which the EdTech sector might develop.

We talk about:

• How Michael started his career as an IT technician in school and has gone on to develop two education businesses
• Why a platform like EdTech Impact is needed and how it serves suppliers and schools
• The importance of context and relevance when buying EdTech products and how EdTech Impact developed its “schools like mine” function
• Challenges around understanding the evidence of what works in EdTech
• What kind of new products are being launched
• Questions school leaders should ask suppliers before they buy
• The realities of working in an EdTech startup and the importance of soft skills and resilience when working in tech
• Possible future trends in EdTech and the innovative ways EdTech Impact is working with a multi academy trust to help them find the right products

You can learn more about EdTech Impact here.

The EdTech Impact Buyers Guide on formative assessment Michael mentions can be found here

You can learn more about the EdTech Evidence Group here.

You can also get in touch with Michael direct here.

“I think we’ll see more aspirational usage of EdTech over time, I know teachers are incredibly pushed around workload, it would be amazing if we could move away from selling based on ‘pain points”.

View Details

“The pandemic has given us the confidence to change, potentially in quite a quick way, to be creative in what we do and to focus on the most important things which, at the end of the day, are the children, the families and the staff.”

This week we talk to senior leaders at TEAM Education Trust: Sarah Baker, CEO, Alison Bingham, Director of Development, Rachel Watson, Associate Principal and Director of Education and Achievement, and Alan Brown, Principal, Model Village Primary. We look back at the year gone since the start of the pandemic, think about the difference working together as a trust has made to them and hear about the plans they have currently underway to further develop their work on a wellbeing charter.

We talk about:

• Their reflections on the previous year
• How the central team provided capacity to the schools
• The Trust’s approach to remote learning and how it has evolved over the course of the year
• The success of TEAM’s emphasis on parental involvement, including doing detailed individual risk assessments with each family and initially, designing the remote learning around parents’ ability to support it
• The ways in which parents, particularly at the Special School in the Trust, continued to support both the school and each other at this time
• Areas the Trust wants to develop in the future including its curriculum around employability and plans for more work around staff CPD
• The new members of staff that are joining the central team as TEAM becomes more established and the possibilities that might open up with regard to their wider offer as a result
• Their plans around working with staff to create a workload charter
• The confidence the team has taken away from the pandemic to “throw things up in the air” and make changes that will focus on what makes the most difference for pupils

You can learn more about TEAM Education Trust and its work here

“Parents probably learned more by accompanying their child in an online phonics session for instance, than in all the workshops we put on for them around phonics.”

View Details

“Nobody has asked me about how I, as an individual person, am feeling about the whole pandemic... because I am the headteacher and that is my job and that is what I do… I am the face of the school and that’s how I have to present. I don’t tend to share my opinion and feelings on a personal level, they tend to be more on a professional level because actually, it is not about me It’s about the children, the families and the staff.

This week we speak to Kate Owbridge, Executive Headteacher at Ashdown Primary School. She shares with us some of the lessons she has learned across 4 very different headships. Kate also includes some practical tips about engaging with school communities and school improvement. We briefly discuss engaging parents with remote learning, catch up and the challenges of leading a school community as they all return to school. We end with Kate enthusiastically explaining why she absolutely loves the work she does.

We talk about:

• The different schools Kate has led during her career and how in each case she got to know the community and how best to serve it
• The common thread across all types of parent is that they want the best for their children
• How to start on a school improvement journey while also taking parents along with you
• The realities of Kate’s school improvement experience at her current school, bringing an infant and junior school together
• What she has learned about headship during her career including, picking your battles, how to manage staff (such as the SBM) in an informed way so you feel confident all the right things are happening
• Her brilliant analogies about why supporting your child with remote learning can be approached like getting them to eat their meals and how catch-up is like recovering from a broken bone
• Her approach to building a bespoke curriculum based on how much time children have missed and how much longer they have left at the school
• How as a Head you need to remain neutral sometimes so that you can lead every member of the community, no matter how you are feeling
• Why she loves her job

View Details

This week we talk to Cheryl Campbell, Business, Finance and Operations Director at Thomas Tallis School, Founder of ABBLed (Association BAME Business Leaders in Education) and Stephen Morales, CEO at ISBL, about the recently released ‘Exploring Ethnicity: School Business Leadership in England’ report. We acknowledge that the report found very limited BAME representation in the school business profession and look at practical ways it can be increased. We also think about the lack of visibility of the school business profession and the ways in which that could be addressed.

We talk about:

• Cheryl’s journey into school business leadership
• Why she created ABBLed and how it works with ISBL
• The need for parity of esteem for school business leaders alongside leaders of teaching and learning
• How to attract talent into the school business profession, including the importance of different routes in and wider access to training and qualifications
• Why it is important for BAME individuals to tell their stories, as those interviewed for the research have done, so others can understand the impact of their actions or their silence
• How now is a time for us all to reflect and strive to do better
• Potential ways SBLs from BAME backgrounds can progress in their careers, including mentoring, training and becoming a governor
• The importance of role models
• The future for ABBled and its collaboration with ISBL

You can read the full Exploring Ethnicity School Business Leadership in England report here

Follow ABBLed on Twitter here and learn more about its work here

As discussed in the interview, you can also request a mentor here

View Details

“It’s been brutal. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my career in terms of the intensity, speed of thought, emotional demands, holding a community together as best you can, while not really knowing the answers to the questions you are being asked. But at the same time, what’s been really clear is the strength of the community we work within and work for.”

This week we talk to Simon Knight, Joint Headteacher at Frank Wise School and National SEND Leader at Whole School SEND. We talk about his route into special school leadership and his experiences of running the school during the pandemic. We also talk more broadly about the structural inequality that impacts the lives and life chances of young people with special educational needs. We discuss how the education sector, other government departments and society as a whole, have much more work to do to make sure everyone has a place in society where they can contribute and feel valued.

We talk about:

• What he loves about working with children with SEND
• His experiences of leading a special school during a pandemic
• Why a truly cross-departmental approach is needed to supporting young people with SEND
• The importance of genuinely involving those with lived experience in the policymaking process
• That the lack of opportunity for those with SEND is a hidden issue and isn’t challenged as frequently as other forms of discrimination
• The deep inequality facing young people with SEND in regard to opportunities for employment, health and happiness that others take for granted
• The importance of connecting young people with SEND to their local communities
• Simon’s thoughts on how the education sector could become truly inclusive

Do take the time to read this heartbreaking report, A Fair, Supportive Society, from the Institute of Health Equity that Simon and I discuss in the podcast.

“Let’s create a bit more space for people who’s lived experiences can inform what we do and stop making the presumption that those with the qualifications are best placed to make the decisions - because actually, it is those who experience it day to day who can help us work together to come up with the best ways of taking things forward.”

View Details

“The pandemic has shone so many lights on possibilities for how we could really harness flexible working. Historically, the infrastructure and organisational structures that we had within education were so deeply ingrained, that nobody dared challenge them… It’s thrown everything up into the air and has said, there is no aspect of our work... that we can’t explore doing in a different way.”

This week we talk to Emma Turner, author and Research & CPD Lead, about her book Let’s talk about Flex. We hear about Emma’s experiences of working flexibly and how schools can benefit from offering their staff opportunities to work differently. We also bust some common myths along the way. We consider how remote learning during the pandemic could actually accelerate the adoption of flexible working in education, a sector that still lags behind others when it comes to the number of people accessing flexible working.

We talk about:

• The different ways in which Emma has worked flexibly during her career
• What flexible working actually means including part-time, job share, staggered hours, compressed hours, working from home
• The fact that, after retirees, the biggest group of people leaving the teaching profession are experienced, female teachers aged 31-40 often this is because of a lack of flexible working options
• Whether schools could be missing out on a diverse range of talent if they only employ people who can work a full 5-day week
• How a culture with a low level of professional trust is a barrier to innovative flexible working opportunities
• The wealth of data and experience that shows that flexible working works and the lack of evidence that it doesn’t (see links below)
• Why we need to stop viewing flexible working as something negative that teachers and school leaders should apologise for doing
• How to bust myths, convince the sceptics and fully embrace the different kinds of career paths offered by working in a different way, including Emma’s “ patchwork flexibility” approach

As mentioned by Emma, you can find a range of data and case studies via the following organisations:

Flexible Teacher Talent

Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project

Chartered College of Teaching

“A healthy happy staff are much better teachers, it is about looking at your culture and your ingrained systems rather than thinking “if we implement this new shiny approach to doing something this will solve it all” no it is actually: What do our staff need? What would benefit them? What can we tweak and offer?”

View Details

This week, in our 100th episode of the podcast, we talk to Loic Menzies, CEO, Centre for Education and Youth (CFEY). We look back on Loic’s time creating and building the organisation as work begins around appointing his successor. We think about what has changed and shifted in education during the 12 years he has been running CFEY and look ahead to the forthcoming publication of his book “Young People on the Margins: Priorities for Action in Education and Youth”. We also consider what is needed to make sure all children and young people get the best start in life.

We talk about:

• How the CFEY began and how it has developed over time
• What a “think and action tank” actually does and the impact their work has had
• What has changed in education over the past 12 years
• The focus of their work on young people on the margins
• How Loic feels the wider services that used to support schools have been stripped away, leaving a “hollowed out” system
• The way that integrated action is needed to fully understand and address pupil vulnerability and child poverty
• The importance of young people’s voice to the work of the CFEY and suggestions of ways schools can harness pupil voice
• What should happen with this year’s exams
• If I made Loic an all-powerful Minister of Education and Youth what would he do?

You can learn more about the work of the CFEY here and their search for a new CEO here

The Youth Social Action Toolkit Loic mentions can be found here

The Primary Schools Careers resources Loic mentions can be found here

You can pre-order your copy of Young People on the Margins: Priorities for Action in Education and Youth here. You can save 20% by using the offer code (FLY21).

View Details

This week we talk to Adam Arnell, Director, Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Alliance, Patrick Garton, Director Oxfordshire Teacher Training and Robbie Haddock, Associate Teacher. We discuss how their teacher training and CPD have had to adapt to provide a compelling remote offer. We consider the ways in which teachers training this year have benefited as well as some of the challenges they have faced. We look forward to the introduction of the Early Career Framework and think about how schools might want to prepare for it.

We talk about:

• How Oxford Teaching Schools Alliance have developed to provide remote CPD
• What it is like to be an associate teacher this year including how remote tools and practices can actually allow you to focus on and hone specific aspects of practice, in a way that can be more difficult in a traditional classroom setting
• How being an associate teacher this year means there are a wealth of online CPD and networking opportunities that you can tap into
• How working with children in their own homes can make you more aware of the issues they are dealing with
• How those going into their NQT year in September may have to complete that recruitment remotely
• The importance of being in the right school for you during your time as an NQT including what questions you should ask at interview
• What schools need to think about with the forthcoming adoption of the Early Career Framework
• How a good NQT experience will be a crucial part of retaining this year’s cohort.

The list of questions for NQT’s choosing the right school to do their induction can be found here

You can register for the National Virtual Recruitment Fair that Adam is organising on the 4th March here

Robbie’s blog is here

View Details

“However hard it’s been, and it has been very difficult most of the time, schools never stopped, not once, to put themselves first. At every moment they have done their civic duty. I think they are exceptional. I think they are a national treasure.”

This week we talk to Leora Cruddas, CEO of The Confederation of School Trusts (CST), about her views on the role of trusts in the education system and how CST has been supporting its members during COVID-19. We think about the various ways in which schools in trusts have potentially fared better over the past year and consider some of the longer-term consequences of the pandemic.

We talk about:

• Leora’s career journey and what motivates her
• Why CST exists and how it supports its members
• Why schools benefit from being part of a strong and sustainable trust and how schools in trusts have in many cases fared better during COVID-19
• Some of the myths around multi-academy trusts, and the negative impact of some media reporting on cases of poor practice in trusts
• Risk and contingency planning in trusts and local authorities
• Exactly how much has been required of schools during this period and how they have prevailed at every stage
• The long term social consequences of COVID-19 and the need for schools to work in partnership to address them, while not compromising their core role
• Constructive ways to plan in a rapidly changing context
• Leora’s greatest hope for the future

Leora ends the podcast by reading some extracts of a poem by Maya Angelou called ‘Continue’ you can read it in full here

You can learn more about CST and its work here

“As we were going into a global pandemic and a national crisis, what CST members needed was an organisation that pivoted to speak directly to them and act directly for them, so that’s what I decided CST had to become.”

View Details

This week we talk to Karen Wespieser MBE, Chief Operating Officer at Parent Ping and Teacher Tapp. Karen talks about the Parent Ping app, why it matters to collect survey information from parents and some of the findings to date. We also hear a little bit about Teacher Tapp’s growing international work. 

We discuss:

• The Parent Ping model and the benefits of daily polling especially during a period of such rapid change
• Why it matters in policymaking and education to have parents’ voices heard
• What they are uncovering about how different types of parents feel about things, particularly how parents, who are also teachers, behave
• The learnings about parental communication emerging from the pandemic
• Some of their more lighthearted findings
• Teacher Tapp’s international work

You can find out more about Parent Ping and how to sign up here. 

The blogs we mention in this week’s podcast can be found here.

View Details

This week we talk to Professor Adam Boddison, CEO of nasen about his new book The Governance Handbook for SEND and Inclusion: Schools that work for all learners. We consider what every governor needs to know about SEND, the legislation schools need to comply with and how they can understand the quality of provision for children with SEND in their school.

We talk about:

• Why it is important for all governors to know about their school’s responsibilities around SEND
• What every governor needs to know about SEND
• The difference between the Social and Medical models of SEND
• Ways to learn more about the size and make-up of a school’s SEND cohort
• How governors might prepare and complete an effective SEND review of governance in their school
• The importance of a strategic approach to SEND, what that looks like and why getting it right for children with SEND is actually good for all pupils
• How you can use data, including budget information, to understand how inclusive your school is
• The most meaningful ways to present data so governors can get a clear sense of progress and attainment of pupils with SEND and the importance of having high expectations
• The eventual release of the Government’s SEND review in the summer, which will likely recommend a more cross-departmental approach to supporting young people with SEND.

In the podcast, Adam recommends governors familiarise themselves with chapter 6 of the SEND code of practice

You can find free resources to support a SEND review of governance here

From Monday 25th January, nasen membership will be available to all (including governors) for free, more details are availble here

If you purchase Adam’s book ‘The Governance Handbook for SEND and Inclusion’ from Routledge you can use the code BSM20 to get 20% off at checkout.

View Details

This week we talk to Josie Rayner-Wells, National RSHE advisor, about the new Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) requirements that came into effect in September 2020 but that schools still might be working to respond to. Josie gives very practical advice about how to consult parents, pupils and staff on RSE and move their provision on. Reassuringly she explains how schools that feel stuck in their progress on parental consultation can use remote methods to their advantage and take some more creative and potentially fruitful approaches.

We talk about:

• Josie’s hugely varied experience working and training on RSE
• Why new guidance and legislation is necessary
• The important focus on relationships and health in the new guidance
• Why consultation is a “need-to-do”, not a “nice-to-do”
• Practical ways to address concerns staff might have about teaching sensitive material and how to make sure staff understand how the school’s policy supports them
• How to do effective remote parental consultation and why it is important to talk to parents early in the process
• How to collect meaningful feedback from pupils
• The responsibilities of governors and how they can support during this process
• Practical strategies to support staff when they teach these topics
• How RSE fits into your school’s wider values and ethos

Josie mentions a resource called Everything you need to teach effective RSE during the podcast. You can find out more about it here or by emailing rseenquiry@educatorsolutions.org.uk

View Details

This week we spoke to Sarah Baker, CEO, Leanne Noone, Chief Financial Officer, Alison Bingham, Director of Development and Rachel Watson, Director of Education and Achievement at the TEAM Education Trust about their experiences of launching in June 2020. We recorded this episode in December, 6 months into their first year as a trust. We will be returning to them at Easter and in the Summer as they share what they have been learning on their journey.

We talk about:

• Why they decided to set up their own trust rather than join an existing one
• The values and vision of the trust
• How their planning developed from the original idea in 2017 through to launch and how the leadership team kept the faith despite various challenges they faced
• How they have worked together and bonded as a team particularly through COVID-19
• The practical ways they support schools, both in their trust and beyond the specialisms they have as a trust
• How they engaged parents around the trust launch
• Maintaining staff buy-in throughout the process of conversion and the launch itself, during a period of uncertainty
• Their priorities and plans for the next few months and what they have learned from their experiences

You can read more about TEAM Education Trust on their website here

View Details

This week I give a quick rundown of episodes this term and send my best wishes to everyone listening to the podcast for 2021. 

If you’ve only recently discovered Key Voices, this will provide you with a handy snapshot of some recent episodes to get you started. 

A huge thank you to all our wonderful guests for finding the time to talk so honestly with us during this year like no other and thank you very much for listening. 

Information about all of our Key Voices episodes can be found here and they are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major platforms.

View Details

This week we talk to Dr. Helen Kelly, retired school principal, researcher and writer. Helen tells us about the 20 years she spent teaching and leading in international schools and the importance of school leader wellbeing as a strategic issue for governing boards.  Helen explains the impact stress has had on her physical health and her decision to retire early, while also sharing the findings of her international research into school leadership. 

We talk about: 

• Helen’s career prior to teaching and her work in international schools
• The changing nature of school leadership and how stressed many school leaders today are
• The particular challenges of leading a large diverse school community as the head of an international school,  many of whom are living away from home
• How boards can make an impact on leader wellbeing and handle it strategically, plus some practical things they can do to support their  leaders more effectively
• Why it is so important for headteachers to prioritise themselves and how they can empower their teams by sharing some of their responsibilities

View Details

“It is hard work but it is so worth it.”

This week I talk to Jo Jukes, Trust Curriculum Research Lead at The Education Alliance Academy Trust. Jo tells me about her 20 years in teaching and how adopting an evidence-informed approach to teaching has made a difference to her. She candidly describes a time she felt less happy and confident professionally and what that was like. We also talk about trust leadership, performance management and remote learning. We end with Jo sharing her thoughts about why teaching is such a brilliant profession.

We discuss:

• Jo’s career and the different leadership roles she has had
• What it is like to perform a trust-wide role and how she has been supporting trust colleagues with research during COVID-19
• How she learnt more about applying evidence to her practice
• A time when she felt her teaching style was at odds with the commonly held idea of Ofsted “outstanding” and how that made her feel
• Her blog about why applying business theory to performance management doesn’t work in teaching
• What she is observing from her experiences of remote learning
• Why she thinks teaching is the best job in the world

View Details

“There are the leaders that make you aspire and the leaders that make you perspire.”

This week I talk to Desmond Deehan, CEO, Odyssey Trust for Education. The trust is an unusual collaboration between a girls grammar school and a local secondary modern. Desmond has taught in a wide range of schools and his leadership style is heavily influenced by thinking creatively and trying new things.

We discuss:

• Desmond’s background and career in teaching and the ideas that have influenced him
• How participating in a BBC 2 documentary kick-started the collaboration between Townley Grammar and Erith school, that eventually became the Odyssey Trust for Education
• Working with each schools’ community to tackle any opposition to grammar schools and academy trusts
• The schools’ experiences of COVID-19 and how beneficial they found it to be working as a trust
• How he has personally found the transition from Head to CEO
• Desmond’s plans for the future

“Before you can be understood you have to learn to understand.”

“We need to realise these solutions aren’t going to come from the government, any government or the Department for Education. We will create the education for the future on the ground, in our trusts and with our communities.”

View Details

This week we talk to social media educator Rubbi Bhogal-Wood. Rubbi explains her approach to working with young people to help them navigate social media with clarity, intention and purpose. We reflect on why it can be hard for teachers and parents to support young people when we have our own issues with social media and the tech evolves so rapidly. 

Rubbi shares some of the insights she has gathered from her conversations with pupils about how and why they use social media. She expresses concern that some children don’t feel they can talk to trusted adults about what they are seeing online. She stresses that teachers and parents have all the right instincts to help young people but would often benefit from arming themselves with some more knowledge of the platforms. 

We also consider whether children are having different experiences on social media in the current situation, where almost all of our interactions now take place online.  Finally, we think about the ways in which parents, pupils and schools can work together more effectively to make sure young people can control their use of social media. 

Rubbi mentions some useful resources from the NSPCC and Vodafone during this podcast.

View Details

This week we talk to Adrian Bethune and Dr Emma Kell about their new book A Little Guide for Teachers: Teacher Wellbeing and Self-care.  They share their ideas about how to put learning about wellbeing into practical action including having difficult conversations with yourself and other people. We consider the different aspects of wellbeing and the need for everyone to take a personalised approach. 

We talk about why individual action is important because system-wide change happens slowly and ultimately, individuals make up the system they work in. We also discuss how important it is for school leaders to role model healthy behaviours if they want to truly support staff with their own wellbeing. We close with Emma and Adrian’s tips for keeping morale high during the long winter term, and some positive hopes for the future. 

View Details

This week we talk to Pete Crockett,  Retired Headteacher and Governor and 

Linda Unternahrer, Senior Content Editor at The Key about a number of topics to do with governance. We discuss how governors can balance both support and challenge during COVID-19 and what holding senior leadership teams to account looks like at other times.  We also think about ways in which how governors can support senior leaders with difficult issues, yet ultimately avoid getting too involved in operational decision making. 

We consider how governance is changing, in some ways for the better, in this period of enforced remote governance.  Pete shares his thoughts on what makes a great chair, and we discuss practical ways boards can increase their diversity, including recruitment and how accessible they make governance to new joiners. 

We close by thinking about priorities for boards in the short term, including headteacher wellbeing and looking after themselves. 

You can read Pete’s blog 7 C’s for Chairs of Governors here 

Pete is also involved in ‘Headrest’ a free telephone wellbeing service for headteachers, you can learn more about it here

View Details

This week we talk to Mary Myatt, Education Thinker and Writer about her book Back on Track: Fewer Things, Greater Depth. Mary explains why she wrote the book and she shares her thoughts about how best to help children catch-up lost learning.  We then dig deeper into her ideas about curriculum and teaching. We focus particularly on understanding why subjects are being taught, the importance of teaching concepts thoroughly and using high-quality texts and materials. She also expresses concern about some practices, particularly around administration, assessment and tracking that divert teachers attention away from focussing on pupils’ learning. 

We go on to talk about how to build trust in schools and how leaders can meaningfully consult with teams.  Mary also explains how governors might be able to hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils with less “data” in front of them.  We close by wondering what external assessment might look like in this academic year and with some hopeful thoughts for the future. 

View Details

This week we talk to Emma Sheppard founder of the Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project. Emma tells me about why she set up the project, and its mission to empower teachers to engage with professional development while on parental leave if they want to.

View Details

This week we talk to Jamie Rogers, Head of Recruitment and Community at The Difference, and Hammad Ali, Senior Leader at The Pendlebury Centre in Stockport - part of the second cohort of Difference Leaders.  They explain what The Difference aims to do, why and how they both got involved, and we hear from Hammad’s first-hand experiences as a Difference Leader. We consider how wellbeing, inclusion and managing behaviour are especially important in all schools at the moment as pupils deal with the anxieties and challenges posed by COVID-19. Jamie and Hammad dispel some of the myths around Alternative Provision and share their view on what mainstream education could learn from the expertise found in AP.

We finish by looking to the future and thinking about how approaches such as those promoted by The Difference can help lower exclusion rates and improve outcomes for vulnerable pupils. 

You can learn more about the work of The Difference here

As mentioned in the podcast, applications for cohort 3 open on 5th November, but you can register your interest in applying here

View Details

This week we talk to Alex Quigley, author of both ‘The Reading Gap’ and ‘The Vocabulary Gap’. Alex speaks in more detail about these “gaps” and the impact they are having on our education system.

View Details

This week we talk to Will Millard, Head of Engagement at The Centre for Education and Youth (CFEY). We start by attempting to define social and emotional learning (SEL), emphasising its increased importance in a post-COVID world. We discuss the evidence linking SEL to improved academic outcomes and consider issues such as parental involvement and how cultural differences impact the teaching of SEL. 

View Details

This week we talk to Nicola West Jones, Head of Market Research at The Key, and Stephen Morales, CEO at the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), about The Key's latest research examining how the role of the school business professional (SBP) has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. 

We dig into the findings around changes to working hours and wellbeing. We also examine how many SBPs felt the focus of their work had shifted to spend more time on health and safety, and premise management. We hear about what SBP’s thought about the advice they received from the government, local authorities and their trusts (where relevant) and where else they might be going to for support. Looking to the future, we share some recommendations for schools, national and local government and professional bodies and training providers. We end by appreciating the heroic work done by school business professionals serving in our schools. 

You can download a free copy of The Key’s report  ‘The challenges of school business management during COVID-19’ here. 

You can also read more about the research in this blog. 

View Details

“We’ve been speaking out about [issues that affect the sector] in a way that is always respectful, always calm. Nevertheless, we’ll quite often have cut through and we’re hearing back from government and HMCI, so we know that our voice is being heard” 

This week we talk to Professor Dame Alison Peacock, CEO, and Cat Scutt, Director of Education and Research, from the Chartered College of Teaching. We learn more about the purpose of the College and the benefits of membership. Given the fierce debates around education in recent months, we consider the role of the College as an independent, evidence-informed voice of the profession. 

Dame Alison also explains the College’s #FutureofTeaching campaign and the establishment of the Education Exchange to share learning and ideas about this on a global scale. Cat tells us about some of the work that has been done to support schools responding to Covid-19 including their research, adapting their professional development offer and to challenging the Prime Minister. We also hear more about the training and resources they have made available more widely (links below).

You can get involved in the conversation about the future of teaching at the Education Exchange.

The College’s research summary on catch up and remote learning is here. 

You can access the online courses that were mentioned below:  

Leadership of Education Technology in Schools here

Using Technology in Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning here 

View Details

“This is all about making tutoring a tool of schools rather than an add on.”

This week we speak to James Grant, Co-Founder and Managing Director of MyTutor, Susannah Hardyman, Founder and CEO of Action Tutoring and Jed Cinnamon Senior Programme Manager at Nesta, about the National Tutoring Programme and its proposed role in helping students “catch -up” learning lost as result of COVID-19.  

Jed covers the principles behind the programme, timelines schools should be aware of and how the provision of support via academic mentors and tuition partners will work. Suzannah and James both run tutoring organisations that were involved in this summer’s pilot programme. They explain how each of their organisations works collaboratively with schools to make tutoring effective and simple to co-ordinate. We also hear more about the impact tutoring can have on the motivation and academic performance of young people, and the different ways they source, train and support their tutors. We end by considering the future role for tutoring in the education sector. 

You can read more about the National Tutoring Programme here 

You can learn more about the work of MyTutor here and Action Tutoring here

View Details

“When you are dealing with emotional uncertainty between the DfE guidance and the staff you are responsible for, you become a sponge of emotion.”

This week we talk to Ernest Jenavs, Founder of Edurio, and Nicola West Jones, Head of Market Research at The Key who joins us to share some of the insights she has picked up from her conversations with school leaders over the last 6 months.

Our conversation covers findings from Edurio’s survey of pupils, parents and staff conducted over the summer, looking into how English schools responded to COVID-19. This research sought to better understand the experiences of these three groups, when it comes to learning, community, leadership and wellbeing during partial school closure,and to help schools learn for the future. We dig into topics like pupil anxiety, the role of parents in education and the challenges faced by school leaders. We also shine a light on the great work many schools have done to communicate frequently and honestly with their communities. 

You can read Edurio’s report in full here. 

View Details

“I am working with a lot of children who are already thinking to themselves it will be impossible for them to go back to school...“

This week we talk to Tana Macpherson-Smith, Founder of Clear Minds about how children might be feeling about the return to school. Tana shares some practical ideas for whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing, as well as how teachers can identify and monitor individual pupils who may be struggling. 

With an alarming 50% of all adult mental health illness being already set in place by the age of 14, Tana talks about the importance of good mental health to a child’s development and shares the way she explains mental health to pupils. 

View Details

"If you are a school teacher, school leader, headteacher, whoever you are - you have to accept that sometimes you'll go home and not everything has been done."

This week we talk to Darren Morgan, Headteacher at Kings Road Primary School in Trafford. Darren explains his career path to headship, the school improvement journey he and his team have been on at his current school and how he has developed team spirit and staff morale. 

We also discuss how Darren adapted his working practices during lockdown and how he achieved a work-life balance that worked for him. We also consider some of the challenges of headship and the stress that it brings, and think about ways headteachers can feel more supported in their role. 

You can get more information about Kings Road Primary here

View Details

"I think sometimes people are looking to remove all risk for staff and that is just not possible, it is about how you manage and mitigate potential risk. "

This week we talk to Martin Baker, CEO and Mike Glanville, Director of Safeguarding Services, at My Concern.  Martin and Mike share what they have been learning from supporting Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs)  over the last 6 months. They talk about how remote learning has affected the role of the DSL and offer some practical tips for schools on how to prepare for a potential increase in safeguarding workload when all pupils return in September.

We also consider what impact this period and increased use of technology might have on safeguarding in the future. 

Mike and Martin mention the debrief they did with over 250 DSLs, you can read the report from this session here

“Just think about the level of concern, confusion and challenge that all of those safeguarding leads have experienced, but I’m so impressed by their resilience and their commitment to solve those problems on behalf of their communities.”

View Details

“Those lessons, like speaking with parents when you need to get on the front foot, how you set up your governance. How were you supposed to know that if you are an academy trust leader… and no-one was sharing learnings about what had failed?”

This week we speak to Sir David Carter, Executive Director of System Leadership at Ambition Institute and Laura McInerney, Co-founder of Teacher Tapp about their new book Leading academy trusts: why some fail but most don’t. We discuss why things might go wrong in trusts and who gets to learn from those failures, but also how those running trusts can avoid some of those pitfalls too. We examine how a trust needs to demonstrate clearly to parents, pupils and staff how they will benefit from selecting, attending or being employed by their organisation. 

We talk about being a CEO and the many challenges of the role but also the rewards of doing the job well. We consider how CEOs and boards, but also regional and national schools commissioners, might be able to tell if trusts are likely to be successful. David and Laura also gaze into the future to think about what kinds of innovation or consolidation might happen in the sector over the next 5 years.

" The difference between being a head, executive head and a CEO is still not that well understood... being a CEO is not just being a head on speed, it’s a very different job"

View Details

“We need to find more ways to make sure that we as a church in education hear what young people have got to say, they’ve got a lot to say and we need to hear it”

This week we talk to The Reverend Nigel Genders, Chief Education Officer at The Church of England. We discuss the Church of England’s role in running schools and teacher training establishments, and its vision for education. 

We consider the challenges small rural Church of England primary schools face and how they are collaborating to support each other. We also cover topics such as RSE, the importance of pupil voice and why we need an Ethical Leadership Commission. 

The RSHE resources that Reverend Nigel mentions can be found here.

This interview was recorded in March.

View Details

This week our podcast presenter, Caroline Doherty, gives a whistlestop tour of this year’s episodes of KeyVoices. If you’ve only recently discovered the podcast, this episode will provide you with a handy snapshot of what it’s all about. 

Caroline groups the episodes together around particular themes, so if you are interested in a particular topic, such as mental health, trust development, governance or SEND for example, you can find out which episodes might be most relevant to you. 

Thank you to all our wonderful guests this year and thank you for listening. We will be continuing to release new episodes over the summer. 

Information about all of our Key Voices episodes can be found here and they are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify etc.

View Details

“This isn’t the national curriculum online, this is a resource bank that will support you if you need it how you need it.”

This week we talk to Anne Heavey, Specialist education lead,  Oak National Academy and Director of Whole School SEND, and David Thomas, Curriculum Director, Oak National  Academy and Principal at Jane Austen College, about their work to create and develop the Oak Academy offer.

View Details

“There were no league tables when I started and there are going to be no league tables this year! That opens up a space, I think, for a different kind of conversation. I just hope there’ll be the will to have that conversation when this immediate period is over.” 

This week we talk to writer, journalist and campaigner Fiona Millar. We discuss how her role as a governor has helped her write about education over the years in a meaningful way. She also considers how governance has changed since she began as a parent governor in 1992. 

We talk about how she managed her role as chair alongside a busy career, as well as parenting, and think about the challenges ahead for schools and their governing bodies.

View Details

“I’m really excited about the fact that families have caught up with their children and with each other.”

This week we talk to David Sammels, Headteacher at Mayflower Community Academy. We discuss the impact remote working and learning has had on staff and pupils. 

Dave shares his “5 waves” of parental engagement and explains how Mayflower has developed its own communication channels with parents during school closure. This includes a daily newsletter, a daily livestream on Twitter called “Tea at Two'' where the community can come together to discuss issues, and online courses for parents delivered by staff to help them support their children.

You can see examples of Mayflower Community Academy’s daily Covid-19 newsletters here. 

Follow @DavidSammels and @Mayflower_MCA for more details about the “Tea at Two” sessions as well as other things we discuss in the podcast.  

This interview was recorded in late April 2020

View Details

N.B This episode was recorded in early March during a residential training session of level 7 senior leadership masters and we’ve updated the introduction briefly to reflect some changes over the past few months.

This week we talk to Nick Heard, former school leader and Learning Experience Manager at The National College of Education, and two participants on the senior leadership masters course - Rachel Lisserman, Head of Year 10 at Northampton School for Girls, and Dane Carton, Vice Principal at St Martin’s Catholic Academy in Hinckley.

Nick explains how the Apprenticeship Levy works and how schools can use it to develop their workforce. Nick debunks some of the myths about apprenticeships in general and then we discuss in more detail how apprenticeships can be used to develop existing members of the education workforce, as well as to attract young people into it. We focus particularly on how the  senior leadership masters apprenticeship works in practice and hear from some of the participants about how they’ve found the programme so far. 

As mentioned in the podcast, you can contact Nick via @ROptimism on Twitter.

View Details

“This contrast between the experience of the head and experience of the rest of the teaching body has really become so polarised during lockdown. And it really is a worry what will happen for school leadership in the near future.”

This week we talk to Dr Becky Allen, Co-Founder of Teacher Tapp. She explains what Teacher Tapp data reveals about the likely impact Covid-19 will have on the teaching profession. In particular, we look at the different levels of stress and workload experienced by teachers and leaders, and the very real danger of a significant number of headteachers leaving the profession altogether. 

We delve into Becky’s book, The Teacher Gap, covering issues such as recruitment, workload, CPD and retention, and consider questions such as ‘should we train teachers in the UK as we train doctors’ and ‘do we set NQTs up to fail’? 

Becky also shares many of the recent insights Teacher Tapp has been able to gather about remote learning, including what schools are providing and the factors that affect engagement levels. Finally, from her own perspective as a parent, Becky reflects on how remote learning might work more effectively. 

You can find out how to sign up for Teacher Tapp here.

You can read Becky’s blog on Parental Load Theory here.

View Details

“You know your schools incredibly well, the sector incredibly well, and your pupils incredibly well. Take confidence in the decisions you are making, and the autonomy you have to do what you think is best for your school.”

This week we speak to Stephen Morales, CEO of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), Russell Dalton, COO Diocese of Worcester Multi Academy Trust and Kaley Foran, Lead Content Editor at The Key.

We discuss how schools have coped with the practicalities of reopening to more pupils following an easing of lockdown measures, and potential ways forward to make sure more children can safely return to school. We consider the ways in which the government could work more closely with the sector and speculate on what their plans for summer catch-up could be. We also discuss ways school business professionals can best prepare for what September might bring. 

This podcast was recorded on 16 June 2020.

View Details

“I think it's a really brave thing for a school  to open itself up to scrutiny from peers, but it's also a really important thing to do if you are looking to drive your school forward”

This week we talk to Dr Kate Chhatwal, Chief Executive of Challenge Partners. Kate explains the ways in which Challenge Partners’  network uses peer review to support schools to improve, provide high-quality CPD for those undertaking the review and benefit the school system as a whole. We consider the challenges schools are facing at the moment as well as the opportunities lockdown has presented to share good practice across the country, rapidly and widely.  

Kate tells us more about what makes for high-quality peer review and how Challenge Partners has adapted its methodology to conduct trust level peer reviews.  We also examine a potentially enhanced role for peer review, while traditional methods of accountability such as league tables and Ofsted inspection are on hold for the foreseeable future.  Towards the end of the podcast, we discuss the crucial need to share evidence between schools of what works to close the disadvantage gap. Finally Kate draws on her previous experience within the department of education to reflect on how the department and the sector can best work together. 

If you would like to know more about Challenge Partners and its programmes you can find more information here

View Details

This week we talk to Michael Pain, Founder of Forum Strategy, about supporting trust leaders. Michael discusses the importance of bringing ideas and experiences from the worlds of health, charity and business into education, and the need for trust leaders to have peer-to-peer support, particularly as they navigate challenging situations. 

Michael also shares some of the issues that the Forum Strategy’s regional networks have been tackling over the lockdown period. Finally, we look to the future, considering how the role of the CEO continues to evolve. We discuss the impact the current crisis might have on accelerating trends Michael is already seeing in his work, for example,  trusts working to build a stronger focus on connecting with their communities, and addressing sustainability issues.

View Details

Sorry, interference has slightly impaired the sound in some parts of this podcast.

This week we talk to John Tomsett, Headeacher at Huntington School and Jonny Uttley, CEO, The Education Alliance about the book they co-authored ‘Putting staff first’. We discuss some practical ways that leaders can create a school culture that nurtures staff so they can better support their pupils. We also talk about the role of high quality staff development, research-informed practice, meaningful performance management and reduced workload can all play in establishing such a culture. 

Finally, we consider the qualities required to lead teaching and learning as a Headteacher or CEO, and the system changes John and Jonny would like to see in the next 10 years.

View Details

This week we talk to Claire Heald, Standards Director and Executive Principal at Inspiration Trust. Claire shares how she and her team designed and implemented a comprehensive teacher and leader development programme across their 14 schools. 

We also hear more about how Inspiration Trust has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, and in particular, how their CPD offer has changed to support staff with delivering remote learning. Finally, we consider the recent increased recognition for the work of the teaching profession, and the impact the pandemic may be having on recruitment and retention longer term. 

View Details

This week we talk to Debra Rutley, Executive Headteacher, and Eleanor Bernardes, Head of Development and Opportunities at Aspire Alternative Provision. 

We learn more about how the work of Aspire began and continues to develop in collaboration with local mainstream schools. We hear about Debra’s “leading with love” philosophy and how Aspire’s model focuses on high quality education first and foremost, with appropriate additional support rather than the other way around.  We also hear Eleanor’s reflections, as someone relatively new to alternative provision, about what working at Aspire is like. 

We also discuss the impact of funding challenges in education and the pressure this puts on alternative provision. In light of this, Eleanor shares the ways the Aspire Trust is exploring new opportunities to develop and extend its offering.  

This interview was recorded on a visit to Aspire Alternative Provision in early March 2020.

View Details

This we talk to Sir David Carter about the challenges of being a school or trust leader through a national crisis, and how accountability systems will need to adapt in the future to reflect the ‘next normal’.

We delve into his experience as a trust CEO turned senior civil servant and how school leaders can productively input into policy making. We also consider what makes a good trust leader and why recent weeks might have helped trusts demonstrate what can be achieved when groups of schools work together. 

The article from McKinsey that Sir David mentions can be found here

View Details

This week we talk to Neil Collins, Director of GovernorHub, the collaborative working platform for governors.  Following news this week that GovernorHub will join The Key, Neil talks us through the story of how GovernorHub came to be and shares his own experiences as a governor.  

We also consider how governance is adapting during school closures and the crucial role governors must play in supporting their schools through these most challenging of circumstances. 

If you want to know more about video meetings in GovernorHub, referenced in this podcast, you can find more information here.

View Details

This week we talk to Dr Adam Boddison, CEO of National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen). We cover a range of topics including how SEND is being inspected under the new inspection framework and how schools can improve the status of SEND in their schools.  We also discuss SEND funding in more detail and Adam shares some low cost ways schools can maximise their funding and outcomes. 

We also look ahead to the government’s forthcoming SEND review publication and consider what it might include as well as discussing future reforms that Adam would like to see. 

The Covid-19 resources from nasen mentioned at the beginning of this podcast can be found here.

View Details

This week we speak to Sinead McBrearty, CEO of Education Support about the kinds of issues education staff are coming to them for help with at the moment. We discuss practical ways to look after your colleagues’, and your own, wellbeing as schools continue to tackle the demands of the current situation. 

We go on to talk more broadly about the factors contributing to the number of education professionals experiencing either behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms due to their work (as reported in the 2019 Education Support Wellbeing Index). We also discuss what could be done at both a national policy and school level to address this significant threat to teacher retention.

Education support have a 24/7 telephone helpline, where you can speak confidentially to trained counsellors UK-wide: 

Call: 08000 562 561

Text: 07909 341229

Education support provides hardship grants for education staff in financial difficulties. You can learn more about how to apply here. Education Support’s video on managing anxiety can be found here.

View Details

This week we talk to Stephen Morales, CEO of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), Stephen Mitchell, interim CEO at Oak Multi Academy Trust and Kaley Foran, Lead Content Editor at The Key. We discuss some of the unprecedented situations school business leaders have been tackling in the past few weeks. We also consider issues schools might have to navigate when pupils and staff do eventually return and what successful leadership looks like in challenging times. 

ISBL’s Covid-19 resources can be found here.

The Key’s Covid-19 resource hub can be found here.

View Details

This week we speak to Barry Carpenter, former headteacher, former National Director at The Department for Education and the UK’s first Professor in Mental Health in Education. 

This podcast was recorded in early April 2020. We talk to Barry about the Covid- 19 pandemic and the likely impact on pupil, teacher and parent mental health as a result of school closures. We also discuss Barry’s long and varied career in education,  and the positive shift he’s seen in the increased expectations on SEND pupils. Barry speaks about his own daughter who has Down’s Syndrome and her achievements, which he could have scarcely imagined when he started teaching. Barry also explains his work on the engagement model of formative assessment for pupils performing below the standard of the national curriculum assessments, and how this has been developed into a model of summative assessment, to be adopted nationally when the legislation is passed.

You can learn more about resources  Barry discusses in this week’s episode, Books Beyond Words, here

View Details

We are sorry that interference has very slightly impaired the sound in some parts of this podcast.

This week we talk to Vivienne Porritt, Co-Founder and Strategic Lead of #WomenEd about the gender pay gap in teaching and how it could be addressed. We also discuss how #WomenEd has grown to become a global grassroots movement entirely led by volunteers that support and empower women. 

At the end of this week’s podcast, we also hear from some of the delegates who attended the recent London Unconference on 7th March, on what #WomenEd means to them. 

You can learn more about the work of #WomenEd here and by following them on twitter @WomenEd

Special thanks to the following for their “vox pop” contributions 

• Lindsay Patience, Co-Founder of Flexible Teacher Talent @FlexTeachTalent
• Kafilat Agboola, Director of Atlas (teacher development), Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation
• Emma Shepherd, Founder The MaternityTeacher PaternityTeacher Project @maternityCPD
• Dr Sarah Westcott, Assistant Head - Pupil Progress at Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet.
• Kate Fallan, Director of Teaching Schools at East London Early Years and Schools Partnership

View Details

To celebrate,  National Careers Week, we talk to Will Millard Head of Engagement and Dr Sam Baars, Director of Research at CFEY about careers education.  In particular, they discuss the findings of two recent CFEYreports Careers education: What should young people learn and when? and Effective work experience: Let’s talk about WEX. 

We consider how schools can evaluate their careers education and work experience programmes. Will and Sam also share some examples of good practice and ways in which schools and companies can have more impactful interactions with each other.

View Details

This week we talk to Jack Worth, lead economist at National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) about the report he recently authored on the impact of teacher autonomy. We delve deeper into what “autonomy” means and why teachers often feel less autonomous compared with other professionals.

We look at the different levels of teacher autonomy experienced by teachers at different stages of their careers and in different types of schools. We consider how teachers feeling less autonomous relates to their levels of job satisfaction, workload and their propensity to stay in the profession. We also talk about what school leaders can practically do when it comes to professional development and culture, to help staff feel more autonomous and satisfied in their roles.

View Details

This week we talk Cathal Lynch, strategic director for leadership and school improvement at Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust, and author of Building Belonging: A systematic approach to school improvement and emotional wellbeing. Cathal shares his fascinating experiences of establishing and leading a school for pupils with social and emotional mental health needs. He explains how working closely with educational psychologists and occupational therapists not only developed his understanding of, and practice with pupils, but also informed  his approach to school improvement. 

Cathal explains more about the school improvement framework he has created, emphasising the importance of surveying all the stakeholders a school serves to inform lines of enquiry. We also discuss the need to build space and time for deep thinking and reflection as part of the school improvement process.

View Details

This week we are joined by Laura McInerney, Co-founder of Teacher Tapp, former editor of Schools Week and Guardian Education columnist, for our termly Teacher Tapp Key Voices.

We delve into what recent Teacher Tapp results tell us about teachers’ deepest motivations for working in schools. Laura also shares what she has been learning from Tappers about attitudes to flexible working and how that might affect teacher supply at a system level. We also chat about how the character you played in your school nativity might have impacted your career trajectory and whether it is okay to have a non-alcoholic beer in the staff room.

View Details

This week we talk to Naureen Khalid, one of the founders of UK GovChat, Trustee of a MAT and Chair of a Local Governing Board. We discuss the skills that matter on the governing body and the need for governors to get a broader understanding of education beyond their own school, by using things like  social media, training and events. 

We also look in detail at the role of governors in supporting and challenging school leaders, and the vital importance of the relationship between the chair of governors and the headteacher.

View Details

This week we spoke to Dean Johnstone, Founder and CEO of Minds Ahead. In the podcast, we consider why we are seeing a growing number of pupils experiencing mental health issues, and delve deeper into the specific challenges being faced by schools today.

Dean explains more about how Minds Ahead are pushing for system-wide change,  how schools can take an active leadership role in mental wellbeing, and where the boundaries lie between the education and health systems.

View Details

This week we talk to Stephen Morales, CEO of The Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL). We discuss the challenging and evolving role of the school business professional and the development of ISBL from its predecessor organisation The National Association of School Business Managers. 

We also examine the impact of government policy over the last few years including  encouraging schools to consider Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning and the introduction of School Resource Management Advisors.  And finally, we look ahead to what the future might hold for those working as school business professionals.

View Details

This week we talk to our Lead Content Editors Kaley Foran and Adam Wainwright about the education pledges made in the Conservative manifesto, and consider what they might mean for the sector in the coming year. 

View Details

This week we talk to Will Millard, Head of Engagement at The Centre for Education and Youth about his research into assessment. In particular we discuss how schools can redress the balance so classroom teachers can focus on the activities that are most valuable for teaching and learning. 

Will shares his experiences of how attitudes to assessment are shifting and gives some practical examples of how schools can test pupils understanding, while balancing teacher workload. He also talks about some examples of the different approaches to assessment he saw on a recent research trip to British Columbia.

View Details

This week we talk to Alan Eathorne, Headteacher, Husbands Bosworth CofE Primary School, and Stef Edwards, Trust Leader, Learn Academy Trust about how they have worked to build a collaborative culture and develop research informed practice. 

We discuss how the trust has built relationships, capacity and ways of working across a group of 10 primary schools. 

This podcast has been created in partnership with The Teacher Development Trust and is part of a series of interviews with school leaders who are working to develop great teaching.