Teachers Talk Radio

2026 has seen a summer of consecutively record-breaking temperatures in the UK, leading experts, school leaders and parents to reflect on the possible changes necessary for schools and the school calendar, as reported by the BBC. In June, more than a thousand schools had to close schools or send students home earlier due to the lack of ventilation and air-conditioning in classrooms, leading to stifling and unsafe conditions, and impeding learning. It is clear that this is not a one off: since the 1960s, the hotter weather has been moving earlier in the year with 30C temperatures now being recorded in mid-June rather than mid-July. With a peak of 38C recorded in Norfolk at the end of June, and temperatures exceeding 35C in four consecutive months, is a precedent being set for summers to come? Do we need to start long-term planning now rather than knee-jerk reactions when it arrives? As climate change brings hotter, earlier and longer summers, do we need to revisit the school calendar? Or should funding be provided to ensure our schools are built to deal with extremes? Should exam season sit right in the centre of a period where climate conditions can unfairly affect outcomes?On the panel: Tom Rogers, Kit Marie Rackley, Alun Ebenezer and Maud Waret.

Sir Nick Gibb says this year’s GCSE results prove that the education reforms introduced under Michael Gove are working. He points to stronger mathematical performance and the exceptional results achieved by knowledge-rich free schools. But with around one in three young people failing to achieve a grade 4 in both English and maths, post-16 resit success remaining extremely low and stark regional and socioeconomic divides persisting, critics see evidence of a system failing too many children. Have more rigorous GCSEs genuinely raised educational standards or created an unforgiving system that repeatedly labels a substantial minority of young people as failures? The Points of View panel debate whether the Gove-era exam reforms have succeeded, failed or done both at once.On the panel: JP, Maud Waret and Chris Vowles.

Differentiation doesn’t have to mean creating a different lesson for every learner. In this conversation, Famida Choudhary is joined by educator and district leader Lauren Kaufman to unpack practical ways teachers can make differentiation manageable and meaningful. Exploring content, process, and product, they discuss scaffolding, student choice, flexible grouping, formative assessment, productive struggle, and different ways for learners to demonstrate understanding. The conversation also considers how teachers can maintain high expectations while providing different pathways to success. A practical discussion for educators looking to move beyond differentiation as additional workload and embrace it as responsive teaching.

Following the broadcast of Channel 4’s controversial documentary The Great ADHD Myth?, Tom Rogers is joined by Naomi Fisher, Joanna Moncrieff, Lucy Johnstone and Philip Asherson to examine some of the programme’s biggest claims. Is ADHD best understood as a neurodevelopmental disorder? What does the evidence really tell us about differences in the brain? Are diagnoses rising because ADHD has historically been missed, or are ordinary behaviours increasingly being medicalised? And what should we make of the debate around medication, dopamine and the way ADHD is explained to children and adults? With guests bringing markedly different perspectives to the discussion, TTR again goes beyond the headlines to ask what the documentary got right, what it got wrong, and where the evidence on ADHD really stands.

Across the UK, after an anxious wait, thousands of students have flocked back to school to receive their GCSE results. Results days are full of emotions: elation, pride, disappointment, relief, confusion... for all involved in the process. As ever, the news has been full of statistics: the data which tells us that the pass rate has marginally fallen this year, the graphs which show resit numbers have risen but pass rates are lagging behind, the percentage which shows a narrowing between boys' and girls' results, regional divisions. Schools will now examine the data, patterns will be identified and conversations will follow. But how much of the story does the data tell? What about the bell-curve which changes the landscape of the grade boundaries each year? Is it fair to compare: students, subjects, teachers, schools, cohorts? And what about the human stories linked to those grades? Join the panel JP, Rae Whitehouse, Ollie Bayliss and Liz Webb live at 8pm to share your thoughts and stories.

A new academic year offers the chance for a fresh start - whether you're joining a completely new school or returning to one you already know. Tonight on Points of View, we discuss how teachers can get the year off to the best possible start. From building relationships with new classes and colleagues to setting boundaries, establishing routines and navigating the pressures of the first few weeks, what actually makes a difference? What should you prioritise in September? What mistakes are worth avoiding? And for experienced teachers, is there such a thing as starting again with a clean slate? Join us for practical tips, different perspectives and plenty of discussion about making the new school year a positive one. On the panel: Maud Waret, Ollie Bayliss, Tom Rogers and guest panelist Freya Odell.

As teachers, we should have all the tips and tricks to be ideal learners. But is that the case? In this show, Darren explores the research into teachers-as-learners and thinks about how we can best approach CPD to really make the most of it.

The summer holidays are coming to an end and for some teachers, the thought of going back to school brings more than just the usual end-of-holiday blues. So why do teachers dread going back? Is it simply a natural reaction after weeks away from work, or can that feeling tell us something important about workload, behaviour, school culture, leadership or even whether teaching is still the right career? In this Points of View, we discuss the reasons behind back-to-school dread, whether experienced teachers feel it too, what can be done to make the return easier, and when that feeling might be a sign that something needs to change. Are you looking forward to September or counting down the days with dread? On the panel: Liz Webb, Rae Whitehouse, Lucy Trimnell

Darren looks at research by Li and Chu (2021) which analysed a specific platform for gamifying reading. While many would argue that reading doesn't need to be gamified, motivation is as important in reading as in any other skill acquisition, so the question becomes: is this the best way to motivate?

Meena Wood joins Tony to share her thoughts on inclusivity in education. Drawing on her wealth of experience as a former teacher, Principal, HMI and now author, Meena shares her passion and vision for a more inclusive curriculum. With her background in a range of settings in the UK and globally, expect some valuable insights and strong opinions on the current issues in education.