Teachers Talk Radio

In this fourth episode, PSHE lead and educator Clare Price considers how to challenge the unsafe myths that vaping is "safe", considers who might be the right person to deliver messages about misogyny in schools and statistics that show young people are increasingly positive about Relationships and Sex Education. 
Articles referenced include: 
One million UK people who have never smoked are now vapers - BBC News
Half of girls hear misogyny in school | Tes
Stand with the Cornish Pirates to end violence against women :Cornish Pirates
Signs of progress: How are young people experiencing Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England? | BERA
Young People's RSE Poll 2025 | sexeducationforum.org.uk

In this episode, Konstantinos is joined by Dr Irida Ntalla from London College of Communication to explore knowledge exchange in higher education. Together, they discuss how universities connect with industry and communities, the benefits for students, and the opportunities knowledge exchange offers for teaching, academic development and career progression.

This week, multiple reports paint a picture of a watchdog under pressure, with school leaders questioning Ofsted’s leadership, unions losing confidence, and serious concerns mounting over the impact of inspections on school leadership and staff wellbeing.
An independent study has found that almost nine in ten schools reported a negative impact on staff mental health following inspection, while ASCL has passed a vote of no confidence in Ofsted’s leadership and is considering industrial action. It is clear that Ofsted face a growing revolt.
Meanwhile, however, the chief inspector insists the watchdog is “on the right track”, even as the education secretary, Lucy Powell, calls for a rethink.
So, how did Ofsted reach this point after supposed reflection and overhaul? Has its new inspection framework failed to address longstanding concerns? Can the organisation ever rebuild trust or credibility with the profession? Or is this the beginning of a much bigger reckoning over the purpose, power and future of school inspection?
If Ofsted is meant to help schools improve, what happens when the inspection system itself becomes part of the problem?
Join Carl Smith, Rae Whitehouse, Maud Waret and Liz Webb on this morning’s panel, live at 10am, to share your burning views on Ofsted.

Are classrooms becoming politically biased, or are teachers being dragged into another political row? Tonight on Points of View, we debate Laura Trott’s claim that some teaching on equality, citizenship and identity amounts to “propaganda that’s brainwashing our children”. The Conservatives are proposing compulsory impartiality training, greater Ofsted scrutiny and a ban on school “culture” or “identity” days. Education leaders have condemned the comments as deeply insulting to teachers. Where is the line between teaching controversial issues and promoting political views? Would these proposals protect pupils or make teachers afraid to tackle difficult subjects? And who gets to decide what counts as impartial? On th panel: Liz Webb, Tom Rogers, JP, Yasmin Omar and Alun Ebenezer.

The teaching profession is tough in the UK with high workload, sustained accountability pressures and increasing levels of student need. But how do the pressures in the UK compare to those overseas? Perhaps we have some reasons to be thankful? Join Yannick and Tony as they delve into some of the biggest challenges faced by other countries currently and reflect on why some aspects of UK education might not be as bad as perhaps they could be.

A major DfE survey "Growing up in the 2020s" has found that 31% of students affected by bullying said that staff were aware, with 33% saying they were not and 36% being unsure.
The survey, conducted by UCL and the Anna Freud Centre, will follow 8000 students in England, currently aged 12 and 13, through their secondary school experience. The results reported are the first collected.
The survey also revealed that girls and students with SEND were least likely to feel a sense of belonging. Students with SEND were more likely to experience bullying, with 11% reporting daily or weekly physical bullying, and 20% reporting regular occurrences of other forms of bullying, such as exclusion from friendship groups and name-calling.
The findings also show significant statistics on lesson disruption, absence, mental health, and perceived fairness. On Points of View tonight, the panel will discuss what the survey's findings mean. Does it raise important questions about how we understand bullying in schools? What can schools do to address the issues raised by the survey?
What additional support might be needed for those who are struggling to build friendships?
Join Michael Wright, Maud Waret, Ollie Bayliss and Liz Webb for this episode of Points of View.

Tim Smale is joined by Guy Holder, Head of PSHE for a frank conversation about the technology arriving in children's lives faster than schools can keep up. Camera-equipped smart glasses are on sale on the high street, and Guy is campaigning to have them banned. Tim and Guy ask what these glasses mean for consent, for safeguarding and for anyone who could be filmed in a classroom without knowing it. They also get into phone pouches versus brick-phone-only schools, whether 16 should be the minimum age for smartphones, social media and AI, and what teachers can do when Big Tech feels too big to challenge.

In this week's show, Claudia and Martin talk about how to approach the teaching of new courses.

It will come as little surprise to most that work in education to hear that teachers are leaving the classroom in their droves. This is a pattern being repeated around the world, but in England the statistics are above the OECD average, with 7.2% of fully qualified teachers resigning in comparison to a 4.2% average. 91% of these are resignations in England, in comparison to an average of 55% across OECD countries. Membership of Facebook groups which support and promote life beyond the classroom run into the tens of thousands… but why are teachers in England resigning at a higher rate than our international colleagues? Is it workload? Unsustainable expectations? Behaviour? Ofsted? Working conditions? What do you think is driving teachers to leave? What would solve the increasing retention crisis in education? Should the government be holding exit interviews to try and get to the heart of the problem? Join Rae Whitehouse, Carl Smith and Liz Webb live at 10am on the Points of View panel to share your views in part 2 of the debate.

Why are teachers in England resigning at a much higher rate than the international average and what would persuade them to stay? According to the OECD figures reported by Tes, 7.2% of fully qualified teachers in England resigned from the profession in 2024–25, compared with an OECD average of 4.2%. Teachers in England also reported longer working weeks than similarly qualified workers in other occupations. JP, Ollie Bayliss and Tony Harwood join the Points of View panel to debate what is driving teachers to leave. Is workload the biggest problem, or do pupil behaviour, pay, leadership and accountability play an equally important role? We’ll explore what these international comparisons reveal, whether England’s expectations of teachers are sustainable, and what schools and government could do to keep experienced staff in classrooms.