Teachers Talk Radio

In this week's show, Claudia Tumba and Martin Sketchley talk about teaching English in South Korea and their thoughts and reflections for 2026.

AI is often criticised for killing critical thinking. Timea Kadar and her guests, Professor Xue Zhou and Med Kharbach, are looking at examples, research, and case studies in education on how it fosters it.

In this fifth episode, PSHE lead and educator Clare Price considers how to prepare parents, staff and learners to cover the updated need to consider strangulation and suffocation in the 2026 RSE Guidance. She also looks at how using the example of Alison Hammond having a panic attack live on air might support learners in how to manage this in their own lives. Please note this episode should be listened to with caution due to the nature of the material included. 
Articles referenced include: 
Why dangerous teen sex choking trend is raising alarm - BBC News
Strangulation During Sex in the UK - November 2025
Addressing strangulation harms — what we learnt from talking to IFAS
Drugs and risky sexual behaviour KS4 | Y10 RSHE (PSHE) | Lesson Resources | Oak National Academy
Alison Hammond: 'I thought I was having heart attack on air' - BBC News
 

This week, the TES reported that the government has spent almost £5.8 billion clearing 90% of historic SEND deficits across 129 councils. Yet, despite this enormous financial intervention, the warning signs remain. Forecasts suggest that deficits could climb to £5.7 billion by 2027–28, with serious questions being raised about where the long-term funding will come from. But behind the billions, budgets and political promises are real children, families and school staff.
What does this financial crisis mean for inclusion, early intervention, EHCPs and the everyday reality of supporting pupils with additional needs? Will the proposed SEND reforms genuinely improve provision, or simply shift the financial pressure elsewhere? Is the reality that the support our young people need cannot be provided by a system that simply doesn't have the money?
Join Tony Harwood and Carl Smith on the panel.

We talk the end of half-term with some very direct contributions. Mental health at its forefront as ever.

In this show, Darren considers schools as liminal spaces and explores some of the famous Japanese ghost stories set inside them.

'Socialist Students' is calling on pupils and students to walk out of lessons on 20 November, campaigning on war, education funding and their futures. Its campaign pack explains how to organise a walkout and advises those worried about being stopped from leaving to avoid going into school altogether.
 
Are young people exercising their political voice, or is a political organisation overstepping the mark? Should schools support, accommodate or challenge pupil protests? And would we take the same view if the campaign came from the opposite end of the political spectrum?
 
Join Points of View as we debate pupil voice, political activism, missed learning, and schools' responsibilities.

With the government’s teacher retention programme delayed until autumn 2027, Points of View asks whether flexible working could help keep teachers in the classroom and how realistic it is in practice.
From part-time roles and job shares to PPA at home and flexible start times, what could schools offer? Can flexibility benefit staff without compromising pupils’ learning or increasing colleagues’ workloads? And is the biggest obstacle funding, timetabling or school culture?
Join us for a live debate on what flexibility in teaching could and should look like.
On the Panel: Tony Harwood, Emma Gallagher and Ollie Bayliss.

Louise Marie is joined by oracy experts and authors, Amy Gaunt and Alice Stott, to discuss their wonderful new book 'Create an Oracy Curriculum' (Pub: Hachette Learning 30th Oct 2026). Together, Amy and Alice will explore why spoken language deserves a central place in education and how schools can embed oracy across subjects and beyond the classroom. This show will give you a real taste of what this book has in store for us. Take it from me when I tell you that this will be, undoubtedly, one of the biggest educational bestsellers of 2026, and for very good reason... 
Get your copy ordered today here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/amy-gaunt/create-an-oracy-curriculum/9781915261960/

For years, teachers have been highlighting the need for steps to be taken to reduce workload. Lip service has been paid to this concept, with promises and plans made to do so, but with little real impact. 
This week, Lucy Powell has suggested a move to a four-day working week for teachers: a suggestion welcomed by many in education, but criticised by parents. While schools would remain open five days a week, teachers would work a compressed week, with alternative arrangements made for the fifth day.
But what would this look like in practice? Could greater flexibility help tackle teacher burnout, improve recruitment and keep experienced staff in the classroom? Or would it create fresh challenges for school leaders, timetabling and pupils’ learning?
Join David Brown, Carl Smith, Lucy Trimnell and Liz Webb on the panel.