Teachers Talk Radio

A school letter has sparked controversy after making extra GCSE revision — including weekends — compulsory, with consequences for absence. But where is the line between high expectations and excessive pressure?
In tonight’s Points of View, we ask: Should schools be able to mandate extra sessions? Do strict systems raise standards or risk burnout? And who decides what’s “too far” when exams are on the line?
Join the debate as we explore how far schools should go in the name of results.

We talk how to make meaning out of stress in the classroom.

In this live show Tim is joined by Michael Everett, an educator whose career has taken him from challenging secondary schools in England to international schools in Qatar and Brunei. Together they ask a genuinely provocative question: what would you build if you started from scratch? It is a conversation about what school is actually for, and who gets to decide.

Headteacher Jonathan Sands joins Yannick and Tony to talk about the big binaries! Is DI the only way or is there room for discovery? Do we need rules or are relationships enough? The 'prog' vs 'trad' debate. A reasonable argument or simply a tool for division and toxicity?

Hosts Huma and Toby talk with teachers John and Richard about why graphic novels matter in schools, how they encourage reading for pleasure, and how they support inference, vocabulary and cross-curricular learning from science to history.
The episode includes practical classroom examples, age-appropriate suggestions (from wordless picture books to manga and teen titles), evidence on learning impact, and stories of students whose attitudes to reading  is transformed.

Darren looks at the research into the differences, and similarrties, in how test anxiety presents itself in boys and girls.

This is a show for teachers everywhere. Teachers who are exhausted. Teachers who feel under pressure. teachers who feel like they are failing. In other words, all teachers, all the time.
Carl explains why the myth of the good teacher is quietly taking the joy out of the job and why we need to embrace the idea of the good enough teacher to rediscover it.

Reform has unveiled plans for a “patriotic curriculum” — including flying the Union Flag in every school, displaying portraits of the King, and reshaping history teaching to focus more heavily on British achievements. Supporters say it’s about restoring national pride, identity and balance in education. Critics argue it risks politicising the classroom and narrowing how history is taught. So where should schools draw the line? 👉 Should education actively promote patriotism? 👉 Is national identity being lost — or protected? 👉 And who decides what version of history gets taught?

Join us for a Late Show special in which Tim sits down with Peter Hyman: former Downing Street speechwriter, co-founder of School 21, and one of the most persistent voices in England for genuine curriculum reform. Together they`ll tackle oracy, the growing crisis around boys in education, whether teachers are part of the problem, and the almost one million young people currently classified as NEET. It is a direct, challenging and at times uncomfortable conversation about whether schools are truly preparing young people for the world they are actually going to live in.

On today's show, I look back at last week's IATEFL conference and discuss some practical tips for teacher professional development.