Teachers Talk Radio

Hosts Tony and Yannick chat with headteacher Jonathan Sands about his people-centred approach to behaviour management, explaining a ‘reward over sanction’ house-points system that dramatically reduced suspensions and improved attendance and engagement.
The show explores tensions between restorative and punitive approaches, centralised behaviour systems, teacher trust and autonomy, and the debate between direct instruction and discovery learning, with practical examples and reflections for school leaders and classroom teachers.

We talk if the sun is actually shining and do things get better? Let's talk it out..

It’s nearly exam season and the countdown, post-Easter, has truly begun. The pressure is on. Revision classes are running before school, after school, lunchtimes. Material is being revisited, practice papers are being circulated, students are requesting psychic predictions of paper content.
The holy grail of the fabled study leave experienced by their predecessors is within touching distance and yet… the sense of immediacy somehow feels lacking - like the exams are months rather than days away.
Is it worse in 2026 than it has ever been or have we forgotten last year already? Is apathy the name of the game or is it something else? Is it anxiety? Burn out? Boredom through Groundhog Day repetition of the same material?
Join The Morning Break team’s discussion as they delve into the classroom experiences and feelings leading up to exam season.

Darren looks into the research behind availability and access to information and considers what this means for student research projects.

Dave Brown speaks to Mehal Shah about the Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper on education. What does the future of SEND provision look like, how will teaching potentially change in the next 10 years and what are the major barriers to achieving the vision set out by the white paper? 

In this show, Famida is joined by De'Shawn Washington to explore “Literacy: Liberating Lives.” Moving beyond phonics and technical skills, the conversation examines how reading can shift from obligation to genuine engagement. Drawing on research, classroom practice, and real-world challenges, the show highlights the growing literacy and communication gap, the importance of fluency and comprehension, and how literacy connects deeply with writing, speaking, and critical thinking. A powerful discussion for educators looking to make reading meaningful, purposeful, and rooted in student voice.

Mehmet speaks with Eve, an English leader passionate about creating truly inclusive classrooms where every student feels seen, heard and valued. Known for her willingness to address challenging topics-from identity and culture to LGBT+ issues and misogyny-Eve shares how she creates safe, honest spaces or meaningful dialogue.

In this week's show, Martin Sketchley has a chat with Joseph Steven Van Dorn about what university teachers should consider when working in South Korea.

This show responds to a Telegraph exclusive claiming progressive policies of managed moves, pressure not to exclude and inclusion practices may keep violent pupils in mainstream schools. The hosts discuss media bias, teacher safety, the limits of inclusion, and how managed moves and alternative provision actually work.
They explore possible fixes including clearer boundaries, better funding and support, earlier intervention, and nuanced policies that balance safeguarding staff and students with routes for rehabilitation and redemption.
On the panel: Tom Rogers, Liz Webb, JP and Rae Whitehouse. 

Deputy head Rachel, working in a primary school in Newham, discusses how schools are responding to needs beyond education, including poverty, food insecurity, toileting and family instability.
She outlines practical approaches - home visits, strong induction, clear behaviour policies that involve parents, pastoral teams, wellbeing programmes and community partnerships - and argues that building relationships and embedding mental health support helps attendance, learning and overall pupil wellbeing.