Teachers Talk Radio

Improving attendance has been the obsession of both the government and Ofsted since 2020, leading to pressure being heaped on schools - and subsequently children and families - to solve a growing crisis. A fixation on the data, however, is not solving the problem and, instead of looking at the “why”, a punitive approach has been the chosen method of the government - but enforced on the ground by schools. This has led to a breakdown in relationships between parents and schools, with increasing blame falling on Heads and teachers, for situations which are ultimately out of their hands. Equally, schools have little power to solve the real problems causing high levels of absence, but all the while being held to account on the numbers. Has the situation reached breaking point? Is the position of schools now impossible? Join Rae, Dave, Yasmin and Liz.

The discussion revolves around high expectations not being seasonal. They don't end when exams finish or when the sun comes out. Every lesson, every day and every interaction matters.

Join Michael Wright for the Sunday Lunch Show with guest James Stevenson as they discuss what it is to be resilient in today's educational climate. With staff shortages, budget cuts, behavioural issues, school politics, strikes and closures, to name a few, how do new and experienced teachers and leaders traverse the rough terrain that is education? What lessons can be learned from using inner and outer motivation?What part can Finnish Sisu play in surviving the storm?
 

In this show, Konstantinos is joined by Dr Frania Hall to discuss the value of teaching as scholarship in higher education. Together, they explore evaluation, pedagogic research, educational leadership, teaching-focused career pathways, and how universities can better recognise and celebrate teaching excellence. The conversation reflects on academic identity, innovation, professional recognition, and the vital contribution that teaching-focused academics make to the future of higher education.

Every educator has heard the phrase "outstanding lesson," but what does it actually mean? Is it about engagement, creativity, differentiation, technology, or something far deeper? In this solo episode of The Lunch Show, Famida Choudhary explores one of education's most debated questions: What truly makes a lesson outstanding? Drawing on over 15 years of classroom experience, assessment leadership, lesson observations, and educational research, Famida shares her personal recipe for success. From knowing your cohort through data and observation, to designing purposeful learning environments, selecting the right pedagogical approaches, fostering higher-order thinking, providing impactful feedback, and using AI responsibly, this show challenges the idea that outstanding teaching can be reduced to a checklist. Join us for a reflective and practical conversation that reminds us that outstanding lessons are not performances - they are carefully crafted learning experiences designed to help every child thrive.

Louise Marie meets with Marie Zarro to discuss how to introduce non-fiction texts to the primary classroom!

Yannick and Tony talk about how they have been managed and how they have managed others throughout their 25-year careers. They reflect on how their experiences of leadership have impacted them. Which leadership behaviours have made them feel valued and empowered and which have made them feel exposed and demoralised? How have they as leaders looked to balance the need to have impact with the need to support their team? Has leadership changed? Are leaders becoming more effective? Do we have enough good leaders in education? Is the need to be corporate and show improvement at odds with the need to support and develop teachers holistically? The hosts tackle this and many other questions as they delve into the big issues of educational management.

As new summer exam entry data lands following the government’s landmark curriculum and assessment review, we ask: are England’s secondary schools on the brink of major change, or are old patterns proving hard to break? Despite plans to scrap the EBacc performance measure, GCSE choices remain largely unchanged with languages still struggling, history steady, geography slipping and business booming. Meanwhile, maths continues its dominance at both GCSE and A-level, economics surges into the top five A-levels, and political studies sees record growth. A new 'Natural History' GCSE is planned and A Level music looks like it could cease to exist in many schools. Join Rae Whitehouse, JP, Lucy Trimnell and Liz Webb as they discuss.

Join Beejesh and Claire to discuss if Gareth Southgate really does know best about how boys and girls learn.

This week on The Late Show with Tim Smale, Tim is joined by Darren Goode, Assistant Principal for Inclusion, for a conversation about belonging in schools. England now has one of the lowest rates of pupil belonging in the world, and the link between belonging and achievement is hard to ignore. Tim and Darren ask why it is still treated as the soft stuff when the evidence says it is anything but, taking in inclusion, SEND, the attendance crisis, representative education, masculinity, behaviour and the pull of social media.