Teachers Talk Radio

Do you think you'd make a good teacher?
Are you thinking of becoming a teacher?
Teaching wants you, but do you want teaching?
Carl tells you what the brochures don't, so you can make up your own mind.

At Connaught School for Girls in Waltham Forest, frustrated students are directly confronting teachers in the third week of strikes. With GCSE preparations severely disrupted, pupils are demanding the National Education Union members return to class. Teachers, protesting heavy workloads, management issues, potential redundancies and pay cuts, have been seen turning away or standing with keffiyehs and Palestine flags. Parents are bitterly divided - some backing the teachers’ fight for better conditions, others furious that their daughters’ futures are being sacrificed. Is this a necessary stand for workers’ rights, or are students paying the price for adult disputes at the worst possible time? On the panel: Tom Rogers, Dave Brown and Lucy Trimnell.

Great schools don't happen by accident. Behind every turnaround story is a leader who understood that sustainable improvement isn't just about strategy; it's about people. It's about building a culture where staff feel trusted, students feel they belong, and everyone believes that better is possible. Yet so many schools find themselves stuck. They have the data, the development plans, the training days and still the gap between knowing what good looks like and actually getting there remains frustratingly wide. So what makes the difference? What separates the schools that talk about change from the ones that live it? In this episode, we explore the human side of school improvement. What it takes to walk into a school and create the conditions for change, quickly, and in a way that lasts. We dig into the leadership decisions that matter most in the early days, the role culture plays in unlocking or blocking progress, and why the most powerful driver of school improvement has never been a policy or a framework. It's has always been people. Special Guest: Andrea Rosewell. 

A major new study has revealed that nearly a quarter of newly-qualified teachers in England never actually enter the profession after training. Researchers point to “reality shock” with workload, administration, lesson planning and long working days among the biggest concerns for trainee teachers. But is workload really the main issue? Or are deeper problems driving graduates away before their careers even begin? On this week’s mid week Points of View, Tom Rogers, JP, Liz Webb and Rae Whitehouse discuss whether teacher training courses are properly preparing people for the realities of the classroom, whether excessive workload has become normalised in schools, and whether teaching today is fundamentally different from what many trainees expect when they begin. The panel will also discuss whether schools are doing enough to support early career teachers, whether the profession is losing people before they even start, and whether the recruitment crisis can really be solved without confronting the retention crisis first.

Tom Rogers is joined by Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the NASUWT, for a special one-off conversation on the biggest issues facing teachers right now. With growing concerns around pay, workload and retention, are we heading towards further industrial action? What’s really driving teachers out of the profession and what needs to change to stop it? The discussion explores funding pressures, maternity rights, behaviour, and the widening expectations placed on schools. Are teachers being asked to do too much? And is the system reaching breaking point?

Michelle sits down with David Didau to challenge the myths around lesson observations. Who are they really for, and are they working? A sharp, thought-provoking conversation on rethinking what effective observation should look like.

In this second show in his series on exam pressure, Darren explores what the research says about reducing student anxiety in assessments. Drawing on evidence-based strategies, he focuses on practical in-school interventions that can make a measurable difference to how students experience tests. From classroom approaches to whole-school practices, this episode offers clear, research-informed insights for teachers and school leaders looking to support student wellbeing and improve performance under pressure.

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.
 
Featuring JP, Tom Rogers, Tony Harwood and Michael Wright.

In this special Teachers Talk Radio show, brought to you in partnership with Hachette Learning, hosts Tom Rogers and Charlotte Newman are joined by Joe Kinnaird to explore his new book, Secondary Religious Education in Action.
Drawing on classroom experience and the latest research, Joe shares a vision for high-quality RE, one that challenges students to engage deeply with religious and non-religious worldviews, grapple with philosophical and ethical questions, and develop informed, critical responses. The conversation explores practical strategies for curriculum design, teaching disciplinary knowledge, and handling sensitive or controversial topics, alongside a wider discussion about the purpose and value of RE in today’s schools.
Check out the book here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/joe-kinnaird-2/secondary-religious-education-in-action/9781915261915/

In this show of Teachers Talk Radio, Famida Choudhary is joined by Amir Taron Ayres to rethink one of education’s most debated classroom tools — worksheets. Moving beyond the idea of worksheets as passive tasks, the conversation explores how teachers can transform routine activities into opportunities for intellectual engagement, discussion, error analysis, collaboration, and deeper learning. Drawing on ideas around alignment, relevance, student thinking, and Charlotte Danielson’s work on active engagement, the episode highlights how worksheets can become scaffolds for meaningful learning experiences rather than simple completion tasks.