What does it really take for beginning teachers to be classroom-ready? Rachele Newman shares findings from her research revealing a gap between how mentors and trainee teachers on an ITE programme understand classroom readiness. While mentors focus on technical proficiency and compliance with school systems, trainees look for professional autonomy and the confidence to make their own decisions. We explore why this matters for teacher retention, the tensions between centralised curricula and teacher agency, and what happens to professional creativity when teachers become deliverers rather than designers of learning. Plus: why retrieval practice might be getting lost in translation.

Rachele’s article in Chartered College Impact – What does it really mean to be classroom-ready? Professional agency, autonomy and confidence in beginner teachers. https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/what-does-it-really-mean-to-be-classroom-ready-professional-agency-autonomy-and-confidence-in-beginner-teachers/

National Education Union Are you on slide 8 yet? The impact of standarised curricula on teacher professionalism: https://neu.org.uk/latest/library/are-you-slide-8-yet

Mark Priestley’s blog for BERA Teacher agency: What is it and why does it matter? https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/teacher-agency-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter

Southampton Education School Education Research Practice Network: https://erpn.soton.ac.uk/

Rachele Newman is Director of Teacher Professional Learning and co-founder of the Education Research & Practice Network at Southampton Education School, University of Southampton. A former secondary school teacher with 26 years in education, she has held various roles in initial teacher education including Director of ITT. Her research focuses on teacher learning, particularly for beginner and early career teachers, and the professional agency, identity and autonomy of teachers. Connect with Rachele on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachele-newman-52a1b5332/

Ruth Luzmore is a Research Fellow and Lecturer at Southampton Education School, University of Southampton. A former school leader, her work focuses on educational leadership, ideas-engagement in society at large, and how schools can navigate evidence-informed practice in high-stakes cultures. Ruth continues to work closely with school leaders through governance and mentoring roles Follow Ruth on X @Rluzmore or LinkedIn (2) Ruth Luzmore | LinkedIn

This podcast is produced by Southampton Education School Southampton Education School: Posts | LinkedIn

Does it matter which Ofsted inspector walks through the school door? As Ofsted's new framework rolls out, this episode digs into inspector reliability, the differences between HMIs and freelance inspectors, and why transparency could be key to rebuilding trust in the system. Professor Christian Bokhove shares findings from of a Nuffield funded project where 60,000+ inspection reports were analysed. Data, debate, and a surprising music recommendation.

Dr Christian Bokhove is Professor in Mathematics Education at Southampton Education School, University of Southampton. A former mathematics teacher from the Netherlands, his work focuses on mathematics classrooms, international comparisons, and research methods. Follow Christian on X @cbokhove or LinkedIn Christian Bokhove | LinkedIn

Ruth Luzmore is a Research Fellow and Lecturer at Southampton Education School, University of Southampton. A former school leader, her work focuses on educational leadership, ideas-engagement in society at large, and how schools can navigate evidence-informed practice in high-stakes cultures. Ruth continues to work closely with school leaders through governance and mentoring roles Follow Ruth on X @Rluzmore or LinkedIn Ruth Luzmore | LinkedIn

This podcast is produced by Southampton Education School Southampton Education School: Posts | LinkedIn