Carl chats to former General secretary of ASCL, Brian Lightman about the emergence of a new form of school partnerships known as local area based school partnerships and asks the question whether they might be an alternative to MATs for schools moving forward.

Jen Hurst interviews Michael Wright on how his neurodiversity has had an impact on his teaching, students as well as insight into how being neurodivergent is both his superpower and kryptonite!

Authenticity is a series of choices.

One of the main causes of emotional rest deficit is wearing a "mask", acting how we think we need to in order to fit in/be successful/be liked.

This is a major issue for teachers and school leaders.

In this show, host Famida Choudhary is joined by educational leader Surji Aboubakker to explore The Power of Wonder in literacy classrooms. Together, they discuss how to embed joy, curiosity, and connection in reading and writing, moving beyond worksheets to create meaningful, story-rich experiences. Tune in for insights on leadership, phonics, and reimagining literacy for lifelong impact.

Staff at a London academy instilled a “climate of fear” among pupils, with a drive for academic success likely to have harmed vulnerable children including those with special needs, according to a damning independent investigation. The report by Sir Alan Wood found that staff at Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (MVPA) routinely used measures “designed to humiliate pupils”, frequently shouting at them and isolating them in corridors as part of “a harsh and damaging disciplinary culture”. The panel of Yasmin Omar, Rae Whitehouse, JB and Liz Webb discuss the report in full.

In this week's show, we invite Rolade Berthier to chat about culture in the classroom.

Darren thinks about how we can make sure all children feel included when schools celebrate cultural and religious festivals.

We talk in depth about what stress looks like this close to the end of term.