The School of School

The School of School

Becoming an effective teacher takes years of experience. Lucky for you, our podcast hosts have seen enough ‘aha!’ moments throughout their education careers to know which ideas are useful (and which should be avoided). Join Andy, Robin and Adam as they unpack current pedagogical thinking, chat about their education obsessions and share invaluable teaching tips for the classroom and at home. From big questions like, where does the inspiration to learn come from? To smaller ones like, which writing tool is better: pencils or pens? Tune in to learn more than you needed to know about learning. read less

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Episode 161: Is gamification taking over?

Episode 161: Is gamification taking over?

Gold stars, Chocolate-covered broccoli, and more. Our fabulous trio are here to weigh up whether gamification is taking over and whether or not it is a danger to children’s attitudes. Is the quality of the learning being overlooked? Can school attendance rewards be an issue? Plus, who turns into Max Verstappen when they enter a Go-kart?

Episodes

Episode 161: Is gamification taking over?

Episode 161: Is gamification taking over?

Gold stars, Chocolate-covered broccoli, and more. Our fabulous trio are here to weigh up whether gamification is taking over and whether or not it is a danger to children’s attitudes. Is the quality of the learning being overlooked? Can school attendance rewards be an issue? Plus, who turns into Max Verstappen when they enter a Go-kart?

Episode 160: SATs Data Revealed! Here’s how Maths — No Problem! schools performed in comparison to the national average

Episode 160: SATs Data Revealed! Here’s how Maths — No Problem! schools performed in comparison to the national average

Jaw-dropping data, Improved life-outcomes, and more. Louise Hoskyns-Staples joins the crew again to share some incredible research results. Based on SATs data gathered from Maths — No Problem! schools, Louise reveals the impact of the programme — What are the results? Plus, find out who has an ‘inner nerd’!

Episode 159: Executive Head’s advice - Managing the shift in Maths programme

Episode 159: Executive Head’s advice - Managing the shift in Maths programme

Parent perceptions, Egg-box ingenuity, and more. Exec Head Eliza is back! We’re thrilled to have Eliza Hollis join us again to share her experience navigating change and tough decisions as a Leader of a Federation. Is getting it right at the foundation stage the most important thing? How critical is parent buy-in? Plus, Eliza talks on the importance of developing the right culture and ethos in school.

Episode 158: Children throwing chairs! Dealing with bad behaviour in class

Episode 158: Children throwing chairs! Dealing with bad behaviour in class

Behaviour tips, School trips, and more. Our hosts are here to discuss bad behaviour and threatening situations in the classroom. Are teachers trained or prepared enough for such events? Is it easier to remove the problem child from the situation or the rest of the class? Plus, Adam speaks on the importance of consistency in organising children and setting the boundaries early.

Episode 157: It takes a village - Exploring the blurry line between teacher and parent responsibilities

Episode 157: It takes a village - Exploring the blurry line between teacher and parent responsibilities

Community trust, Creating a team, and more. Our trio are here to navigate this tricky topic — Teacher and Parent roles in terms of learning and responsibilities. How much should these roles cross over? How do schools with challenging circumstances manage things? Plus, the team talk of the importance of going in the right direction together, based on the sole purpose of what everything is for, the child.

Episode 156: If writing is getting outdated, will the same happen to typing?

Episode 156: If writing is getting outdated, will the same happen to typing?

Grandma’s writing, Useless Skills, and more. If cursive could end up a thing of the past soon, will typing follow it into extinction due to new technological advancements? Are competencies more important than content? What other things will be left in the past? Plus, Andy shares the skills he learnt that became irrelevant… but did they really?

Episode 155: Incredible textbook impact - Louise's Masters thesis

Episode 155: Incredible textbook impact - Louise's Masters thesis

Guinea-pig trainees, Fraction sequencing, and more. This week the crew are joined by Louise Hoskyns-Staples. Louise has worked for the DFE, been a Head of School, an Author, a Test Writer and Developer and most currently an Educational Consultant. Sharing her Masters Thesis, the gang have some important questions for her. What was the motivation for this topic and research? Did attitudes towards textbooks change? Plus, if Louise was Minister of Education, what would be her first move?

Episode 154: Mobile phones at school

Episode 154: Mobile phones at school

Snapchat lessons, Half-Listening kids, and more. It’s a hot topic, and our hosts are ready to tackle it. They’re needed for safety reasons, but are the phones too much of a distraction? What about at primary level – are kids at that age using phones? Plus, can the use of mobile phones be spun in a positive way?

Episode 153: Invisible Children - Can some learners get forgotten?

Episode 153: Invisible Children - Can some learners get forgotten?

School Trips, Disruptive pupils, and more. This week, we’re discussing about a group of learners that sometimes can slip under the radar. Do we forget about this group? Do we focus too much on the advanced and the struggling? Plus, Adam speaks on the importance of getting to know your children.

Episode 152: Education policy makers – Who’s holding them accountable?

Episode 152: Education policy makers – Who’s holding them accountable?

Headline chasers, High stakes, and more. Our regular three pundits raise an interesting point – Why aren’t the policy makers held more accountable? Does the system need to change? How does a school issue grow and get escalated right to the top? Plus, find out where Feedspot.com ranks our podcast in the UK Teacher Podcast ranking.

Episode 151: Secondary pupils reflect on their Primary Maths past

Episode 151: Secondary pupils reflect on their Primary Maths past

Ah-ha moments!, Buzzing classes, and more. We are so lucky to have six guests join us in this very special episode. Wellington Prep Schools’ Roger Hitchin and Vics Lyon-Taylor have brought four amazing mathematicians along to reminisce of their primary maths experiences. Which elements of the approach resonated most with each of our special guests? What was the culture like in their class? Plus, which way of teaching do our star guests prefer?

Episode 150: CPD as a mechanism for change

Episode 150: CPD as a mechanism for change

Unattractive courses, Transformational moments, and more. In this episode we discuss the impacts good CPD can have on individuals and organisations. Can CPD really be a catalyst for change? What is the most impactful move school leadership can make in terms of investing? Plus, Adam takes us through the usual three stages of thought, when the penny drops at a fractions training course.

Episode 149: Inspiring Executive Head’s journey implementing maths

Episode 149: Inspiring Executive Head’s journey implementing maths

Mixed-age management, a decade-long journey, and more. Our crew are joined by Eliza Hollis, an Executive Head who’s journey implementing maths across local village schools is nothing but inspiring. How does the mixed-age setting possibly work with 3 year groups in one class? What prompted Eliza to embark on this mission with maths? Plus, hear about Eliza’s experience with 5 inspections in one year… yes, you read that correctly - FIVE!

Episode 148: Assessment in Practice

Episode 148: Assessment in Practice

Formative assessment ‘science’, Happy Ofsted, and more. Debbie Lee is back to share Overchurch Junior School’s amazing work. How do you manage pupil’s mindsets with self-assessing? Has there been noticeable and statistical improvements teaching and assessing maths like this? Plus, Debbie shares how formative assessment is managed across her school.

Episode 147: The importance of Arts in school

Episode 147: The importance of Arts in school

Using different parts of your brain, creative expression and more. Is the purpose of the Arts in school misunderstood? How important is the process of the learning the Arts in our education system? Plus, find out more about Adam's hidden artistic talents.

Episode 146: Reacting to change

Episode 146: Reacting to change

Perpetual change, Perpetual improvement and more. How often should change happen and what is at the heart of it? How can the government setup a system that allows for slow, gradual, continual changes. Plus, find out who should be staying out of the classroom to improve education.

Episode 145: Community in education - What does it’s role look like?

Episode 145: Community in education - What does it’s role look like?

Small village schools, support networks and more. What role should the Community play in the world of a teacher? How can Community help teachers cope with vulnerabilities and give them a sense of identity? Plus, learning moments for the entire group.

Episode 144: Content Strands - Do we stress about calculation too much?

Episode 144: Content Strands - Do we stress about calculation too much?

Honeycomb hunting, Spirit levels, and more. The crew are lucky enough to be joined by the amazing Debbie Lee, Maths Lead, Year 4 Lead and teacher at Overchurch Junior School, Wirral, to chat about content strands. Which content strands need more love and exposure? What real-life maths examples can we show to children? Plus, Andy takes us to the 11th dimension, almost.

Episode 143: Preparing students for the future

Episode 143: Preparing students for the future

Robot dentists, Rocket club, and more. In this episode we’re thinking about the future - ‘Great Scott!’ What will the future look like in terms of jobs and automation? Are kids losing their drive and curiosity for things? Plus, Andy questions if we are forgetting what it means to be a human…

Episode 142: Digital Technology - Time for caution?

Episode 142: Digital Technology - Time for caution?

Dopamine machines, Self-driving cars, and more. Our trio are discussing the ever-growing, and perhaps the ever-misunderstood topic, Digital Technology. Are screens taking over unnecessarily? Is learning proximity important? Plus, Andy shares that the first step when considering dig-tech changes has to be considering whether it has use in the specific environment.