Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner, UK-based and internationally-recognized education authors and consultants, have a lot on their minds. From best practices in classroom teaching to sustaining PD that makes an impact, they’re aware of the techniques that work, those that don’t, and the gaps that exist in education systems, within and across nations. In this podcast, they present proven strategies and interview experts from around the globe to share timely insights on K-12 trends; research-based approaches in need of greater reach; and innovative strategies to close global gaps.
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On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Christian Mba, who is a vice principal, speaker, content creator, and now author of the upcoming book, Teach Like Your Heart Is On Fire. The trio engage in an uplifting conversation about purpose, passion and the moral imperative at the heart of teaching. Christian reflects on his journey into education, the teachers and mentors who shaped him, and why he wants to 'talk up' the profession at a time when its challenge...
In this episode Tom and Emma go head-to-head to discuss realities that schools face as they grapple with an ever-expanding variety of social and economic issues while simultaneously attempting to deliver quality education. Emma says, "I think we could probably agree as a profession that there are core things that are common to great classroom teaching, but in terms of school improvement, I think that needs a much more forensic, bespoke look at the genuine context of each school because there are...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Sarah Cottinghatt and Adam Kohlbeck to explore the craft and complexity of instructional coaching, drawing on their widely shared Coaching Cuts series on Substack. The conversation unpacks how coaching can move beyond surface-level feedback to focus on teacher decision-making and mental models, and why the most powerful coaching conversations centre on surfacing goals, comparing versions of events, and working collab...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Professor Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, for a rich and wide-ranging discussion about the role of evidence in improving education - and the complexities that come with it. Becky unpacks how the EEF has evolved from a research-focused organisation into a trusted, sector-facing resource used by the vast majority of schools. The conversation explores the power - and limits - of randomised cont...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Craig Barton - maths teacher, podcaster, and co-founder of Eedi - to discuss his ambitious new project: a series of 16 short books, each exploring a single, highly specific element of classroom practice. Drawing on three to four years spent visiting schools and observing hundreds of lessons, Craig explains the thinking behind the project and the principle that every idea included had to be seen working successfully i...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Alex Fairlamb and Rachel Ball, co-authors of The Scaffolding Effect , to explore what scaffolding really is (and isn’t) and why it has become such a pivotal idea in the move from “differentiation” to adaptive teaching. They discuss the research roots of the term, the practical reality of “knowing–doing,” and the central challenge that scaffolds must be temporary - designed to be removed through gradual release and gu...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Sam Crome, teacher, leader and author of The Power of Teams , to explore what it really takes to build teams that thrive in schools. Sam reflects on why so much leadership development is still overly individualistic, and shares the practical principles behind strong teams - belonging, alignment, purposeful operations, healthy dynamics, and deliberate development - alongside the habits that make meetings genuinely pro...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner welcome back Dr Carl Hendrick - writer, researcher and relentless “research distiller” - for a wide-ranging conversation about what the educational research can (and can’t) tell us, and how ideas mutate as they travel through schools. Starting with Carl’s monthly research round-ups and emerging areas like pre-questions (“pre-trieval”), they dig into a lively debate about the replication of the original scaffolding study and what t...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington is joined by Dr Simon Breakspear - educational researcher, author, and system leader based in Australia - for a wide-ranging conversation about how improvement actually happens at scale. Together they explore Simon’s distinctive role working across classrooms, schools, networks, and entire systems, and why sustainable change depends less on policy mandates and more on relationships, trust, and practical tools that respect teachers’ limited bandwi...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Bennie Kara - former teacher, consultant, and author of Nuthall’s Hidden Lives of Learners in Action - to explore what learning really looks like beneath the surface of the classroom. Drawing on Graham Nuthall’s seminal research, Bennie unpacks the idea of the three worlds of the classroom (the public, social, and private worlds of learning) and explains why observation alone can never tell us what pupils have actual...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Jude Arkwright, headteacher of St Michael’s CE, Aldbourne, to explore how a strong culture of professional trust, research-informed practice, and professional development can transform teaching and learning. Jude shares how long-term staff stability and coaching triplets have created a school where teachers openly examine the smallest instructional details in real time, and where feedback is immediate, supportive and...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Ann Palmer - educator, leadership coach, and founder of Figtree International - for a rich conversation spanning diversity, leadership, and the future of AI in education. Drawing on over 35 years of experience as a headteacher, Ofsted inspector, and international trainer, Ann shares how her work now centres on helping leaders grow into their roles, embedding sustainable approaches to diversity and inclusion through i...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Catherine Priggs and Hugh Richards, co-authors of Secondary History in Action, to dig into what great history curriculum and leadership look like in practice. They discuss starting with a clear departmental vision, making brave choices about what to include (and exclude), and balancing school context with disciplinary integrity. Along the way they unpack ideas like core and hinterland knowledge, Richard Kennett’s mus...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Alun Francis OBE - Chief Executive of Blackpool and The Fylde College and Chair of the UK Social Mobility Commission - for a wide-ranging conversation about further education (FE), the importance of pedagogy in post-16 education, and what genuine upward mobility looks like in real communities. Alun traces the origins of his FE reform work (including the early “Teaching for Distinction” collaboration with Tom) and exp...
Teacher and researcher Mike Hobbiss joins Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner to explore the science of attention in education. Drawing from his PhD research, Mike reveals primary classroom distractions like peers, mind-wandering, and phones. The discussion covers practical methods for cueing attention in both space and time, such as precise instructions and test expectancy, emphasizing that managing attention is a social justice issue that can help level the playing field for all students.
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington is joined by Meg Lee and Jim Heal, co-founders of Learning Science Partners, to explore how to make evidence-informed practice live and last at scale. Meg and Jim share why learning science should be a lens rather than an initiative, how they build common language across large, complex districts, and the three-phase approach they use to build, deepen, and sustain change. They discuss Maryland’s move to embed foundational learning science in statu...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by cognitive psychologist and bestselling author Professor Daniel Willingham to explore how insights from cognitive science can transform classroom practice. The conversation ranges from his influential book Why Don’t Students Like School? to the enduring truth that “memory is the residue of thought.” Together, they discuss the power of narrative in learning, the balance between shallow and deep knowledge, and why repet...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Anna Stokke, mathematician, professor at the University of Winnipeg, and host of the Chalk and Talk podcast. Together they explore the so-called “math wars,” the persistence of flawed research claims, and the crucial role of strong foundations in mathematics education. Anna shares her advocacy work, from challenging myths about times tables and timed tests to championing explicit teaching, fluency, and teacher traini...
On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by John Tomsett, former school leader and educational author, to talk about his latest two books, This Much I Know About Truly Great Primary/Secondary Teachers (and what we can learn from them) . The episode is a celebration of teaching, which is messy, complex, and can't always be quantified. That being said, John has a list of nine principles of great teaching, and using those principles, as well as their combined year...
On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Patrick Cozier, long-serving headteacher of Highgate Wood School in Haringey, London and author of the forthcoming book Calm Leadership . Patrick shares insights from nearly two decades in headship, and the conversation explores the tension between personal identity and professional responsibility, the evolving role of school leaders in their communities, and why representation matters. Patrick introduces the “CALM” f...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Bruce Robertson, Scottish school leader and author of The Teaching Delusion series. Bruce shares his path from chemistry teacher to system leader, and what led him to write a trilogy of books on improving teaching in schools. Together, they explore the gulf between intention and implementation in school improvement, the dangers of gimmick-led practice, and the STAR framework. Bruce argues that genuine school improvem...
We've reached the 100th episode of Mind the Gap ! In this special anniversary episode, Tom and Emma look back at five years of making the podcast, reminiscing about interviews with a multitude of guests. They also talk about what they're doing now and where the podcast is headed next. Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferenc...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Bronwyn Ryrie Jones, teacher educator, instructional coach, and creator of The Playbook Project. Bronwyn shares her journey from music teacher to one of Australia’s leading voices on instructional practice, reflecting on what it really takes to support effective teaching in context. Together, they explore the power and pitfalls of codifying teaching techniques—what works, when, and why—and why it’s not about rigid sc...
On this episode of Mind the Gap, Jon Hutchinson is joined by journalist and author Jenny Anderson to discuss her acclaimed new book The Disengaged Teen —a powerful exploration of why so many young people are tuning out of school and what we can do about it. Drawing on extensive research, real-world stories, and her own experience as both a parent and reporter, Jenny introduces her framework of four learner modes—passenger, achiever, resistor, and explorer—and explains how these shifting states s...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Emma Turner and Jon Hutchinson are reunited with co-host Tom Sherrington, returning from an extended break with fresh insights, global experiences, and a surprising new passion: yoga. Together, they reflect on what’s changed—and what hasn’t—in education during Tom’s time away, diving into international comparisons, curriculum development, and the evolving culture around professional development. Tom shares what struck him on visits to schools around the world, a...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Emma Turner is joined by Shareen Wilkinson, Executive Director of Education at LEO Academy Trust, and author of books for both children and teachers. Shareen shares insights from her new book, Disciplinary Literacy in Primary Schools , offering a fresh, practical lens on reading, writing, and speaking across the curriculum. Together, they explore what it really means for primary pupils to “write like historians” or “speak like scientists,” and why disciplinary l...
On this episode of Mind the Gap , Jon Hutchinson is joined by educator, researcher, and author Neil Gilbride to explore the powerful concept of self-efficacy—and why it matters now more than ever in schools. Drawing from his new book, Neil delves into the psychological foundations of self-efficacy, its relationship to agency, and the practical ways it can transform classroom practice. He shares insights from his own diverse career, from play schemes to academia, and explains how educators can he...
On this episode of Mind the Gap, Jon Hutchinson and Emma Turner are joined by Saeed Atcha MBE, social entrepreneur, charity leader, and former Social Mobility Commissioner. Saeed shares his remarkable journey from growing up in care to founding Youth Leads UK at just 15 years old, creating a platform to amplify young voices and drive social change. Together, they explore the power of purpose, the role of schools as community hubs, and how educators can foster social action and entrepreneurship i...
Zach Groshell discusses his book "Just Tell Them: Explicit Teaching and the Science of Learning," challenging traditional assumptions about instruction and advocating for a structured, interactive approach. He criticizes the lack of concrete strategies in professional development and emphasizes the need for clarity and empathy in teaching. The conversation also explores the balance between guidance and independence, the applicability of explicit teaching across different age groups, and its role as an equity lever in education.
On this episode of Mind the Gap, Jon Hutchinson and Emma Turner are joined by Chris Such, primary educator and author of The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading and his newest book, Primary Reading Simplified . Chris returns to discuss his latest book, which moves beyond research principles to offer a concrete model for reading instruction. Together, they explore the challenges of teaching reading beyond phonics, the importance of fluency practice, and the pitfalls of small-group guided ...
