Effective assessment remains one of the most crucial aspects of high-quality teaching and learning. In this episode, three school leaders speak to NAHT’s director of policy James Bowen about their involvement in a lead assessor support programme and the positive outcomes they are seeing in their schools. NAHT is working with the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors to encourage every school to have a lead assessor. Find out more about its lead assessor support programme and how NAHT memb...
Aug 02, 2022•22 min
This episode of NAHT’s School Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with some of the key speakers at Inspiring Leadership Conference 2022, which took place in Birmingham last month. You’ll hear Dave Coplin, Steve Munby, Marie-Claire Bretherton and Ed Balls share honest and through-provoking reflections on what makes a great leader, and much more, in a series of interviews recorded during the conference.
Jul 11, 2022•26 min
History teacher and coach Sam Moinet speaks to the School Leadership Podcast about his experiences in the classroom and of the mental health challenges faced by a forgotten majority of students in schools. He explains why expressions like ‘just think positive’ can be problematic, why we need to move from a reactive to a preventative model and how coaching can improve mental health. Plus there’s a quick coaching exercise to try for yourself. Sam set up Student Breakthrough after he witnessed how ...
Jun 29, 2022•27 min
Husham Khan, author of the best-selling book Financial Intelligence for School Business Leaders, speaks to NAHT’s Natalie Arnett about the pressures facing finances in schools, new ways to tackle them and the changing nature of the school business leader (SBL) role – and how the role is vital for dealing with some of the challenges ahead, including soaring energy costs and cybersecurity. Along with exploring many of the new financial concepts outlined in his book, which schools and trusts can us...
May 25, 2022•36 min
Former secretary of state for education and cabinet minister Ed Balls reflects on his experiences of – and views on – leadership in this April 2022 episode of NAHT 's School Leadership Podcast. Hear him speak with NAHT director of policy James Bowen about his time as education secretary and his memories of working for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown at pivotal political moments. Ed is a keynote speaker at this year’s Inspiring Leadership Conference , which takes place on 28 and 29 June in Birmingham...
Apr 11, 2022•23 min
What is the best way to ventilate a classroom, what do you need to know about CO2 monitors and are air-cleaning machines worth the investment? NAHT’s James Bowen puts these key questions and more to the scientists involved in a critical research project looking at the effectiveness of ventilation and air purifiers in classrooms. Professor Mark Mon-Williams, chair in cognitive psychology at the University of Leeds and professor of psychology at the Bradford Institute of Health Research, and mecha...
Mar 08, 2022•34 min
As part of LGBT+ History Month in 2022, hear Dominic Arnall, chief executive at LGBT+ young people's charity Just Like Us , in conversation with NAHT’s Natalie Arnett about the role schools play in empowering young people to champion LGBT+ equality, and how the charity can help schools do this. Plus, there’s more on school mottos – you'll hear from Chilton Primary School in Oxfordshire about their motto and why it was chosen. For more about Just Like Us, including resources and lesson plans, tal...
Feb 08, 2022•21 min
In this episode, Tes editor Jon Severs talks to NAHT’s James Bowen about tackling covid guidance, teachers on Twitter and Tes being a voice the profession can trust. Plus, following on from last month’s episode, we have more on school mottos.
Jan 14, 2022•28 min
What does this autumn’s budget really mean for school spending? Will schools be better off in 2022, and beyond? And what will changes in the funding formula mean for head teachers? Luke Sibieta, an economist specialising in education policy at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, answers these questions and more in this conversation with NAHT’s director of policy James Bowen. Plus: what’s your school’s motto, and why was it chosen? You’ll hear a head teacher talk about her school’s motto and what i...
Dec 14, 2021•31 min
In this episode, hear primary head teacher and director of Educating for Equality Sabrina Edwards talk about her work supporting leaders on their journey to embedding anti-racism and gender equality in their schools, and the role schools can play in bringing about long-lasting and sustainable change in the world.
Nov 23, 2021•22 min
Geraldine Trotman, Black History Patron for Wales, reflects on the contribution of her lifelong friend, champion of multiculturalism and Wales' first Black head teacher Betty Campbell. Betty was born in Butetown, Cardiff, in 1934. She qualified as a teacher in the 1960s and later became head teacher at Butetown’s Mount Stuart Primary School, where she made sure her pupils learned about the positive contribution made to British society by people of colour.
Oct 12, 2021•17 min
In this episode, you’ll hear conversations that reflect on student and staff experiences of discrimination and explore how school leaders can take steps to understand and promote the equalities agenda in their schools. Michelle De Leon, founder and CEO of World Afro Day , talks to NAHT’s Natalie Arnett about why she set up the Big Hair Assembly and how schools can get involved, before Iona Jackson, head of research at Edurio , outlines the key findings of a survey looking at the experiences of 1...
Sep 03, 2021•45 min
In March 2020, head teacher Alan Garnett decided to start a weekly column for a local paper chronicling the experiences of his school community as it responded to the pandemic. He ended up writing the diary for a whole year, and his articles have now been turned into a book, A Headteacher's Diary: Making it up as we go Along – Trying to lead a school through a pandemic . Here, Alan shares some of his observations – talking honestly about how stressful it was reacting to last-minute announcements...
Jul 30, 2021•15 min
What does research say about the science of learning, and what does it mean for school leaders? In a conversation that takes in his experience of working with Manchester United and Olympic athletes, plus the impact of high expectations, lack of sleep and mobile phones, registered psychologist Brad Busch talks to NAHT’s James Bowen about how we can start to make sense of the wide range of educational research that exists. Brad is a co-author of The Science of Learning: 77 Studies That Every Teach...
Jul 06, 2021•40 min
In this episode, you'll hear two perspectives on children's speech and language. Speech and language therapist Anna Sellers, who works with children in schools, and Derek Munn, director of policy and public affairs at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, talk about the impact of the pandemic – both negative and positive – on services for young people. They also share their thoughts on what school leaders can do to help tackle the challenges that lie ahead around speech and langua...
Jun 14, 2021•38 min
Former Olympic swimmer Steve Parry is the co-founder of Total Swimming Academies and believes every child should have the opportunity to learn and enjoy swimming. Recent figures show a worrying number of children leaving primary school not knowing how to swim. Steve outlines Total Swimming Academies' campaign to invest in school facilities to ensure school pools remain viable while helping to maximise their value to the surrounding community. Find out more about Total Swimming Academies and the ...
May 04, 2021•23 min
Football Beyond Borders is an education and social inclusion charity which transforms the outcomes for disadvantaged young people who are passionate about football but disengaged at school. In this episode, James Bowen speaks to co-founder and director, Jack Reynolds about the work the charity is doing with supporting young people’s academic and social and emotional learning as they transition to adulthood.
Apr 12, 2021•22 min
After a year that has seen school leaders “carrying the community” as they steer schools through the pandemic, Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of Education Support, speaks with NAHT’s James Bowen about the importance of compassion, connection and showing up in your best shape. Education Support is a UK charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of education staff.
Mar 10, 2021•47 min
Closing gaps, inclusivity and redressing imbalance wherever it may be is at the very core of the Global Equality Collective (GEC). Co-CEO and founder of the GEC, Nic Ponsford talks to James Bowen about the new GEC app which helps organisations track, monitor and embed diversity and inclusion into their day-to-day practices and behaviours. Nic discusses the core functions of the app and the work being done in schools to champion equality and inclusion.
Feb 10, 2021•29 min
Oak National Academy is the online classroom made for teachers by teachers. Created in April 2020 as a rapid response to the coronavirus outbreak, Oak Academy offers pre-recorded video lessons as well as quizzes, worksheets and creative activities to support remote learning. In this episode, principal at Oak National Academy, Matt Hood talks about how the online classroom came about, the important role remote learning has played throughout this year and considers what remote learning might look ...
Dec 08, 2020•34 min
One of the unavoidable effects of the pandemic has meant that we have been forced to almost renegotiate our relationship with outdoor spaces. For leaders, it's meant careful management of school grounds and for some children outside of school, lockdowns have resulted in a new dynamic where access to the great outdoors has either been severely limited or denied altogether. Jim Whittaker, chair of the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres, talks to James Bowen about health, well-being,...
Nov 19, 2020•20 min
When the national lockdown took place earlier this year, many schools quickly turned to technology to bridge the gap and continue learning outside of the school gates. In this episode, director of NAHT policy, James Bowen speaks to author, public speaker and managing director of NetSupport, Al Kingsley about the future of technology to support learning. We also consider the challenges blended and remote learning can cause, including addressing the digital divide and ensuring students are safe on...
Oct 21, 2020•34 min
Campaigner, activist and speaker; Natasha Devon MBE talks to James Bowen about the relationship between exam stress and mental health in children and young people. Natasha also talks about the impact the pandemic and lockdown have had on young people’s anxiety levels.
Sep 15, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 1
The past few months have been a rapidly changing picture for schools which hasn’t always been easy to interpret and then act on. It’s been our aim all along to bring as much clarity to school leaders as possible. In this month’s podcast episode, director of policy and NAHT Edge, James Bowen answers your most frequently asked questions about planning for a full return to school this September.
Jul 27, 2020•25 min
How can we minimise infection in schools and in the wider community? How can we protect the most at-risk groups? Should staff be wearing PPE? How often should surfaces be wiped down in classrooms? Dr Matt Butler answers your most pressing questions about the covid-19 pandemic and outlines some practical steps you can take to keep staff and children safe.
Jun 16, 2020•42 min
In this episode, NAHT head of policy James Bowen talks to education author and former teacher Daisy Christodoulou about technology in schools. We consider what the next big ed-tech development is likely to be, whether we should ban mobile devices in schools and why ed-tech hasn’t yet had the transformative impact on education that it has long promised.
Mar 03, 2020•53 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Professor Sonia Blandford is one of the country's foremost experts on improving the education and aspirations of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She is the founder and CEO of the award winning educational charity Achievement for All, which provides programmes to improve outcomes for children and young people aged two to 19 years. She is also a visiting professor of education and social enterprise at UCL Institute of Education and the author of numerous books on education. Edge Director,...
Jan 15, 2020•31 min
We hear from Andy Wolfe, deputy chief education officer for the Church of England, about why it’s time to rethink resilience and what it means for school leaders. Andy oversees leadership development through the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership.
Dec 13, 2019•22 min
It's the much awaited second part of our chart with Matthew Purves from Ofsted. Matthew gets into the specifics of what the new framework means for schools and what they'll be expecting of subject leaders. There's also an illuminating conversation with Julie Kelly, the Headteacher at West Meon Church of England Primary School on what it's really like to run a small school. With 60% of teachers in small schools leading three or more subjects, what will the implications from the deep dives? To fin...
Nov 28, 2019•32 min
Deep dives and cultural capital. Ofsted is always an intense talking point and both this and next month, the School Leadership Podcast will keep you fully up to speed with what's expected and any new protocols. Earlier this term we saw the launch of an entirely new inspection framework and NAHT members have already begun to experience these new style inspections. Already we have seen teachers and school leaders taking to social media to share their early experiences and debate some of the phrase...
Oct 15, 2019•40 min
