There have been people working on decolonizing the curriculum for a very long time now. In early 2020 after George Floyd’s death decolonizing the curriculum came to the forefront of the discussion. People who had never considered it, or even understood what it meant, had to grapple with its implications. This whole episode is about exactly that. Havelock Primary school was by no means behind the curve when It came to things like this but when they decided to decolonize their curriculum (starting...
May 09, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 8
A few years ago Solihull was a small, relatively affluent borough in Southeast Birmingham, but they had one big problem. Many factors had aligned to create a situation where Solihull had more permanent exclusions than 90% of the country. This is when Stephen Steinhaus, the soon-to-be principal of this new school, caught wind they were building a new school in the borough. A school that was attempting to find a solution to their permanent exclusion problem. Making a school like that isn't easy bu...
May 01, 2021•34 min•Season 4Ep. 7
One of the fundamental lessons teachers learn is ‘how to motivate their class’. Historically, For many, this comes down to the Skinnerian model of behaviorism, which is essentially positive and negative reinforcement. John Camp (the Lead of the Compass trust) was taught this too. He began to see things differently when his own headteacher showed him another way of motivation. One called intrinsic motivation. As Trust leader John has had the chance to share intrinsic motivation with his colleges....
Apr 22, 2021•27 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Classically, CPD brings all the staff together to learn about a single subject of improvement. By contrast, Instructional coaching has aspects that make bespoke to what each teacher needs at the moment. So this all sounds good in theory but how does it work? Where do you start? What do you do when it doesn’t go to plan? When Josh Goodrich became the head of teaching and learning at Oasis South Bank, he was determined to bring instructional coaching to life; but it wasn’t easy. BIG thank you to J...
Apr 15, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 5
During Lucy’s first maternity leave, she felt alienated from her profession. People would tell her that she would lose interest in working full time but she didn’t. In her second MAT leave, she was determined not to be on the outside looking. While attending an event put on by the MPTP project, for the first time she became aware that she could go on school visits during her MAT leave. Over the next couple of months, Lucy goes on several school walk-throughs with her young child Roland. She lear...
Apr 08, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Many teachers who gravitate towards schools that have fallen on hard times, have been taught in similar schools, and in this way, Sajid Gulzar isn’t very different. As a headteacher, Sajid has continued to be interested in the schools that require a lot of care; but doing this can eventually spread you too thin if you're not careful. As with most of us, there is a real tension between what needs doing and what WE can do. Sajid and Prince Albert Community Trust find themselves right in the middle...
Apr 01, 2021•39 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Education should prepare students for the world they are going to live in. That world will require more awareness of the impact humans have on the planet and each other. In 2015 the United Nation set out 17 sustainable development goals, with their mission statement being, “A blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030”. Rachel Tomlinson and Karl Cross have become enthusiastic about making this goal a reality and developing their students to become leaders on sustai...
Mar 25, 2021•35 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Yamina grew up in the majority Bangladeshi area of Tower Hamlets. When her family moved to Canary Wharf things changed; 9/11 happened and the overt racism began. When she became a teacher years later, she didn’t go back to Tower Hamlets, she went to teach in Lewisham. It was in Lewisham where the prejudice she faced as a kid was still present in her students. This time she made it her responsibility to teach them, not only about English but also how to treat people with respect. BIG thank you to...
Mar 18, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 1
The We Are In Beta podcast is back. We -schools, Are In Beta- Always learning. Over the past year, we have done a lot of that learning very quickly and through our own trial and error. The WAIB podcast shares stories from the experience of teachers in schools, so we can learn from them, challenge our own thinking and see things from an others perspective. In this season we have stories of change. People changing others, people changing the system, and people changing themselves. From rethinking ...
Mar 17, 2021•2 min
In this episode, we speak with Kiran Mahil - History and politics teacher in East London. Obviously, things have changed a lot due to covid19, but what might not be obvious is how we will regain the things we’ve lost over this period. Kiran and friend (and fellow teacher) Hannah Dalton, have come up with a document that allows schools to understand what has been lost and consider how they will respond. It’s called the Roadmap to Renewal. We talked to them about it. Learn more about our guests, t...
Jul 06, 2020•14 min•Season 3Ep. 17
In this episode, we speak with Sharifah Lee- The Deputy Headteacher of Dorney School in Windsor. We spoke to Sharifah in a previous episode and she mentioned that they're opening their school to more students. That was a couple of weeks ago... We wanted to see what worked, what hasn't and how it's been. Learn more about our guests, their schools, the roles they are recruiting for, and access all resources and bonus content from episodes at www.weareinbeta.community ....
Jun 29, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 16
In this episode, we speak with Chantelle Clarke -Head of Department at Frederick Bremer School, Waltham Forest. We talked about how recent events have led to more support of Black Lives Matter and similar movements. But what do we do with that support? Learn more about our guests, their schools, the roles they are recruiting for, and access all resources and bonus content from episodes at www.weareinbeta.community .
Jun 22, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In this episode, we speak with Anita Woodward-Benn about her role as the trust attendance manager at the University of Brighton Academies Trust. You could say attendance officers have a reputation for being the rule keepers. But Anita thinks about it differently. She thinks attendance practitioners could and should be the front line of support for families. How? By focusing on building relationships with parents. Learn more about our guests, their schools, the roles they are recruiting for, and ...
Jun 15, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode, we do something a little different. During lockdown, there's been a lot of online CPD happening. There's plenty of research about what good CPD and good online learning look like. But what do teachers who've been attending these sessions have to say? We spoke to three teachers about their experience of attending over 145 online CPD sessions over the past few weeks. We ask them what makes for good online CPD in their opinion. This is not science but hopefully, it will helpful for...
Jun 08, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this episode, we speak to Emily Reynard - Headteacher of MEA Central - about year 7 transition. Emily talks about why transition is so important and how it's not an isolated incident; a transition is felt by every year group. Learn more about the school, roles they are recruiting for, and access all resources and bonus content from episodes at www.weareinbeta.community .
May 25, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this episode, we speak to David Sammels - Headteacher of Mayflower Community Academy - about how the lockdown has sparked David's change from a linear way of working to a non-linear way. We also speak about how David has been feeling more connected to parents, despite the distance and maybe because of the non-linear working. Learn more about the school, roles they are recruiting for, and access all resources and bonus content from episodes at www.weareinbeta.community ....
May 18, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In this episode, we speak to Mike Wilson - Headteacher of St. Edmund's Catholic School in Dover, Kent - about an issue we discussed in a previous episode, the 'digital divide': the gap between students who have access to data and devices at home and those who don't. St. Edmund's Catholic School is one where this divide is significant. Around 10% of students have limited or no access. Shortly after schools closed, the staff at St Edmund's were preparing to take their school online but realised th...
May 11, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this episode, we speak to Amit Hathi - Headteacher of Wembley High Technology College, London. In the wake of the pandemic, school closures and the cancellation of exams, teachers are being asked to provide centred assessed grades for their students. Grades which they believe their students would have been most likely to get in the summer if they had taken the exams. But doing this fairly and consistently is not without its challenges. Amit explains the three step approach they are taking at ...
May 04, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode, we are speaking to Will Mackintosh and Nat Nabarro - Headteacher and Vice-Principal of Ark John Keats in North London Since we've been working remotely we have had to change the way we do a lot of things. One of them is recruitment. Without being able to visit schools or meet candidates teachers and schools have to change their methods without necessarily changing what they're looking for. Will and Nat tell us what they've done in their school to change the way they're doing rec...
Apr 27, 2020•19 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this episode, we are speaking to Nicole Fowles - Headteacher at Coleshill Heath School, Birmingham. During the COVID19 crisis Nicole, like many other school leaders., has been dealing with fragments of information and sometimes conflicting messages. She’s been dealing with bereavement, supporting teachers and parents for home learning, and safeguarding challenges. She’s been dealing with staff anxiety and communication overload. She talks about the four reassurances she gave her team to suppo...
Apr 23, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In this episode, we speak with Seb Chapleau - Director of Big Education Conversation. We spoke about an initiative he's supporting to help kids have access to the data and devices necessary to ensure the can access remote learning from home. Join the conversation here: www.weareinbeta.community
Apr 20, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 6
This episode we speak with Shonogh Pilgrim - Principal of Ansford Academy - about how, without knowing it, her school has been preparing her students for school closure. She reveals how their recent school ski trip and the culmination of their 4 year programme of work to increase student independence coincide to to set them up to open their virtual school. We also spoke about how Shonogh's staying in touch with her students and parents with daily videos. Join the conversation here: www.weareinbe...
Apr 13, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 5
On this episode, we speak with Josie Mingay - School Improvement Lead, Greenshaw Learning Trust. We spoke about the decision between live or recorded remote teaching and their tutor reading programme. Join the conversation here: www.weareinbeta.community
Apr 09, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This episode, we speak with Ben Layzell - Head of Atherton Community School, Wigan. We talk about taking care of staff first just before closing the school, the current generation of students being more socially conscious and missing the structure of a school day. Join the conversation here: www.weareinbeta.community
Apr 06, 2020•10 min•Season 3Ep. 3
This episode, we speak with Cassie Young - SENCO and Head of School of Brenzett Primary School in Kent. We talk about some of the expectations put on parents at this moment as well the importance of staying connected with the students while they're home. Join the conversation here: www.weareinbeta.community
Apr 02, 2020•11 min•Season 3Ep. 2
After 3 months of research and prep for Series 3, all our in person interviews were understandably postponed due to coronavirus. In times like these, it’s important we stay connected. So, Niall (host and founder of We Are In Beta) and Jay (Producer) will be making calls to teachers around the country to check-in and find what they’re doing that’s new, the questions they have and a little bit about their life. This episode, we spoke with Clare Fletcher - Director of Schools, The Yare Education Tr...
Mar 30, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Picking up from the last episode on BAME leadership, 'Critical Mass' featuring Allana Gay, which you should listen to first, we’re talking about what it means to be a good ally to your BAME colleagues, what the purpose is and what it looks like when it’s not easy. We speak to Patrick Ottley O’Connor - Executive Headteacher, North Liverpool Academy - and Allana Gay again about what they’ve done and would like to see done to promote an equitable education system for people of all backgrounds. We a...
Dec 22, 2019•26 min•Season 2Ep. 10
This is an episode on BAME leadership in education. BAME stands for Black Asian Minority Ethnic. According to the Swan Report (1985) and a recent report by the Runnymede Trust (2017), BAME educators have more difficulty progressing to leadership in the English education system. We went out to hear some stories from BAME leaders in education about what it was like for them getting to their position…but we made a mistake. Listen to learn what it was, what we did about it. Allana Gay, Headteacher a...
Dec 22, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Vivienne Porritt, amongst many things is one of the founders of the social equity group called #WomenEd. Vivienne set us a challenge. She asked us to take a message to every man in education. Chris Hildrew is a contributor to the WomenEd book '10% Braver', and Headteacher at Churchill Academy. He charts his change to becoming a He for She ally, from his early years in school to a speech he heard by Emma Watson at the United Nations. Later Chris would adopt some tips from Sheryl Sandberg’s book '...
Dec 15, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 8
These days things are going well for Claire Cuthbert. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher. When she became one, she progressed quickly. The time soon came for her to apply for headship - one at a start up school in a mining community. Both the interviewers and applicants for the position were all, as Claire describes “middle aged white males in grey suits”, and to be honest that’s not really surprising. But what happened next was. Claire progressed to the second round and when it came dow...
Dec 08, 2019•26 min•Season 2Ep. 7
