Rethinking Education
Hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, this podcast features long-form conversations with guests about creating a more diverse, intelligent, and responsive educational ecosystem for all young people. It explores how education can keep pace with the challenges of civilization, drawing on H.G. Wells' idea that civilization is a race between education and catastrophe.
Episodes
The missing science of how we learn - and the “barefoot unschool” that’s already LIVING it
This might be the most important conversation we've had on this podcast.
There's a science of how human beings actually learn – and much of what happens in schools runs against the grain of it. In this episode, James is joined by affective neuroscience specialist Mike Goves and returning guest Kate McAllister, founder of the Hive in the Dominican Republic, to make that case from two directions at
“Autonomy isn't ANARCHY!”: A conversation with Sophie Smith-Tong
Sophie Smith-Tong joins James and David to discuss her book Teacher Autonomy: Where Has It Gone and Why We Need It Back – and the conversation is as rich, funny, and urgent as the title suggests.
Sophie is a teacher of 16 years and mental health and wellbeing lead, who came to the question of autonomy through noticing the human cost of a system built on fear. In this episode, she makes the case th
"We NEED to talk about power dynamics in schools! " - with Dee Nic Sitric
Power is everywhere in schools – in classrooms, staffrooms, policies, and conversations. Yet it is rarely named, examined, or understood. In this episode, James Mannion and David Cameron are joined by Dee Nic Sitric to explore how power operates – often invisibly – and what becomes possible when schools begin to surface it.
Drawing on systemic thinking, neurodivergent perspectives, and real-world
Learning to be, learning to live together: The missing pillars of education with Sue Roffey
In this episode, James and David are joined by Sue Roffey – educational psychologist, researcher, and leading voice on wellbeing, social justice, and relational approaches to education.
Sue traces her journey from working with young people facing emotional and behavioural challenges, through educational psychology and academia, to her current work developing the ASPIRE principles – a framework for
Education as expanding dialogue – Rethinking learning with Professor Rupert Wegerif
“It’s not about teacher-centred or student-centred. I would argue it’s dialogue-centred.”
In this episode of the Rethinking Education podcast, Dr James Mannion and The Read David Cameron explore these questions with Professor Rupert Wegerif, author of Rethinking Educational Theory: Education as Expanding Dialogue.
Rupert has spent decades researching how dialogue shapes thinking and learning. Dra
Teaching that grips: Hywel Roberts on the Pedagogy of Botheredness
Why do so many lessons feel disconnected to students – even when the content is genuinely fascinating?
In this episode, Dr James Mannion is joined by teacher and author Hywel Roberts to explore 'botheredness' – a way of teaching that draws students into learning through narrative, curiosity and shared imagination.
They discuss why pupils often struggle to see the relevance of what they are learn
Seven minutes out of every thirty are lost to low-level disruption. But why?
In this episode, featuring a webinar we ran this week, Tara Elie and Dr James Mannion explore a question that many school leaders are quietly wrestling with:
Why do so many behaviour initiatives fail to deliver sustained change?
Across the system, the signals are hard to ignore – rising suspensions, internal removals, persistent absence, staff exhaustion, and a growing sense that behaviour refor
Generation to generation: Holocaust education in a changing world
As the number of living Holocaust survivors declines, a profound question emerges: who carries these stories next – and how do we ensure they are heard, understood, and acted upon?
In this episode, timed to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27th, James and David are joined by Hannah Wilson, Outreach Officer at the charity Generation to Generation, alongside two G2G speakers, Vivienne Cato an
Why ‘consistency’ isn’t enough: the implementation blind spot in school behaviour
In this second episode of a two-part mini-series, Tara Elie turns the tables and interviews Dr James Mannion about the thinking behind Making Change Stick – and why so many school behaviour initiatives fail, even when the policy itself is sound.
Following on from the previous episode on the psychology of mattering, this conversation explores what happens after the policy launch: how change is (or
Rebooting behaviour: the two missing pieces of the puzzle (with Tara Elie)
In this second episode of a two-part mini-series, Tara Elie turns the tables and interviews yours truly about the thinking behind Making Change Stick – and why so many school behaviour initiatives fail, even when the policy itself is sound.
Following on from the previous episode on the psychology of mattering, this conversation explores what happens after the policy launch: how change is (or isn’
Why ‘belonging’ isn’t enough: The missing piece in behaviour, attendance and staff burnout (w/ Tara Elie)
What if the real driver of behaviour, attendance, engagement – and staff retention – isn’t rules, rewards, or even belonging… but mattering?
In this deep, reflective conversation, James is joined by Tara Elie – former teacher, behaviour specialist, and positive psychology practitioner – to explore the powerful but often overlooked psychology of mattering: the feeling that you are valued and that
"It’s choppy out there – but hope is happening...": Strap in for the 2025 end of year review!
As 2025 draws to a close, James and David come together for a wide-ranging Christmas conversation that reflects on a turbulent year in education – and looks ahead to where hope, change, and renewal might yet be found.
Kicking off with a powerful metaphor drawn from winter sea swimming, the discussion explores why schools currently feel so ‘choppy’, from behaviour and attendance to widening inequa
Inside the Curriculum & Assessment Review: What Changed, What Didn’t – And Why
What really happens inside a national curriculum review?
In this episode, James and David go beyond headlines to explore the thinking, tensions and trade-offs behind England’s Curriculum and Assessment Review - with two people who helped shape it.
They’re joined by Lisa O’Loughlin, Principal and CEO of Nelson and Colne College Group, and Jon Hutchinson, Director of Curriculum and Teacher Develop
Dave Whitaker on relational practice, inclusive culture, and “battering them with kindness”
In this energising and wide-ranging conversation, Dave Whitaker joins James and David to explore behaviour, belonging, learner effectiveness, and the courageous cultural work needed to create schools in which every child can thrive.
Dave Whitaker is the Chief Education Officer at the Wellspring Academy Trust, working across 33 schools and alternative provisions in the north of England and Lincoln
Boarding school trauma and "the myth of privilege” - a conversation with Chris Braitch
In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding dir
Nick Covington and Kate McAllister on Restoring Humanity to Education
Nick Covington and Kate McAllister on Restoring Humanity to Education
What does it mean to restore humanity to education?
In this rich and wide-ranging three-way conversation, James is joined by Kate McAllister – co-founder of The Human Hive and lead educator at The Hive in the Dominican Republic – and Nick Covington, co-founder of the Human Restoration Project in the US.
Together, we explore:
The
"There is more to human development than learning about subjects" Repod Season 6 launch!
We’re back for Season 6! In this reflective episode, James and David catch up after the summer and explore the “big idea” that’s been emerging across recent blogs and conversations: there is more to human development than learning about subjects.
They discuss the need for schools to make space for personal growth, wellbeing, and learner effectiveness alongside subject learning – and why our curre
“We need a new language!" Jaz Ampaw-Farr on hope, trauma tourism and teachers as everyday heroes
In this episode, David and James sit down with Jaz Ampaw-Farr to talk about her powerful new book Because of You, This is Me: The stories we tell, the stories we change and the power of everyday heroes. We explore the big themes of the book, including:
The lies we’ve agreed to and how to rewrite them
Why we need a new vocabulary for education
And the everyday heroes who changed the ending for Jaz
What Are We Teaching? Powerful knowledge, capabilities, and teacher autonomy – with Richard Bustin
In this wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation, we're joined by teacher and researcher Richard Bustin, author of the fascinating new book What Are We Teaching?
We delve deep into some of the biggest questions in curriculum and pedagogy today – from the concept of powerful knowledge to the ongoing tensions between progressivism and traditionalism in education. What does it mean to teach i
Fixing the SEND Crisis – with Amjad Ali
In this powerful and practical conversation, Dr James Mannion and The Real David Cameron are joined by the inspirational Amjad Ali – teacher, leader, inclusion expert, founder of Try This Teaching and author of A Little Guide for Teachers: SEND in Schools – to explore what it would take to fix the SEND crisis.
With over 20 years of experience across a wide range of educational settings, Amjad brin
Rocking the system: Live songwriting, earworms and education reform with Rocktopus
In this joyful and thought-provoking episode, we’re joined by Tom Veck and Andy Hawkings from Rocktopus – the world’s greatest rock band for kids (and educators, as it turns out).
At the last Rethinking Education conference, Tom and Andy did something truly remarkable: in front of a live audience of 500 people, they wrote a brand new song on the spot. With lyrics provided by the audience and four
"You can't afford not to!" Headteacher Kulvarn Atwal on the power of slice teams
In this short episode of the Rethinking Education podcast, James Mannion speaks with Dr Kulvarn Atwal – a highly respected headteacher leading not one, but two schools: Highlands Primary and Uphall Primary in East London.
Kulvarn is the author of The Thinking School and The Thinking Teacher, and a long-time advocate of distributed leadership and research-informed practice. He shares insights into
The Schools Bill: Academies, Homeschooling & School Shaming (Warwick Mansell & Naomi Fisher)
In this powerful episode, we speak with two leading commentators on education and children’s rights – Warwick Mansell, independent investigative journalist and founder of Education Uncovered, and Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist and author of Changing Our Minds.
We dig into the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill currently making ita way through Parliament, and ask: who gets to decide wh
John Tomsett & Mary Myatt on Alternative Provision and our splintering education system
In today’s episode, I bring you a fascinating conversation with John Tomsett and Mary Myatt – two people who’ve done so much to shape thinking about curriculum and leadership in schools over recent years.
Mary Myatt is an education adviser, writer and speaker. She started out as an RE teacher and has written extensively about curriculum, leadership and school improvement – books like High Challeng
Adolescence, masculinities and… Batman (with Lewis Wedlock)
Lewis Wedlock is an academic, mental health professional and masculinities educator from Bristol, England.
He has spent the last five years working with thousands of young men across the UK in secondary and higher education, engaging them in topics such as feminism, allyship, accountability, sexism, misogyny and VAWG.
He has designed and delivered several interventions for schools looking to
The 4 nations of the UK: What can we learn from one another?
In this special episode, Dr James Mannion and The Real David Cameron take a look at the education systems in the four nations of the United Kingdom and ask: what can we learn from one another?
Graham Donaldson has been central to development in Scotland as chief inspector, advising government as well as leading on quality assurance. And remarkably he has also been central to the development of Cu
How to make classrooms feel warm and alive, with Hywel Roberts and Tim Taylor
This episode features an astonishing conversation by two remarkable educators, Hywel Roberts and Tim Taylor. Tim kindly stepped in as a guest host for this episode, to explore some of the big ideas that underpin Hywel’s excellent book, Botheredness: Stories, stance, pedagogy.
LINKS
Buy Botheredness - https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/botheredness
Follow Hywel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hywel-rob
Debra Kidd, Tina Farr and Clare Whyles on how to cultivate hope, joy and belonging
In this episode - our first rodeo as co-hosts - we are joined by Dr Debra Kidd, the author of A Curriculum of Hope, and by Tina Farr and Clare Whyles, the headteacher and deputy head of St. Ebbe’s Primary School in Oxford. Tina, Clare and the St Ebbe’s team have done some incredible work in recent years bringing a curriculum of hope to life for their learners, and spreading a little joy and belong
Introducing our new co-host, (The Real) David Cameron!
Welcome to this episode in which we get to know our new cohost, The Real David Cameron!
David Cameron is an incredible educator, public speaker and human being whose work I have admired for many years now. He has been a teacher, a senior manager in schools and in local authorities, most recently as Director of Children’s Services for Stirling Council. He was President of the Association of Direct
The Unfinished Business of Sir Tim Brighouse - with Mick Waters and David Cameron
In this episode I’m speaking with Mick Waters and David Cameron, two of the editors of a wonderful new book Unfinished Business: The life and legacy of Sir Tim Brighouse - a tribute and a call to action. It’s a long title and rightly so - there’s a lot to say about Tim and about the ideas he pursued throughout his remarkable career.
Mick Waters is a former head teacher who works closely with tea
“Talking Floats On A Sea Of Write”: Clare Sealy on Oracy and Literacy
Clare Sealy currently works as the Head of Education Improvement for the states of Guernsey. Prior to this, she was the Headteacher of St Matthias Primary School in Tower Hamlets for 22 years. In 2018, the Times Education Supplement named her as one of the 10 most influential people in the world of education. In 2022, Clare was awarded an OBE for services to education.
Oracy – in case you’re unf
Sir Anthony Seldon on oracy, agency and meditation
In this episode, my guest is Sir Anthony Seldon – a figure who truly needs no introduction in education. However, for those less familiar with his remarkable contributions, here’s a bit of context. Anthony has held some of the most influential roles in education, most recently as headmaster of Epsom College. Before this, he served as vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham and was headmast
How to change the admissions code, with Curtis James from Class Divide
Welcome to the Rethinking Education podcast!
In this episode I spoke with Curtis James from Class Divide, campaign group which recently ran a successful campaign to change the school admissions code in Brighton and Hove.
But if anyone is looking at their local schools and thinking ‘School X has 15% of pupils eligible for free school meals, and School Y has over 60%. This doesn’t seem right. I wo
"Before 7? They have a childhood." Lessons from Estonia with Gunda Tire
Welcome to the first episode of Season 5 of the Rethinking Education podcast!
As you may be aware, Estonia has consistently been the highest performing European country in the PISA assessments in recent years. This episode features my recent conversation with Gunda Tire, Head of International Assessments (PISA & TALIS) at Estonian Education and Youth Board.
Gunda very generously gave me almost
Rupert Sheldrake on learning by doing, cancel culture and the moral vacuum at the heart of education
Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 100 scientific papers and 9 books, and the co-author of a further 6 books. His books have been published in 28 languages. And on ResearchGate, the largest scientific and academic online network, his Research Interest Score places him in the top 4% of scientists.
It’s fair to say that Rupert is something of a controversial figure. This can b
Meena Wood on curriculum reform, learning from other countries and flying the flag for FE
In the week that the general election was called, I bring you a timely conversation about some of the questions an incoming government needs to grapple with.
Meena Kumari Wood is a former HMI and leader of FE colleges who now works across the British and International Education sectors. She held senior leadership positions in English schools and Further education colleges, including as Principal
René Kneyber and Valentina Devid on the Power of Formative Action [#REPOD S4E13]
René Kneyber and Valentina Devid are two of the founders of Toetsrevolutie (Test Revolution), a teacher training cooperative based in the Netherlands which specialises in formative assessment, summative assessment and curriculum design.
René and Valentina are also two of the four authors of an excellent new book - Formative Action - the English translation of which was published in April 2024.
Ife Obasa on representation, work experience… and God!
Ife Obasa is an educational consultant, activist and sought-after speaker who advocates for greater representation in education - among many other strings to her bow.
Ife spoke at the 2023 Rethinking Education conference about why we need representation in education more than ever - a topic that we discuss in some detail in this episode.
Ife’s work centres around mentoring and empowering young
Peter Higgin on the power of learning through immersive play
Peter Higgin is the Artistic Director and joint CEO of Punchdrunk Enrichment, a charity that creates transformational theatre for education, community and family audiences.
Punchdrunk Enrichment is an independent charity which was founded in 2008 to take the pioneering practice of immersive theatre company, Punchdrunk, into schools and communities. Listed amongst the 50 most influential artists o
"Civilisation rests on our shoulders!": Peps Mccrea on motivated teaching
Peps Mccrea is an award-winning teacher educator, designer and author. He is Director of Education at Steplab and author of the ultraconcise High Impact Teaching series, one of which - Motivated Teaching - is the main topic of this episode. On the side, he writes Evidence Snacks, a brilliant newsletter that we speak about at the top of this conversation, and composes excellent instructional thread
"It's an absolute shocker": Fiona Millar on the marketisation of education
This episode features a fascinating conversation with Fiona Millar, a journalist and campaigner on education and parenting issues whose work I have admired for many years.
Following a career in journalism, Fiona worked in the office of the Leader of the Opposition from 1995 to 1997, and as an adviser to Tony and Cherie Blair from 1995 to 2003.
On leaving Downing Street, Fiona started writing a
S4E8: “We’ve lost the plot”: Ben Davis on creating schools that children want to go to
In the last episode, almost 300 people tuned in to our first ever live podcast, when I was joined by Naomi Fisher, Ellie Costello and Ben Davis to talk about the attendance crisis.
In case any of you listened to that and were wondering ‘Hey, who is this Ben Davis guy? Why don’t you do a full episode with him?’ Well, strap yourself in!
Ben is the headteacher of St Ambrose Barlow RC High School i
S4E7: Fixing the Attendance Crisis with Naomi Fisher, Ellie Costello and Ben Davis
Since the COVID pandemic, persistent absenteeism in England has more than doubled, from 10% to 22%. According to recent reearch by the Centre for Social Justice, more than one in four parents agreed it is not essential for children to be in school every day.
Both the major political parties have announced plans to tackle the attendance crisis. Often, there is an assumption that school is the best
S4E6: Eliza Fricker on parenting a child who can't - not won't - go to school
Eliza Fricker is a talented writer and illustrator who has written three books:
'The Family Experience of PDA: An Illustrated Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance'
'Can't Not Won't: A Story About A Child Who Couldn't Go To School'
And most recently 'Thumbsucker: An illustrated journey through an undiagnosed autistic childhood'
It’s the second of these books that we’re talking mostly about in
S4E5: Putting 'Beyond Ofsted' to the test with Lord Jim Knight
Lord Jim Knight of Weymouth is a life peer and former Labour politician with a strong interest in education. He is also the chair of the Beyond Ofsted inquiry which recently published a fascinating report setting out an alternative vision for a schools accountability system.
In this conversation we put the 'Beyond Ofsted' recommendations under the microscope, comparing them with the recommendatio
S4E4: Calvin Henry on Ofsted - “It was brutal. Really brutal and unnecessary.”
SHOW NOTES
Until recently, Calvin Henry was the headteacher of St. Mark’s C of E Primary School in North London. Last year, Calvin went through an experience that he describes as being “uncannily similar” to that of Ruth Perry, the headteacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading who tragically took her own life earlier this year following an Ofsted inspection that downgraded her school’s ratin
S4E3: Christian Bokhove on domain knowledge, generic skills and the maths wars
Christian Bokhove is a Professor in Mathematics Education, University of Southampton. He is a specialist on international comparisons in mathematics education, the use of technology, and innovative methodologies.
In this episode we discuss domain knowledge, generic skills, a famous paper by Tricot and Sweller, the Maths wars - and much more besides…
LINKS
The EEF evidence review on metacogniti
S4E2: Dave McPartlin - "It's not OK what Ofsted do to people"
Dave McPartlin is the headteacher of Flakefleet Primary School in Lancashire. In this episode Dave speaks openly and candidly about the impact Ofsted has had on his mental health and that of his colleagues. He makes a compelling case for why Ofsted needs to change - and how.
LINKS
Dave on BBC breakfast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMNRMQOBhL0
Flakefleet get the golden buzzer on BGT https://
S4E1: Ron Berger on 20 years of 'An ethic of excellence' - and ending the trad-prog debate!
SHOW NOTES
Ron Berger is Chief Program Officer for the non-profit school improvement network Expeditionary Learning, a national network of over 160 public project-based schools in 30 states in the US. Ron was as a public school teacher and carpenter in rural Massachusetts for 25 years. His writing and speaking centre on inspiring quality and character in students, specifically through project-bas
S3E16: Dennis Sherwood on The Great Grading Scandal: 1 in 4 grades is WRONG!
Dennis Sherwood is a management consultant who specialises in creativity, innovation, and systems thinking. He has a Physics Masters from the University of Cambridge, an MPhil in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and a PhD in biology from the University of California in San Diego. After being a consulting partner at Deloitte Haskins + Sells, and Coopers & Lybrand, he becam
S3E15: Cat Place & Ty Golding on the Curriculum for Wales
Ty Golding (https://twitter.com/tjgolding) is the Headteacher of Holton Primary School, in Barry town in South Wales. Ty has experience of teaching at every level of primary education, including nursery. He has worked with Welsh Government policy development and implementation, developing a national online platform for learners and most recently as Head of Curriculum Design & Development.
Cat Pl
S3E14: "It needs to be broken up" - Frank Norris and Julie Grimshaw on the ongoing crisis at Ofsted
Frank Norris is a former headteacher and HMI (His Majesty’s Inspector) with decades of experience leading and inspecting a wide range of schools and other settings including secure units, independent schools, prisons, initial teacher education as well as secondary and primary schools in England and abroad.
From 2014-19, Frank was the CEO of the Coop Academies Trust. The Coop Trust is highly rega
S3E13: Derry Hannam on becoming a democratic teacher in a state school
An astonishing conversation with Derry Hannam, a fascinating thinker and writer and practitioner of democratic education, and the author of the brilliant book ‘Another Way is Possible - Becoming a Democratic Teacher in a State School’.
In his 20 years as a teacher in English state secondary schools, Derry Hannam always tried to create environments where students could make choices about - and tak
S3E12: David Phillips: “It has become a monster” [Heads talking about Ofsted #2]
This is the second in a series of episodes featuring headteachers and former heads talking about Ofsted.
David Phillips is the headteacher of Chilwell school in Nottingham.
He has been in senior leadership for over twenty years and a headteacher in both the academies and maintained sectors.
He is one of the East Midlands representatives for his professional association and has a particular foc
S3E11: Martin Robinson on curriculum, community and the importance of anarchy
Martin Robinson is an educationalist, author, writer, consultant, orator and liberal artist. He worked in East London state schools for more than 20 years as a teacher, head of department, advanced skills teacher and school leader. For the last ten years he has worked as an education consultant delivering workshops and keynote speeches about curriculum design, teaching methodology and culture. He
S3E10: Rebecca Leek: Straitjackets, ethics and inspectors' eyebrows [Heads talking about Ofsted #1]
This is the first in a series of interviews with headteachers and former heads talking about Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education - England's schools inspectorate).
Rebecca Leek is an experienced strategic leader who has worked across a wide range of settings and organisations, and she’s currently the Executive Director of the Suffolk Primary Headteachers' Assocation.
She has been a he
S3E9: Melissa Benn on our divided education system
Melissa Benn comes from a long line of outspoken campaigners and prominent Parliamentarians. She was educated at Holland Park comprehensive and the London School of Economics where she graduated with a First in History, the first woman in a generation to do so.
Melissa’s journalism has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Independent, the Times, Public Finance, Marxism Today, L
S3E8: Martin Robinson on creativity, character education - and why trads are the true radicals
Martin Robinson is an educationalist, author, writer, consultant, orator and liberal artist. He worked in East London state schools for more than 20 years as a teacher, head of department, advanced skills teacher and school leader. For the last ten years he has worked as an education consultant delivering workshops and keynote speeches about curriculum design, teaching methodology and culture. He
S3E7: Fiona Cuthbertson on lobbying for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reform
Fiona Cuthbertson is a political lobbyist who has been involved in politics for many years. A former councillor and parliamentary candidate, Fiona now runs a public affairs agency where she works on a cross-party basis to help people get involved in the political process and to lobby on a range of issues that affect people’s lives - including, but not limited to, Special Educational Needs and Disa
S3E6: Dr Chris Bagley on the three invisible "shadow cultures" that shaped our education system
Dr Chris Bagley is a man with a dazzling variety of hats. He is psychologist, writer and musician with an interest in youth justice, educational transformation and systems change. He is Director of Research at the social enterprise States of Mind, and a lecturer and doctorate supervisor at the UCL Institute of Education. He also works part-time for South Gloucestershire psychology service, primari
S3E5: Jaz Ampaw-Farr on the power of 'withness'
If you've come across Jaz Ampaw-Farr before, you'll know that you are in for an absolute treat.
If you haven't ever heard Jaz speak before - well, what can I say? I could tell you that Jaz is an award-winning educator, teacher trainer, coach and speaker, and soon to be author of her first book. But that doesn't really scratch the surface. Listening back to this episode in the edit, it was notice
S3E4: David Price OBE on how to unleash the untold potential of people-powered innovation
Today I am speaking with David Price OBE. David is the author of two books - ‘Open: How we'll work, live and learn in the future’ - and ‘The Power of Us: How we connect, act and innovate together’. It is this latter book that I’m mainly speaking with David about today. I listened to it recently as an audiobook and it’s absolutely fascinating.
Here are some of the lovely things people have writte
S3E3: Sophie Christophy on consent-based education
Sophie Christophy is a culture transformer, feminist, unschooling parent and activist. She works on deconstructing patriarchy, from childhood socialisation in education and family culture, and in organisational culture, by creating a shift to principles of consent and self-direction.
As a conduit for the emergence of a consent-based social and environmental paradigm, Sophie works with individual
S3E2: Ollie Lovell on visiting Michaela, XP School and the Self-Managed Learning College
Ollie Lovell is a teacher, author and podcaster based in Melbourne, Australia, and the host of the Education Research Reading Room (ERRR) podcast.
In summer 2022, Ollie visited the UK on a whirlwind tour of three fascinatingly different educational institutions: Michaela School in North London, often described as the strictest school in the country; XP School in Doncaster, which places great emp
S3E1: Sarah-Jayne Blakemore - The GCSE is misaligned with adolescent brain development
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore is Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and co-director of the Wellcome Trust PhD Programme in Neuroscience at University College London.
She has been awarded a number of prizes over the last 20 years or so, including the British Psychological Society (BPS) Doctoral Award, the BPS Spearman Medal for outstanding early career resear
S2E19: Jonny Hunt on Sex Ed for grown-ups: porn, consent - and the origin of the c-word...
The final episode of Season 2 of the Rethinking Education podcast features a conversation with Jonny Hunt, an independent sex and relationships consultant and the author of Sex Ed for Grown Ups: How to talk to young people about sex and relationships.
NB: Contains strong language - not safe for work!
LINKS:
Everyone's invited: https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/
Jonny's book 'Sex Ed for Grown-
S2E18: Peter Gray on why coercive schooling is "immoral and unnecessary"
Peter Gray is a research professor at Boston College and the author of 'Free to Learn' and 'Psychology', a college textbook now in its 8th edition.
Here are some of the incredible things people have written about 'Free to Learn'::
“The modern educational system is like a wish made in a folk tale gone horribly wrong. Peter Gray's Free to Learn leads us out of the maze of unforeseen consequences
S2E17: Emma Hardy MP on mental health, teacher retention and the power of oracy education
Emma Ann Hardy is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle since the 2017 general election. She is also the Shadow Minister for Further Education and Universities. Recently, Emma launched and chaired the Oracy All Party Parliamentary Group, which carried out an inquiry and published an excellent report, Speak for Change, in 2021
S2E16: "We need to take the politics out of education": Rachel Sylvester on the Times Ed Commission
An interview with Rachel Sylvester on the findings of the Times Education Commission.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/society/education/education-commission
S2E15: Introducing ‘Implementation Science for Schools’: an interview with Kate Barry & Elaine Long
In this episode, Dr James Mannion - the creator of the Implementation Science for Schools programme - interviews two senior leaders, Kate Barry and Elaine Long, about their experience of the ISS pilot study at their school.
RETHINKING ED CONFERENCE LINKS
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-get-together-the-rethinking-education-conference-2022-tickets-226415834857
Social media links:
S2E14: Why we should all be profoundly concerned about the Schools Bill
In this episode I am joined by Ian Cunningham, the founder of the Self-Managed Learning College (SMLC) in Brighton; Dr Naomi Fisher, a clinical psychologist who sends her children to SMLC; and Ellie Costello, the Director of Square Peg, a social enterprise that supports young people and families with barriers to attendance.
We are here to discuss the Schools Bill currently going through the Engli
S2E13: Tim Brighouse and Mick Waters on 45 years of schools reform, and moving into an age of hope
In this episode, titans of education Mick Waters and Tim Brighouse talk about their sensational new book 'About our schools: Improving on previous best'.
Here are some of the breathless reviews the book has received::
"You can hear the passion, the decency, the anger, the compassion, and the hope in this insider–outsider story about England’s education policy over the past 45 years... the most
S2E12: Jon Hutchinson on knowledge, assessment - and how to disagree agreeably
Jon Hutchinson is the Head of Training and Development at the Reach Foundation, an educational charity that focuses on expanding the role of schools into the wider community through a cradle to career model.
Prior to this, Jon was an Assistant Headteacher at Reach Academy Felt-ham. He has taught across both KS1 and KS2, and also tutors on Ambition Institute’s Masters in Expert Teaching. Jon has
S2E11: Andy Sprakes on XP school: crew, compassion and changing the world (ft. Dec and Guraaj, Y10)
Today I am delighted to be able to share with you my recent conversation with Andy Sprakes, the co-founder of XP school in Doncaster. I also had the opportunity to speak with two students from the school, Declan and Guraaj, who were absolutely lovely and insightful as you will soon discover.
There has been a lot of interest in XP school in recent months, partly following a very complementary prof
S2E10: John Higgs on private schools, individualism and why the future starts here
Today I am speaking with John Higgs, the cultural historian and author of many excellent books, several of which we draw on in this conversation - especially:
Watling Street: Travels Through Britain and Its Ever-Present Past
Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century
The Future Starts Here: An Optimistic Guide to What Comes Next
William Blake versus The World
So this co
S2E9: Jay McTighe on how to 'backward design' educational nirvana
Today I am speaking with Jay McTighe about Leading Modern Learning: A blueprint for vision-driven schools, the 2015 book that Jay co-authored with Greg Curtis.
Leading modern learning builds on Jay’s previous work on Understanding by Design, to guide the reader through the process of taking vision statements really seriously, and then backwards planning your school in such a way that you WILL pr
S2E8: Warwick Mansell on academies, accountability and the absence of evidence in policymaking
Warwick Mansell is a long-time contributor to the Guardian and the Observer, and worked for many years at the TES - the Times Education Supplement. He writes blogs for Prospect union, and the National Education Union teacher magazine, among others. A few years ago, he was shortlisted for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Education Journalist of the Year.
Warwick runs a subscription-base
S2E7: Geraldine Rowe on collaborative decision-making and why coercion is bad for kids
Geraldine Rowe is an educational psychologist and former teacher, and a specialist in Parent Partnership and Behaviour and Attendance. She has taught in Primary and Middle Schools and been a member of the Senior Leadership Team of an alternative provision secondary school. Her 30-year career has taken her into 100 schools, and Geraldine is a really good example of someone who is outside the teachi
S2E6: Donald Clark on 2500 years of learning theory - from the Greeks to the Geeks
Donald Clark is a man of many hats. He’s an EdTech entrepreneur who was formerly the CEO and one of the original founders of Epic Group, a pioneering company in online learning, and he is now the CEO of Wildfire Learning, an AI company. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Derby. And he is the author of at least two books - Artificial Intelligence for Learning, and Learning Experience D
S2E5: Adele Bates on self-care, self-regulation and dealing with challenging behaviour
Today I am speaking with behaviour specialist and volcano of positivity Adele Bates. As you will hear at the start of our conversation, I worked with Adele for a short period, and so I speak with experience when I say that the second you meet her, you immediately realise that you are dealing with an incredibly compassionate, thoughtful, unique human being.
Adele has recently written a fascinatin
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