All episodes

83 episodes. Each page has the show notes, sources, the audio and a full transcript.

Release dates

• 🔒 13 Behaviours, 9 Factors, No Single Profile: DfE's New Prevent Guidance
  Episode 81 · Staff · out 5 Nov 2026
• 🔒 95 Studies: Repeating A Year Costs Two Months' Progress
  Episode 82 · Teachers · out 6 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Learning Styles: The EEF Found Zero Studies To Back Them
  Episode 83 · Teachers · out 9 Nov 2026
• 🔒 PISA 2025: England Held Still As 25% Fell Below Level 2 In Maths
  Episode 84 · Leaders · out 10 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Homework Without Doing It For Them: +5 Months, 43 EEF Studies
  Episode 85 · Parents · out 11 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Australia Removed 4.7 Million Accounts, 65.4% Said It Changed Nothing
  Episode 86 · Global Pioneers · out 12 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Estonia's PISA Lead Isn't Age, It's A 9.6% Socio-Economic Gap
  Episode 87 · Global Pioneers · out 13 Nov 2026
• 🔒 £249.58: The DfE's Real Figure For School Uniform Costs
  Episode 88 · Leaders · out 16 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Smaller Classes Buy Just One Month, Say 63 EEF Studies
  Episode 89 · Teachers · out 17 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Years 2 To 9, Every Single Year: Wales Scrapped SATs, Not Testing
  Episode 90 · Global Pioneers · out 18 Nov 2026
• 🔒 An Anticipatory Duty: Owed To Pupils You Haven't Met Yet
  Episode 91 · Staff · out 19 Nov 2026
• 🔒 198 Studies, Plus 4 Months: Why The Worksheet Isn't Adaptive Teaching
  Episode 92 · Teachers · out 20 Nov 2026
• 🔒 1.8 Million Pupils Have SEN, But It Isn't A Diagnosis Count
  Episode 93 · Leaders · out 23 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Scotland's 43.0%: Why The English SEN Figure Isn't The Same Comparison
  Episode 94 · Global Pioneers · out 24 Nov 2026
• 🔒 Must Be Formally Informed: The SEND Code's Promise Without An EHCP
  Episode 95 · Parents · out 25 Nov 2026
• 🔒 One Adult To Ten Isn't The Law: No School Trip Ratio Exists
  Episode 96 · Staff · out 26 Nov 2026
• 🔒 92 Studies, 3 Padlocks: EEF's Verdict On Extending School Time
  Episode 97 · Teachers · out 27 Nov 2026
• 🔒 1,600 Vacancies, 1 In 12 Leaving: What The DfE Actually Counts
  Episode 98 · Leaders · out 30 Nov 2026
• 🔒 France's 'Around Fifteen' Grouping Reform: Struck Down, Then Renamed
  Episode 99 · Global Pioneers · out 1 Dec 2026
• 🔒 Books Alone Won't Do It: EEF's Five Ws For Reading At Home
  Episode 100 · Parents · out 2 Dec 2026
• 🔒 Finland Made School Compulsory To 18: Books Free, Violins Not
  Episode 101 · Global Pioneers · out 3 Dec 2026
• 🔒 93% Agreed, No Appeal: Summer-Born Reception Delays, Explained
  Episode 102 · Parents · out 4 Dec 2026
• 🔒 16°C Is In The Guidance. The Law Says "Reasonable"
  Episode 103 · Staff · out 7 Dec 2026
• 🔒 Six Studies, None Independent: Outdoor Adventure Learning
  Episode 104 · Teachers · out 8 Dec 2026
• 🔒 £429m Experts At Hand: What Schools Can Ask Their LA
  Episode 105 · Leaders · out 9 Dec 2026
• 🔒 Singapore Scrapped Streaming: First Exams Under It Are 2027
  Episode 106 · Global Pioneers · out 10 Dec 2026
• 🔒 £7,400: Free Meals Grew, But Holiday Clubs Didn't
  Episode 107 · Parents · out 11 Dec 2026
• 🔒 Up To 20% Of School Anaphylaxis Hits Pupils With No Diagnosis
  Episode 108 · Staff · out 14 Dec 2026
• 🔒 +2 Months From Mentoring, Not Sustained Once It Stops
  Episode 109 · Teachers · out 15 Dec 2026
• 🔒 Five Working Days: How Long Ofsted Can Pause An Inspection
  Episode 110 · Leaders · out 16 Dec 2026

Out now

• The Six Things A Headteacher Can Never Delegate, Says The DfE
  Episode 80 · 4 Nov 2026 · 17 min
• 8 Habits That Build School Culture, 8 That Wreck It
  Episode 79 · 3 Nov 2026 · 18 min
• The Behaviour Page Nobody Writes: 5 Parent Statements Schools Skip
  Episode 78 · 2 Nov 2026 · 22 min
• Not Four Names, One List: The 6 EEF Behaviour Recommendations
  Episode 77 · 30 Oct 2026 · 17 min
• One Box, Four Areas: Why Most SEND Identification Forms Get It Wrong
  Episode 76 · 29 Oct 2026 · 15 min
• 'Speak To The SENCo' Isn't The Answer: One Line In The SEND Code
  Episode 75 · 28 Oct 2026 · 15 min
• Stop Something First: The Nine-Word DfE Rule Plans Ignore
  Episode 74 · 27 Oct 2026 · 15 min
• Your Timetable Is A Budget: The DfE's 1:19 Staffing Ratio
  Episode 73 · 26 Oct 2026 · 22 min
• 53% Put Marking Reform First. The Evidence On Marking Is Weak
  Episode 72 · 23 Oct 2026 · 19 min
• 14 Mechanisms, 4 Groups: What Your September Twilight Triggers
  Episode 71 · 22 Oct 2026 · 20 min
• One Page From 1995: The Ethics Code Covering Every School Worker
  Episode 70 · 21 Oct 2026 · 21 min
• 55.5 Hours: Leaders' Record-Low Week, Still 8.6 More Than Teachers'
  Episode 68 · Leaders · 20 Oct 2026 · 17 min
• 1,265 Hours Isn't A Limit: The Directed Time Ceiling Misquoted
  Episode 67 · Staff · 19 Oct 2026 · 13 min
• No Minimum Age: Exclusion And SEND In Black And White
  Bonus episode · Leaders · 18 Oct 2026 · 22 min
• Two Conditions, Not One: The Real Rule On Who Can Search A Bag
  Episode 66 · Staff · 16 Oct 2026 · 12 min
• 'They Cannot Be Required To Do So': DfE's Line On Giving Medicines
  Episode 65 · Staff · 15 Oct 2026 · 17 min
• 73 Pots Of Money: The 2027 School Funding Guide
  Bonus episode · Leaders · 14 Oct 2026 · 24 min
• £1,550 A Head At Primary: The Pupil Premium Deadline On 31 December
  Episode 64 · Leaders · 14 Oct 2026 · 15 min
• £2,690 A Head: The 2026 School Money Nobody Claims
  Bonus episode · Leaders · 14 Oct 2026 · 14 min
• Ireland's €309 A Year: What Free Schoolbooks Get Right
  Episode 63 · Global Pioneers · 13 Oct 2026 · 16 min
• +4 Months, 124 Studies: Reading At Home Isn't Just A Parent Job
  Episode 62 · Parents · 12 Oct 2026 · 14 min
• Sweden Bought Back 1.3 Million Textbooks In A Year
  Episode 61 · Global Pioneers · 9 Oct 2026 · 16 min
• 15 Changes: The Trust Handbook 2026's £174,000 Pay Rule
  Episode 60 · Leaders · 8 Oct 2026 · 18 min
• Suspension Isn't Automatic: KCSiE's 5 Alternatives First
  Episode 59 · Staff · 7 Oct 2026 · 19 min
• 2, 2, 2, 4 Weeks: The Four EHCP Review Deadlines Parents Are Owed
  Episode 58 · Parents · 6 Oct 2026 · 16 min
• Every Adult Has The Power: DfE's 4 Purposes For Reasonable Force
  Episode 56 · Staff · 2 Oct 2026 · 18 min
• Ofsted Toolkit v2.0: The 4 Changes Your August SEF Missed
  Episode 55 · Leaders · 1 Oct 2026 · 17 min
• 91% Sounds Like An A Grade: The Letter Still Says 'Persistent'
  Episode 54 · Parents · 30 Sept 2026 · 18 min
• The Dutch Banned Phones: Problems Fell From 62% To 29%
  Episode 53 · Global Pioneers · 29 Sept 2026 · 20 min
• A Nagging Doubt Is Enough: KCSiE's 23 Paragraphs On Staff Concerns
  Episode 52 · Staff · 28 Sept 2026 · 13 min
• Draft, Indicative, Likely To Change: DfE's Provision Packages
  Episode 51 · Leaders · 25 Sept 2026 · 20 min
• Zero First Aid Qualifications Needed For The 'Appointed Person'
  Episode 50 · Staff · 24 Sept 2026 · 17 min
• 90% Of £5bn SEND Deficits Already Written Off: What's Left For The Budget
  Episode 49 · Leaders · 23 Sept 2026 · 20 min
• 11.42% Absent On The Last Friday: DfE's Full-Year Attendance Data
  Episode 48 · Teachers · 22 Sept 2026 · 15 min
• No New SEND Code Before 2029, Whatever The Staffroom Says
  Episode 47 · Leaders · 21 Sept 2026 · 15 min
• New Zealand Copied Our Phonics Check: 26%, Then 35%
  Episode 57 · Global Pioneers · 19 Sept 2026 · 16 min
• EHCPs Unchanged Until At Least September 2030
  Episode 46 · Leaders · 18 Sept 2026 · 17 min
• 'We Are Analysing Your Feedback': The Still-Missing SEND Response
  Episode 45 · Leaders · 17 Sept 2026 · 16 min
• +5 Months, Just 1 Padlock: The Weakest Evidence We've Quoted
  Episode 44 · Teachers · 16 Sept 2026 · 17 min
• 'Fewer Problems, Greater Detail': EEF's Line Instead Of A Figure
  Episode 43 · Teachers · 15 Sept 2026 · 19 min
• No Single Number This Time: The 5 EEF Recommendations for Early Maths
  Episode 42 · Teachers · 14 Sept 2026 · 20 min
• 111 Shoulds, One Must: What KCSiE Part One Requires Of You
  Episode 69 · Staff · 12 Sept 2026 · 31 min
• Closed 18 May, Still No Response On SEND Reform
  Episode 41 · Leaders · 12 Sept 2026 · 19 min
• 15 February: The Statutory EHC Deadline Most Schools Track Too Late
  Episode 40 · Leaders · 11 Sept 2026 · 18 min
• Every Universal Credit Household Now Qualifies For FSM
  Episode 39 · Leaders · 10 Sept 2026 · 21 min
• 'One Set Is Likely Sufficient': Ofqual's Mock Exam Warning
  Episode 38 · Leaders · 9 Sept 2026 · 20 min
• No 'Plus X Months': Five Meta-Analyses On Maths Manipulatives
  Episode 37 · Teachers · 8 Sept 2026 · 16 min
• Zero Months: 58 EEF Studies On Setting And Streaming
  Episode 36 · Teachers · 7 Sept 2026 · 19 min
• +6 Months, 145 Studies: But Not If It's Just 'Kids Teaching Kids'
  Episode 35 · Teachers · 6 Sept 2026 · 21 min
• One Month Apart: 1:1 vs Small-Group Tuition's Budget Gap
  Episode 34 · Teachers · 5 Sept 2026 · 22 min
• The Five Techniques Diagnostic Assessment Actually Runs On
  Episode 33 · Teachers · 4 Sept 2026 · 19 min
• +3 Months On SEL Hides A +5 vs +2 Split By Phase
  Episode 32 · Teachers · 3 Sept 2026 · 17 min
• +2 Months, 136 Studies: Why Physical Activity Boosts Learning
  Episode 31 · Teachers · 2 Sept 2026 · 16 min
• 8.75 Hours A Week Judged Unnecessary: DfE's Workload Toolkit
  Episode 30 · Leaders · 1 Sept 2026 · 18 min
• No Holiday Clause: KCSiE Paragraph 59 On Safeguarding Cover
  Episode 29 · Leaders · 31 Aug 2026 · 16 min
• Draft, Not Law: 3 Package Categories, Zero Expert Panel
  Episode 28 · Global Pioneers · 30 Aug 2026 · 21 min
• 937 To 1,420: Ofsted's Own Annual Report
  Episode 27 · Leaders · 30 Aug 2026 · 15 min
• 4.02 vs 3.72: Suspensions Track The Calendar, Not Darkness
  Episode 26 · Leaders · 30 Aug 2026 · 19 min
• Arts Participation Is Worth +3 Months, Yet Cut For Maths
  Episode 25 · Teachers · 29 Aug 2026 · 17 min
• 0.4% Vacancy Rate, 38,600 Gone: The Workforce Census
  Episode 24 · Leaders · 29 Aug 2026 · 18 min
• £20 Billion A Year: What Low Literacy Really Costs
  Episode 23 · Teachers · 29 Aug 2026 · 18 min
• 5:1 Isn't Proven: The Small-Scale Study Behind The Ratio
  Episode 22 · Parents · 29 Aug 2026 · 20 min
• 188 Studies On Talk: Five Minutes A Pupil, Worth 6 Months
  Episode 21 · Teachers · 29 Aug 2026 · 16 min
• 937 Inspections, Just 4% Of Schools: Ofsted's First-Year Numbers
  Episode 20 · Leaders · 29 Aug 2026 · 19 min
• 228 Studies: The Case For Phonics Beyond Key Stage One
  Episode 19 · Teachers · 29 Aug 2026 · 12 min
• 10% And 50%: The Two Attendance Thresholds Behind Every Letter
  Episode 18 · Leaders · 29 Aug 2026 · 15 min
• 184 Studies, 7 Months: Reading Comprehension's Strongest Number
  Episode 17 · Teachers · 28 Aug 2026 · 18 min
• Closed Since 18 May: What's Actually True About SEND Reform
  Episode 16 · Leaders · 28 Aug 2026 · 14 min
• Homework Is Worth 5 Months In Secondary, Only 3 In Primary
  Episode 15 · Teachers · 28 Aug 2026 · 19 min
• One October Thursday Decides Four Funding Calculations
  Episode 14 · Leaders · 28 Aug 2026 · 17 min
• Mastery Learning's +5 Months Rests On An 80% Threshold
  Episode 13 · Teachers · 28 Aug 2026 · 17 min
• Called 'Secure' Until Someone Objected: Ofsted's Inclusion Scale
  Episode 12 · Leaders · 28 Aug 2026 · 19 min
• Feedback Is Worth 6 Months, Done Badly It Harms Progress
  Episode 11 · Teachers · 27 Aug 2026 · 19 min
• High Needs Funding Up 67% In The SEND White Paper
  Episode 2 · Leaders · 21 Aug 2026 · 21 min
• KCSiE 2026: Annex A Moved, And The 3-Day DBS Rule You Missed
  Episode 3 · Leaders · 21 Aug 2026 · 20 min
• EEF's 5:1 'Magic Ratio': Built On One Small-Scale Study
  Episode 4 · Teachers · 21 Aug 2026 · 24 min
• Parents Who Preview RSHE Materials Are 4x More Satisfied
  Episode 5 · Leaders · 21 Aug 2026 · 21 min
• FSM Pupils Excluded 5x More: The Behaviour Evidence Gap
  Episode 6 · Teachers · 21 Aug 2026 · 21 min
• Nine Areas, Five Grades, Zero Overall Score: Ofsted's Shake-Up
  Episode 7 · Leaders · 21 Aug 2026 · 23 min
• 16 Of 21 Results Went The Wrong Way For Teaching Assistants
  Episode 8 · Teachers · 21 Aug 2026 · 22 min
• Four Clocks, One Deadline: The 15 February Date SENCOs Miss
  Episode 9 · Leaders · 21 Aug 2026 · 23 min
• 3,740 Letters, 18 Replies: Your Parent Flyer Isn't Working
  Episode 10 · Global Pioneers · 21 Aug 2026 · 21 min
• 355 Studies, Eight Months' Progress: EEF's Metacognition Review
  Episode 1 · Teachers · 19 Aug 2026 · 21 min