The Teachers' Podcast

This week I chat with Jane James, the founder of Little Voices, about mental health, children's activities and performing arts. In this episode, Jane shares: Why she is so passionate about performing arts being taught in schools. The benefits and skills children will get from learning performing arts and how they will be useful in the future. Tips to help teachers who may not have the confidence to teach the performing arts. If you'd like to learn more about Jane and Little Voices, you can visit: littlevoices.org.uk See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I talk with Alice Westbury about bringing coaching tools and strategies into the classroom. Alice is an education coach who works primarily with young people but a lot of what she shares in this episode is so valuable to those who teach in primary settings. In this episode, Alice shares: Why she believes using coaching tools can help pupils in the classroom and beyond. Why now is the time to start thinking about using coaching tools with pupils. Real actionable tips teachers can use now to start implementing coaching tools in the classroom easily. If you'd like to find out more about Alice, you can visit: cluedupcoaching.co.uk alicewestburycoaching.co.uk linkedin.com/in/alicewestbury See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I am joined by Annabel Jeffcoate, the founder of Balance for Teachers. Balance for Teacher aims to reduce the amount of stress related illness in the education sector and one of their strategies for doing so is empowering their clients to say ‘no'.   In this episode, Annabel shares: Why curiosity and asking questions can be a powerful tool in changing perceptions of how other teachers/colleagues work. Why breaking down the reasons why you're feeling a certain way in your job can help you work out the solution. Why saying ‘no' to yourself is just as important as saying it to external influences. If you'd like to find out more about Annabel and Balance for Teachers you can visit: www.worklifebalanceforteachers.com https://www.instagram.com/teachersworklifebalancecoach/?hl=en https://twitter.com/balanceteachers https://www.facebook.com/balanceforteachers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I talk with Dr Keith Watson, an educational consultant and personal development coach who has over 30 years of experience working in education. Keith chats about creating cognitively challenging classrooms and how teachers can provide a challenge for all pupils. In this episode, Keith shares: What a cognitively challenging classroom can look like. Why he is so passionate about creating classrooms that challenge all pupils. Some tips on how to create this challenge culture in the classroom. If you'd like to find out more about Keith and his work, you can visit: keithwatsoncoaching.com https://twitter.com/DrKeithWatson1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, I chat with Kim Griffin, an occupational therapist who is currently based in Australia. Kim has been working with pupils with SEN for almost 20 years and is on a mission to help teachers and educators understand the ‘why' behind the way children behave when they have sensory processing difficulties. In this episode, Kim shares: How choice can have an impact on the way children with sensory processing issues behave. Why it is important educators understand how sensory processing can affect behaviour. Why she is so passionate about educators learning more about sensory processing.   If you'd like to find out more about Kim and her work, you can visit: GriffinOT.com https://www.facebook.com/kim.griffin.71697092 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-griffin-ot/ https://twitter.com/Griffin_OT   Kim also shared some texts that anyone who wishes to learn more about sensory processing may be interested in reading: Sensory Processing Challenges – Effective Clinical Work with Kids and Teens by Lindsey Biel (2014) Sensational Kids by Lucy Miller (2014) 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers - Sensory Processing by Kim Griffin (2020) For Parents: The Everything Parent's Guide to Sensory Processing Disorder by Terri Mauro (2014) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I speak with Will Bennett. Will is the founder of GrooveLine Music Education and he is so passionate about ensuring all pupils have access to a good, holistic musical education. In this episode, Will shares: Why music education is not just about learning an instrument. Why he is so passionate about music and music education. Tips for teachers who want to raise the standards of music education in schools without needing to be specialist musicians. If you'd like to find out more about Will and GrooveLine Music Education, you can go to: https://www.groovelinemusiceducation.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/groovelinemusic/ https://www.facebook.com/GrooveLineMusicEducation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, I chat to Samantha Hornsby, who is the co-founder of the new careers app ERIC. Along with her best friend, Sam created this app after receiving poor careers advice in her formative years and landing job after job she disliked. In this episode, Sam shares: Why she is so passionate about careers education. Ideas for inspiring pupils from primary age to think about their future careers. Why she feels careers guidance can often be poor. If you'd like to find out more about Samantha or ERIC, you can go to: meet-eric.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/eric-app/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-hornsby-25a95334/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, I chat with Karen Massey, who is a child speech therapist with over 14 years of experience working with children. She is also an author with books on Autism and Apraxia of Speech as well as communication in Down Syndrome at Primary School.   In this episode, Karen shares: How sensory input can help with developing speech and language. Why she is so passionate about helping teachers understand how to support pupils who are struggling with speech and language. Tips for responding to children who struggle with their speech. If you'd like to find out more about Karen and where you can get in touch with her, you can go to: https://all-about-speech-therapy.teachable.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/allaboutspeechtherapy https://twitter.com/about_speech https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Karen-Massey/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AKaren+Massey See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, I chat with Emma Cann, who is a personal development coach specialising in supporting teachers, about my favourite topic - personal development!  In this episode, Emma shares: - What coaching is in her own view and the benefits of coaching. - Why teachers can benefit from engaging with personal development. - The journey personal development can take you on. If you'd like to find out more about Emma and where you can get in touch with her, you can go to: - https://www.facebook.com/groups/choiceclubwithemmacann/ - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacanncoach/ - https://www.facebook.com/emmacanncoach - https://www.instagram.com/emmacanncoach/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I chat with Ed Kirwan, the founder of Empathy Week. Empathy is such an important skill, but it is one even adults can struggle with, Ed shares how Empathy Week can help pupils develop empathy through learning about the experiences of others. In this episode, Ed shares: - What Empathy Week can look like in schools. - Why it is so important the children develop their ability to empathise with others. - Why he is passionate about ensuring children leave school with empathy as a skill. If you'd like to find out more about Empathy Week and how your school can get involved, you can go to: - empathy-week.com - https://www.instagram.com/empathyweek/ - https://www.facebook.com/empathyweek - https://twitter.com/TheEmpathyWeek - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-kirwan/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcow1dii3mo See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I chat with Dan Parker, the chief executive at Veg Power, about the upcoming Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign. Veg Power aim to get more children eating vegetables as a staggering 80% of children are not getting enough vegetables in their diets. In this episode, Dan shares: - What Veg Power and Eat Them to Defeat Them is. - How the programme works in schools and the results he has seen from it. - How schools can get involved. If you'd like to find out more about Veg Power or the Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign, you can go to: - vegpower.org.uk - https://eatthemtodefeatthem.com/ - https://eatthemtodefeatthem.com/schools   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I chat to Brett Wigdortz. Brett is the founder of Teach First but in this episode, he chats to me about his latest venture, Tiney. Tiney is working to create  better opportunities for early years educators to work in the sector where they can earn professional salaries while working from home and fitting it in to their family obligations. In this episode, Brett shares: The inspiration behind starting Tiney. The reasons why he believes there's not enough early years practitioners. Why he is so passionate about levelling up the status of early years education. If you'd like to find out more about Brett and Tiney you can visit: tiney.co https://twitter.com/Wigdortz See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I talk with Andrew Lochery about the effects of global warming and climate change and how we can teach this to younger pupils. Andrew and I are both very passionate about tackling climate change and it really shows in this episode. In this episode, Andrew shares: - How we can explain global warming to young children and ensure the use of the correct terminology. - The things we can do as individuals and things teachers can do to encourage pupils to make small changes. - Why he is so passionate about tackling climate change and teaching pupils about it. If you'd like to find out more about Andrew or the resources he discusses in the episode you can visit: phosphorescience.com https://www.facebook.com/GreenAPLEducation/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I chat with Jenny Mills, a qualified cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist and teacher. Jenny has worked in schools for 18 years now and knows the common symptoms teachers experience due to stress all too well. After experiencing burnout herself, Jenny now works to help teachers build their resilience and avoid burning out.   In this episode, Jenny shares: - What cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy is and how it can help teachers. - Where SLT can start in helping their staff look after their wellbeing. - Activities teachers can implement now to help them build resilience now. If you'd like to learn more about Jenny and her services, you can visit: recognition-hypnotherapy.com https://www.facebook.com/recog.hypno See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is our 100th episode! This week I chat with Jessica Nash, an education wellbeing coach. In this episode, we chat about stress and the impact it can have on your body. Jess is someone who knows all too well the physical effects and the consequences stress can have on your health, so now she works to help teachers recognise the signs and act before it's too late. In this episode, Jessica shares: - Her own personal story of burnout.  -What SLT and other leaders can do to help teachers in their schools. - How to recognise what is causing stress and feelings of overwhelm. If you'd like to learn more about Jessica and her coaching services, you can visit: - https://urlgeni.us/instagram/jessicajoancoach - https://urlgeni.us/facebook/jessicajoan - https://www.jessicajoan.co.uk/service - Join her Facebook group here:  https://urlgeni.us/facebook/teacherworklifebalance See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I chat to Rosa Legeno-Bell, founder of Diverse History UK. A passionate historian, Rosa has worked in the education sector for 10 years, mainly in inner-city London comprehensives, as a history teacher, head of history and an assistant head.  In this episode, Rosa shares: Why she feels it is important children receive a diverse history curriculum. What inspired her to start Diverse History UK. Why it is important to flip the narrative when teaching and celebrate at the successes of marginalised groups as well as looking at the persecution of these groups. If you'd like to find out more about Rosa and Diverse History UK, you can visit: https://www.diversehistory.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/DiverseHistoryUK https://twitter.com/DiverseHistory_ https://www.instagram.com/diversehistoryuk/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I chat to Lesley Berrington, author of the Hattie and Friends series of books. Lesley wrote the series after realising there was not enough story books out there featuring children with disabilities where their condition wasn't the main feature of the story. In this episode, Lesley shares: - What inspired her to create the Hattie and Friends series. - Why representation matters in story books. - Why the language we use with children is important. If you'd like to find out more about Lesley and her books, you can visit: www.hattieandfriends.co.uk https://twitter.com/Hattiesfriends https://instagram.com/hattieandfriendsauthor/ https://www.facebook.com/Hattieandfriendsauthor https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-berrington-0252b425/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I chat to Louise Fetigan, founder of the charity Little Troopers. The Little Troopers ‘At School' project aims to support to the 70,000 military children in England by providing schools with information and resources. In this episode, Louise shares: - The reality of being a military family. - The pros and cons some older children feel coming from a military background. - What we can provide military children in schools. - Why she is so passionate about helping children from military families. If you'd like to find out more about Louise and Little Troopers, you can visit: https://www.littletroopers.net/little-troopers-at-school/ https://www.facebook.com/littletroopersathome https://www.facebook.com/groups/557274674620911 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, I chat with Katherine Muncaster, an educational consultant, headteacher and author of Growth Mindset: Every Child a Learner and Thinking Classrooms: Metacognition Lessons for Primary Schools. Katherine is all about creating a culture where pupils and members of staff all feel they are learners and have the confidence to make and learn from their mistakes. In this episode, Katherine shares: The different types of feedback that can be given. Why creating an effective learning culture is important. Why we need to bust some myths about pupils in the classroom.   If you'd like to find out more about Katherine and her work, you can visit: https://twitter.com/everychilda?lang=en https://everychildalearner.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I talk with Eileen Adamson. Eileen is one busy woman! As well as being a part-time PE teacher, she hosts her own podcast, co-hosts the BBC podcast Clever About Cash and runs her own business which offers teachers help and advice when it comes to money. In this episode, Eileen shares: Why it's important for teachers to get to know their pension. How to quickly go through your finances to see where you can make small changes now. Some ideas for preparing for retirement. Why she is so passionate about helping teachers understand their finances. If you'd like to find out more about Eileen and what she does, or visit the sites she mentions, you can visit: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/ https://pensions.gov.scot/online-services https://www.yourmoneysorted.co.uk/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week I chat with Gemma Drinkall, an education wellbeing coach. Gemma talks to me about the importance of creating and protecting boundaries as a teacher. We also discuss tokenistic wellbeing practices and attitudes towards teachers and their wellbeing. In this episode, Gemma shares: - What an education wellbeing coach is and what they do. - Why she is so passionate about the wellbeing of teachers. - Tips for creating those boundaries and sticking to your non-negotiables.   If you'd like to learn more about Gemma and HeadSphere, you can visit: https://linktr.ee/GemmaDrinkall See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode I talk with Andy Taylor. Andy is a teacher himself, who has worked with the DfE, Chartered College and TES to support NQTs/ECTs. His Twitter page (Mr Ts NQTs) is full of advice for teachers starting their career. Andy talks with me about when he took on the role of NQT mentor and how he came across a lot of NQTs and RQTs who had experienced a patchy induction. He also shares his thoughts on the Early Careers Framework and the role out of training for ECT mentors and induction tutors. In this episode, Andy shares: - Why it's important for ECTs to have access the Early Careers Framework. - The distinction between an ECT mentor and ECT induction tutors. - Why he is so passionate about helping ECTs. - Why building relationships with other colleagues can be so beneficial. If you'd like to find out more about Andy, how he supports ECTs, or find the documents Andy mentioned in the podcast, you can visit: https://twitter.com/MrTs_NQTs https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/mr-ts-10-top-tips-for-your-first-term/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/induction-for-early-career-teachers-england https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-career-framework-reforms-overview/early-career-framework-reforms-overview See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Education on Fire: Mark Taylor, presenter of Education on Fire podcast This week, I chat with Mark Taylor, presenter of Education on Fire podcast. Mark has taught music in multiple schools and has seen for himself the wonderful things teachers for their pupils. Realising that the teaching profession needed a lift in the media, he launched his podcast in order to allow educators to share their knowledge far and wide. In this episode, Mark shares: - What he believes the foundations for learning are (FIRE) and why. - Why these foundations apply to both teachers and pupils, and why it's important for teachers to put themselves first. - Reasons why educators might feel isolated but also how they can learn from each other and create teaching communities.   If you'd like to learn more about Mark and Education on Fire, you can visit: educationonfire.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 5 Steps to Wellbeing and How to Implement Them: Karen Gibb, director of Mind Marvels This week I chat with Karen Gibb, founder and director of Mind Marvels, a company that supports young people with their mental health in schools, nurseries and online. Karen talks to me about the NHS 5 Steps to Wellbeing, what they mean to her, and how they can be implemented within the classroom. In this episode, Karen shares: - What the NHS 5 Steps to Wellbeing are. - Why she is so passionate about giving people the tools they need to manage their wellbeing. - Some tips on implementing the 5 steps in the classroom but also how you can implement these steps into your life.   If you'd like to learn more about Mind Marvels, you can visit: https://mindmarvels.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/mindmarvels https://twitter.com/mindmarvels https://www.instagram.com/mindmarvels/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mskarengibb/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the opening episode of the season, I chat with Karen McGuigan, founder of The Maths Mum and creator of Maths for Life. Karen is incredibly passionate about maths and her ambition is to ensure all children, regardless of their ability or any additional needs they may have, leave school armed with the mathematical life skills they will need in the future.  In this episode, Karen shares: - Why she is so passionate about maths and ensuring all children can pick up those life skills. - Her journey to becoming The Maths Mum and where the inspiration for Maths for Life came from. - Ideas for breaking down the objectives for those pupils who need extra support to get true understanding. If you'd like to learn more about The Maths Mum and Maths for Life, you can visit: https://www.mathsforlife.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheMathsMum https://twitter.com/themathsmum https://www.instagram.com/themathsmum/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Grace Francis: Founder of DramEd, a company that delivers creative educational experiences in pre-schools and primary schools. With a background in acting on both stage and television, Grace has a passion for making performing arts accessible to all children. Having experienced her own challenges with childhood poverty and taking unfulfilling work as a young mother in between acting jobs, Grace says what drives her is helping all children access high quality performing arts experiences. Grace cites her month-long stint at a famous theatre school while she was 11 years old as being a key time that inspired her, developed her imagination, and nurtured her confidence. This is something she feels still motivates her to help all children, irrespective of their background and their experience the performing arts.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Bring learning to life. DramEd’s sessions enrich the learning that takes place in educational settings. At the core of its practice is ensuring the arts feature in the curriculum and make the topics children are learning about an experience involving drama, music and dance. Families and pre-schools. Grace is passionate about giving young children the opportunity to experience performing arts. DramEd also provide creative experiences for families and children. The team of performers plan (with artistic licence) bespoke workshops. More details can be found on their website: www.dramed.co.uk The Batman Effect. If children have been asked to complete a task and are lacking in confidence or experiencing difficulties, they could be encouraged to pretend to be their favourite superhero. For example, Batman. Adults then encourage children to consider the characteristics of the alter ego: ‘How would we do that if we were Batman?’   BEST MOMENTS “We use drama - or role-play should I say - in everyday life to prepare ourselves for certain decisions, certain challenges, a new job or a new role. Role-playing that out in our day-to-day life, even as grown-ups, and building our confidence and the public speaking and everything that performing arts brings is just necessary for children.” “I feel what I do is not separating performing arts as a stand-alone topic. Even though it’s really good for that, it’s using the elements of what performing arts can do for children - the benefits of performing arts - bringing that into the classroom and integrating it into the curriculum where possible.” “Performing arts develops a range of skills in children: it encourages their development of creative problem-solving skills; it improves their language and social skills; it fosters their decision making, their risk taking and inventiveness; it boosts their critical thinking and increases confidence. It’s a subject that has a lot of benefits for a holistic approach to living life.” “Encourage the children to stand up and role-play. But that’s only going to work if you’re confident as a teacher to do that yourselves. So, stand up, take on a role and don’t be afraid of looking silly.” “It’s literally just testing out situations. ‘What would happen if I do this?’ and playing that out. ‘What happens if it goes this way?’ and playing that out. It’s just building on that with children. That’s what I feel we do with drama and I’m really passionate about enriching children from their earliest years.” “I don’t think that performing arts is necessarily in school just for those [disadvantaged] students, but I also feel like it should be in the curriculum somewhere for all children to be able to access, regardless of their background.” “It’s not all about drama. We’re thinking about music and dance as well. Ask the children what they enjoy. Find out what they are watching and what they’re listening to.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Website: https://dramed.co.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Drameduk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/dramedUK Instagram: www.instagram.com/dramed_uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-francis-dramedltd/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Tim Ealing: Founder of Time Capsule Education. During his time as a primary teacher, Tim was a subject leader for English. In 2016, he set up his own business: Time Capsule Education. Tim refers to himself and his business partner as ‘historical interpreters’ working in the heritage industry for clients such as English Heritage. Tim also works as a creative writing consultant in schools across the country.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Make contexts for writing relevant to help children build connections It is important to ensure children have a level of understanding of the subject they are writing about. Children need to feel connected to the context. The quality of what children produce - across a range of abilities - can be greatly improved when they have experienced the context first-hand. Scaffolding Relevant and meaningful experiences mean writing is purposeful to children. If they can build on what they already know, it allows for more creativity to develop. Children pick up on teachers’ interest in the writing context Children are intuitive. They will detect if teachers are not invested in the teaching content. To encourage quality writing, teachers need to be enthusiastic about what they’re asking their children to write about.   BEST MOMENTS “I worry greatly that all the joy and fun in writing has been sucked out of it because we still have an awful lot of people who are bothered about whether they are using the dreaded ‘fronted adverbials’.” “I would certainly like to see more emphasis on drama activities, storytelling and building stories with older kids. I’m a key stage two specialist more than anything else and I think, over the years, because of time constraints and the pressures of curriculum and all sorts of other things, that we’ve ended up not letting big kids play.” “At the end of the day, my first love in school and outside of school is teaching history. As a historian I could extol the virtues of teaching history and why we should teach history but, actually, what it boils down to is that schools are judged mostly on the teaching of English and of mathematics and writing.” “You can’t write a historical story, you can’t write a story set in Tudor times, unless you understand a little bit about Tudor times. You need the language, you need to know what people wore and ate, what they did and various other things.” “I want to be able to facilitate and help teachers make their writing experience that bit more interesting, engaging and relevant to the kids. And it should be fun.” “We’re always going to be needing to have our kids improving their writing; and the one thing that is really important about this is that you get terrible writing if there’s no experience. You get pretty awful, ordinary writing if you focus on just the technical things.” “I like primary school to be the place where kids get lots and lots of different experiences to find that ‘thing’ that really gets them going. Whether it’s sport or music or dance or drama or art or history or whatever.” “As a primary teacher, it’s impossible to keep up that level of excitement and passion in every single subject you teach. I fell into English teaching… and I just have so much fun doing it. I’m a frustrated writer. My hook to most kids when we give them stories to start is, ‘I started writing this story and I don’t know how to finish it, so I need you to finish it for me.’”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Website: https://timecapsule.education/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timecapsuleed Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimeCapsuleEd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timecapsuleed/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Rezina Kelly: former primary school teacher, safeguarding adviser and now education consultant. Rezina discusses the importance of safeguarding and how, in her varied roles over the years, safeguarding has been at the core of all of them. From being an educational trainer to a member of the youth offending team in a prison, Rezina believes that building trust and developing positive relationships is crucial to safeguarding children and young people.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Be curious, get to know your students well. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If we get to know our children really well, it helps us to notice times when they might be struggling or when things might not be quite right for them. Knowing our children well means that we can identify any subtle changes or indicators and, subsequently, support them. Beware of getting used to it. The time to walk away and consider working in a different field is when cases of safeguarding no longer shock and upset us. We should be affected; to not be suggestions an element of becoming detached. Our emotions, and wanting what is best for children, means we care and drives us to want to implement change. Coping strategies. Children and young people who experience academic challenges will still be taught. They won’t be reprimanded for not having acquired that knowledge yet. The same should apply for emotions and behaviour. We want children to operate in school as future adults in society and handle their emotions appropriately. Sometimes children present with emotional and behavioural needs because they don’t have the skills to regulate their own emotions yet. They need to be taught coping strategies and appropriate ways of responding. BEST MOMENTS “You are sometimes the person who sees that child more than anybody else so you are more likely to be able to spot those little indicators that something is not okay.” “The last year has taught us more than ever that we need to be curious. We need to be interested in what’s going on for children and that’s how we will start to get a grasp of who they are, where they are and what’s going on for them.” “Every interaction is an intervention.” “Especially in the world of education, and the job that we do in schools, we have such a responsibility. It’s actually just common sense to say, ‘I need to be in a good place because then I can help these children be in a good place too.’” “It’s taking that time to go ‘School is a safe place. It’s the place where, actually, we’re here to make sure you learn and you’re educated but also we give you an opportunity to be happy, to be safe and feel like you can be you and that somebody’s got your back’, I think that’s a really important aspect of safeguarding.” “I think we forget sometimes that even the quietest children, or the children who present with the most challenging behaviours, they’re the ones we need to champion the most.” “If you’re an adult who isn’t emotionally regulated because you’re exhausted or you’re overwhelmed, or you’re tired and you just haven’t done that stuff that makes you feel okay, you aren’t in a position to have a positive relationship with that child who is struggling either.” “That ‘meet and greet’ - that really simple step - for those children who find school a place of anxiety, it’s reassuring them that I’ve been noticed. Somebody knows I’m here. Somebody would notice if I wasn’t here.” “Some children will be really looking forward to holidays and some children approach them with nothing but dread because school is their safe place where they feel most comfortable. They don’t want to be at home 24/7. Holidays are a really key point for safeguarding to just have an eye on your children.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Rezina Kelly Consulting: https://www.rezinakellyconsulting.co.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RezinaKellyConsulting/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RezinaKelly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rezina-kelly-7ab1a1139/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Arnav Rawat: Founder of the Books2All charity. After graduating from the University of Cambridge and returning home, Arnav came across a vast collection of books from his childhood. His fond memories of being transported to worlds that exist only in books, along with the appreciation that books helped him on his path to achieving his academic goals, prompted Arnav to donate his books to schools and to children who needed them. However, due to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions, this was challenging; so Arnav founded Books2All and created an app-based scheme where book donors and schools are linked and then set about further developing this modern, more efficient process.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Educational inequality Arnav views inequality as being a difference in the number, or quality, of the opportunities an individual receives due to their background, their income and other factors that aren’t necessarily, as he says, ‘their fault’. In terms of education, whether that be having the right resources to prepare for an exam, having access to the right materials to find the job you want, Arnav considers there to be instances of educational inequality right across the UK. Reading reduces loneliness One in five readers find reading books reduces loneliness. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when social contact has been so limited, reading can support children in feeling less alone. Make the app work for you Arnav encourages listeners to get in touch via the website www.books2all.co.uk  and share any further ideas. Arnav and the team are passionate about helping schools increase children’s accessibility to books as much as they possibly can. BEST MOMENTS “A child from a disadvantaged background is typically 18 months behind their peers when they sit their GCSEs. So, at the age of 15, you’re already one and a half years behind. That’s 10% of your life.” “Books2All is a very new charity. We were founded in June last year and our aim is to reduce educational inequality in the UK through the provision of books. The way we want to do this is to revolutionise the book donation process to schools.” “For us, we don’t see our app as a way for a school to get hundreds of books. We see it as getting 10, 15 or 20 books that actually really matter and will really be used heavily at that school.” “Because 1 in 8 schools don’t have a library, those students at those schools don’t get that opportunity to either read for pleasure or research and find things they’re interested in.” “I remember when I was growing up, it wasn’t necessarily the first book I opened and suddenly fell in love with reading. It took me a while. Then, all of a sudden, I found the genre, the style of writing, that really suited me.” “I’d go onto the app, I’d log in, I’d say where I am and how far I’m willing to travel… And then I’d scan in the barcode of each book and those books would automatically be uploaded onto our database. On top of that, I’d also send in a photo just of the front cover so that the school gets a bit of an idea about the condition as well before they receive it.” “Some schools have libraries with a certain amount of books that are plentiful, but other sorts of genres and other writing styles that aren’t so plentiful. Essentially, what the librarian can do is go through the app and select exactly which books they want.” “On our blog we also have authors doing some Q and As and giving their insights into how they got into writing and reading and how you can use their ideas in the classroom.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Website: https://books2all.co.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Books2All Twitter: https://twitter.com/Books2All Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/books2all/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/books2all/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnav-rawat-853aba149/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Victoria Bagnall who is a director and one of three founders of Connections in Mind: a company that provides coaching in executive functions. Victoria left teaching in 2011 and, after tutoring students who had additional needs, she turned her focus to neuro-education and executive functions. Victoria discusses the importance of executive functions are and how they are the skills of self-management that allow people to live a healthy and fulfilling life. She also talks about how Connections in Mind works with and supports students, adults and teaching professionals and shares some thoughts and advice about how to develop confidence and encourage sustainable success not only in education but also as a part of our professional and daily lives.   KEY TAKEAWAYS What are they and why do they matter? Executive functions are in the part of our brains that helps us to regulate our emotions, to manage our time, and to organise ourselves. It’s the part of our brain that, from an evolutionary aspect, is the most developed. Essentially, it is the bit of our brains that helps us to be part of society and to accomplish tasks. As the name suggests, these executive functions are about executing tasks and getting things done. Identify and praise adopted strategies. For students who experience difficulties focusing on tasks, or for those who are disorganised in terms of their belongings and might be experiencing problems with emotional regulation, working on executive functions can be instrumental in their progress. Talking about the strategies and normalising them for everyone can really impact positively on the culture within the classroom. It is always useful to remember that anyone can have these challenges, not just students with ADHD or dyslexia. Identifying strategies that students are using and giving feedback draws attention to the behaviour and reinforces it for others. Having this self-awareness and a set of strategies that work for us can be the key for everyone reaching their potential. Verbal vs written. A lot of young people with executive function challenges have no issues with their verbal skills and can actually excel with this. They can talk at length about a range of subjects but, when it comes to writing answers or longer pieces of text, can find that they experience difficulties. This discrepancy between verbal and written performance can be a real indicator that there is something going on around the executive functions.   BEST MOMENTS “What a wonderful set of skills to leave school with: to know how we best get started on tasks; what to do if we’re struggling because the task is not particularly motivating or interesting for us.” “Executive functions play into so many different areas of life.” “The executive functions are the brain processes that enable self-regulated learning to take place. When we understand these brain functions as teachers, we can help young people to develop the skills that sit alongside these executive functions so that they can become self-regulated learners.” “Often we’re asking children to do quite cognitively advanced tasks at school and we need to scaffold those for young people.” “If children are struggling to get started on tasks, or if they’re really struggling to answer the question that’s set, what’s going on for them? What’s getting in the way of their learning? What’s the bottleneck?” “Remember that working memory, being able to hold information in our head, is something that we, as adults, take for granted.” “Often, I feel like the school system is set up to reward those people who are abnormally strong in their executive functions and, actually, neurotypical or average brains really struggle because of the developmental process of this.” “The things we often examine in assessments – you need to be able to sit still and concentrate; you need to be able to do your revision; you need to be able to memorise what the question was – all these things are executive functions. But we don’t spend that much time working on those specific skills.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Connections in Mind: https://cimlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectionsinmind/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/@ConninMind Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectionsinmind/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connections-in-mind-ltd Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Noureen Lakhani, a trainee Educational Psychologist to discuss the impact of trauma on children’s learning. For over three years, Noureen has explored her interest in child psychology: in particular looking at how children’s brains develop and investigating the barriers which might impact on learning and education. Noureen discusses the effects of trauma on children and young people’s lives and how professionals can better understand these experiences.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Trauma: a reaction to an event outside the range of usual human experiences. If a person reacts to an event in a way that is unusual to other people, or the individual is very distressed, then they have experienced trauma. It may be just one distressing event that an individual encounters, but the effects of that can be vast and could influence many areas of that person’s life. The traumatic experience might occur in childhood but a person might not see the effects of it until later in life. The importance of building relationships with children and young people. Invest time to allow children to become more comfortable and confident with engaging in conversations, and repeat these experiences. Over time, children will understand that their teacher cares about them, notices them, is interested in hearing what they have to say, and this will hopefully lead to them feeling safe and secure enough to talk about their experiences. Have your say in a national research study. Noureen is currently carrying out a research project exploring teachers’ views on working with children who have experienced trauma. Anybody working in a UK state-funded nursery, primary or secondary school can participate. The ten-minute survey can be completed online and the link can be found below or via Noureen’s Twitter page: @noureen_lakhani BEST MOMENTS “At the tip of the iceberg you might see someone whose behaviour is confusing or someone who is not progressing at the expected rate of learning. However, when you get underneath the surface of the iceberg, you will see there might be a whole range of unmet needs or gaps in the foundations as a result of the early experiences of trauma.” “Every behaviour that a child is using is a form of communication to us as the adults, as the teachers; and it’s really our ‘in’ to see if we can find out what they are trying to communicate to us.” “Be aware of your own thoughts, your own views, your own biases towards trauma, towards systems, your own beliefs, your own privileges, your own responses to things. All of these are incredibly important.” “It’s so important to know that you cannot pour from an empty cup. As teachers, we need to be reflective and introspective and look after our own needs especially if we’re working with children who have experienced trauma.” “[Trauma is] a very emotional wound. It comes from a very shocking event, repeated life threats, or frightening experiences that might cause very negative, long-lasting effects. It can start from childhood and it can have such huge impacts on your academic functioning, your emotional relationships and the way you respond to everyday situations.” “What’s important to realise is that not everyone who experiences adversity or a difficult situation will experience trauma. The reason why something is traumatic is whether you are supported by an attuned or caring other [person] through the adversity and the experiences that you’ve had.” “What’s important to remember is that traumatic events can lead to difficulties with our education and with our learning. It’s really important that our teachers, our educators and our education professionals have an awareness of trauma so that they can adopt strategies to support children in the classroom.” “Make time to talk in the classroom. Whether it’s small conversations when walking in the corridors or longer times such as having a dedicated space in the day. Maybe just after registration in the morning or in the afternoon where you can have these emotional conversations and make it really well known to your pupils and to your children that there is a safe and brave environment in the classroom for discussing things that might be worrying.” “Trauma is not something that’s going to go away overnight. It’s something that so many young people have. It’s such an important part of the government’s work at the moment to really make sure mental health is at the forefront of so much of our work. If we can make sure our teachers are part of the solution then we’ve really done our bit.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Noureen Lakhani – Twitter: https://twitter.com/noureen_lakhani Noureen Lakhani – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noureenlakhani/ Children’s trauma research: opinio.ucl.ac.uk/s?s=70548 Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Darryl Walsh and Dr Martin Yelling, founders of Stormbreak: a registered charity promoting movement and physical activity to improve mental health in primary schools. Despite their quite different backgrounds, Martin and Darryl came together with a shared interest in using movement to equip children with sustainable, transferable skills and coping strategies that can be drawn upon to promote good mental health into adult life. The result was Stormbreak which works with schools, children and staff to deliver training and coaching programmes to up-skill teachers and equip children with a variety of useful strategies and inclusive approaches. Martin and Darryl discuss how important movement and physical activity within schools is and how useful it can be for the development of good mental health for both children and adults. They share some great tips and advice including addressing some of the misconceptions around movement in education and how some activities in school might be adapted or further developed.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Little and often is best for long-term gains. Rather than just having mental health focus weeks, or infrequent wellbeing activities or days, building in discussions about mental health within day-to-day teaching and normalising conversations on these topics can have real long-term benefits. Too often, mental health and wellbeing can get lost, forgotten or be inadvertently treated as an ‘add on’. The key is considering what needs to be in place to achieve sustainable improvements rather than have a ‘sticking plaster’ approach. Get teachers to be confident with movement. There can be a perception that you need to be ‘good’ at sport or physical activity to be able to bring movement into your teaching or routines more generally and beyond the elements found within PE. However, there is no such thing as being ‘good’ with movement, especially in regards to introducing it as something that can benefit mental health. It should be something that all teachers can feel confident with doing at any point.   BEST MOMENTS "It was really clear to me that that teachers get very little or no training on mental health at all in their in their training. Yet the prevalence of need for children within schools was quite high." "For me, there needed to be something different. Something sustainable. Something that looked at prevention at scale. Something that looked at supporting children and giving them a toolkit: skills and knowledge to be able to support themselves with their mental health as they work their way through childhood to adulthood." "We work with five different mental health concepts: Self-worth, self-care, resilience, relationships, and hope and optimism. And you can't work with those concepts with the children, talking about those things with the children, without reflecting on them for yourself." "What we see when we do our programmes with teachers is they say to us, 'I need this so much for my own wellbeing.'" "Why do we wait until we are grownups to realise that [movement] is a benefit? If we see movement through the right lenses, and we're helped to understand how it can support us in so many different ways, then we can build it in to our life." "As adults, we often rediscover that movement is something that is helpful to support our mental health. But why should we have to wait until we're adults to be able to know that?" "What we see is that when you place wellbeing at the heart of the life of the school, other things really flow as well." "A really important thing about moving is there's no need to be good. What is good? There shouldn't be an elitism around movement. You don't need to be 'good'. You just need to do it." "I don't care how fast you run a mile. I don't care if you keep going or not. What we care about is 'what's the quality of the conversation you're able to have with your friends around you?'" "Teachers are under intense pressure at the moment. Teachers' lives are busy and children are coming full of uncertainty and anxiety. The emotional feeling in the classroom is charged in a way it's not been charged before. One thing a teacher can do is just allow themselves the opportunity in that day to have a small window of time to listen."   VALUABLE RESOURCES Stormbreak website: https://stormbreak.org.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellostormbreak Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellostormbreak LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/darryl-walsh-5a29b32b Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shahana Knight - EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Shahana Knight: founder and director of Therapeutic Teaching. Shahana is at the heart of this mental health and wellbeing service supporting children all over the UK with both complex and lower-level needs. Shahana discusses the importance of helping children to recognise their emotions and shares some tips and advice for teachers and school staff on how they can support this by making conscious yet subtle changes in their approaches with all of their pupils.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Focus on feelings Changing our language and how we speak to children can make a significant difference in how they learn to deal with their emotions. It’s a skill educators should practise with all children - not just for those who might be struggling - and involves picking out feelings, identifying them and reflecting on the situation. The dialogue supports children in recognising what is going on for them and why they are feeling this way. If we avoid going into the automatic ‘teacher response’, for example highlighting what has occurred and the consequence that will follow, and instead reflect back on how the child feels, it makes all the difference. Language such as ‘you were really anxious’, ‘you’re feeling overwhelmed’ and ‘I can see this is really heard for you’ is really powerful. Influences on learning Many children come into school dealing with a range of challenges. These may be related to abuse or neglect, families being separated, or even associated with spending too much time on technology and social media: all of which can affect children’s ability to learn. Become more aware of, and acknowledge, the science We may be aware of children who experience difficulties with friendships or who may be distracted in the classroom and not be able to maintain attention. We possibly know of children who become angry, disrupt the environment and leave the room. We, as educators, are missing the point if we purely focus on academic outcomes. There is so much more we need to do surrounding emotional intelligence. Encouraging children to explore and understand feelings and behaviours helps them to learn how to self-regulate and helps them to understand their triggers. Practitioners acknowledging children’s feelings and explaining why they reacted in a certain way helps them to develop an awareness of themselves and goes a long way in shaping adults of the future. BEST MOMENTS “We’re seeing a rise in difficult behaviour, or a rise in anxiety in children, or hyperactivity in children, or really emotional children and we’re not skilled enough yet to really be able to approach that and guide them through that.” “We’re still in a society, we’re still in a pattern, where we often don’t give children the skills and awareness about their own mental health and wellbeing and insight into their feelings and why some of their experiences might be affecting their behaviour and their thoughts.” “When children have been through any type of trauma, low-level or high-level, or they’re struggling with anything emotionally, they cannot actually physically learn. It shuts down the learning part of the brain and it fires up the survival part of the brain.” “Let’s try and stop rejecting children for having difficult feelings. I think we’re so stuck in this pattern where we send them out, or we give them time out, or we ask them to write down what’s happened, or they get told they’ve got to go the headteacher’s room, or whatever our strategies are. That’s all about rejection and what children need is connection.” “We have to start teaching children that we’re there to guide them through what’s hard for them. Not punish them for having difficult feelings because that’s part of being human.” “Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes and I think we cannot forget the impact of children’s experiences as they’re growing and how much they need to be guided through those.” “I just think we’re getting it wrong in education. I really do. And I think we are so lucky. We’re in such a wonderful position. We have children coming to the classroom every single day for most of the year. Those children find solace in that classroom because a lot of them are struggling at home and we’re not giving them the experiences that we could be. We are so diverted because of the outcomes and because of what Ofsted asks us to do [that] we’re missing real opportunities just to teach.” “We don’t want kids to swallow down their feelings because they think they’re going to get told off for them. Because then we’re just creating a culture where people hide what’s really going on for them.” “You know you’ve done something wrong. So if you get that validation, at least you know that person is going to guide you through it rather than tell you off for it. Similarly, we all have feelings and the reasons we behave in a certain way is because of that. Let’s inform the children and teach the children so they’ve got that awareness.” “Look at your environments. Often we have children coming into school who are overwhelmed. They’re overwhelmed with technology. They’re overwhelmed with experiences that have gone on outside of school. Often, they’re tired because they’ve been gaming all night [or] watching TV all night.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES TPC Therapy: https://www.tpctherapy.co.uk Shahana Knight – Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shahana_tpc Shahana Knight – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahana-knight2020/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with returning guest Dr Victoria Carr: Headteacher of Woodlands Primary School. Victoria’s school was recently inspected remotely by Ofsted and she talks about how their preparations stood the school in good stead for their monitoring visit. The school had previously focused on improving attainment in maths and English so, when Victoria became headteacher, she led the staff in creating a whole new foundation curriculum. A lot of time and effort was invested in planning a thematic approach which provided enjoyable experiences for children and ensured they were happy and engaged in their learning. This overhaul of the curriculum, which began in 2019, ensured coverage and progress in all subjects. Leaders created progressive statements of expectation within the theme-based provision and these were transferred onto the school’s tracking system to assess pupil attainment. Once she had received ‘The Call’, Victoria briefed her staff over Zoom and provided an opportunity for everyone to remind themselves what they had done, as a school, since the last inspection. This realisation of how much work had already been completed allowed staff to feel more prepared for the inspection.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Ofsted will access a school’s website prior to making initial contact. During the initial telephone call with Ofsted, the school’s website formed a key part of the discussion. Here, Victoria talks about schools needing to have their remote learning provision outlined on their website. Ofsted may well, and are very likely to, peruse a school’s website long before they notify leaders about the inspection. “If you train hard, then you fight easy.” Victoria knew that, unfortunately, the monitoring visit would not change the school’s Ofsted grading. Whilst this was disappointing, she realised the benefit of this ‘dress rehearsal’ and that the work involved over the next four days, both in preparing for the inspection and the inspection itself, would be worthwhile. The importance of preparation. Victoria discusses how being prepared beforehand - in terms of being able to retrieve saved work to send to inspectors, or by pulling together evidence - was instrumental in avoiding additional stress following the notification of an imminent inspection.   BEST MOMENTS “You can’t buy a real Ofsted experience. People can come and do ‘mock-steds’ until the cows come home but it’s not relevant until you feel that level of pressure and manage that really in a sensible way.” “The inspector explained to me they wouldn’t be in in person unless they had any specific safeguarding concerns, which thankfully they didn’t. Everything was conducted remotely.” “It wasn’t a deep dive where Ofsted dictated to us who they wanted to talk to; they were very pragmatic and very understanding of some of the constraints that we had.” “These remote inspections are limited, naturally, because they’re not able to just pick things up in a classroom or wander around school.” “It was quite hectic, that first bubble closure, because it was quite a shock to everybody. But we managed it, which then informed us for how we would do it in January when we actually locked down as a whole school.” “Our art teacher was actually off school with Covid and not teaching at all. I thought a nice way of involving her in the process was to submit to the inspectors her overview of the subject, the progression statements that were on our tracking system for art and some of the exemplar of the work that had been created as a result of her curriculum plan.” “I wanted to show our school off in the best possible light. I wanted to give people a chance to talk [to the inspectors] and go through that experience as a coaching experience.” “We were already quite far on in our journey, despite Covid [and] despite the lockdown.” “The staff said they’ve never felt more ready. Which is great because they’ve said that in the last two inspections I’ve done with them.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES School website: http://www.woodlands.cheshire.sch.uk Dr Victoria Carr – Twitter: https://twitter.com/HappyHead74 Dr Victoria Carr – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-victoria-carr-0190157b/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Paul McGee, founder of the SUMO principles about what the SUMO approach is and how anyone can use it as a tool to achieve better results in life. Paul talks about how his background in behavioural and social psychology led him to running training seminars and coaching courses. It was an audience heckle during one of these sessions that introduced him to the acronym SUMO which he has since adapted and developed into a way of helping to get the best out of ourselves, the best from others and the best from life. Paul shares and discusses some great ideas linked to the SUMO principles including ‘checking your chatter’, being aware of avoiding ‘passive moaning’ to improve your mental diet, and always looking to invest in yourself.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Look after yourself to be able to help others. While we do need be resilient with facing challenges – an inevitable aspect of life – it can be very easy to unintentionally dismiss or side-line the negative and debilitating effects of stress. You are your number one priority. It is also easy to overlook that wellbeing leads to welldoing and, if we are not ‘right’, we won’t be inspiring and anywhere near as effective as we should be with those we teach. Invest in yourself. As teachers, we can all too easily focus our attention on the development of others without thinking about developing ourselves. Being inspired by others is a great way to motivate us to be inspiring. As a part of self-development, consider time to reflect. It is great to have a degree of distraction built into our days - such as audio books or exercise - but it is also good to have reflection time to focus on yourself.   BEST MOMENTS “In 2007 we banned smoking in public places because of the effects of passive smoking. Well I think we need to be mindful of the effects of passive moaning.” “This phrase I use, 'to be at your best, you need to rest'; that doesn't mean work yourself crazy until the next half-term. It's building in a little bit of rest time even during the day or in the evenings. Rest is not the opposite of work; it's work's partner.” “A metaphor I use in life is, 'sometimes life is like a game of snakes and ladders'. If you want to win the game, the likelihood is you might land on a snake. But that's not a time to quit. It's a time to roll the dice, go again and keep looking for the ladders.” “Who's the most important person you can talk to? It's actually yourself.” “Sumo is a word in Latin. So, not as an acronym, but as a word, means 'to choose'. Drew Povey, a leadership speaker and former headteacher, says 'every day is a choose-day'.” “That phrase 'manage your mental diet'. We think about the word 'diet' and we think about food, but I just think it's really important what we feed our minds with.” “If you want to help the kids, you've got to help yourself. “Teachers are obviously in the world of education; in the world of learning. But I think it's really important that we don't just think, 'well we're trying to teach kids'. We're also trying to teach ourselves.” “For me, the number one priority is actually about investing in yourself.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Website: https://www.thesumoguy.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSumoGuy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUn8r9hCk8ewTXHapv1-Ngg Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-McGee/e/B001JOWPYU/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesumoguy Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Sam Strickland: author and headteacher at The Duston School in Northamptonshire. Sam and Claire discuss some of the key themes from Sam’s book ‘Education Exposed 2: In pursuit of the halcyon dream’ in particular what the halcyon dream of teaching is and some of the practical approaches that leaders can take to work towards achieving this. Sam shares his thoughts on a range of strategies schools might use to help improve and grow including using coaching alongside performance management to hone in on just one element for professional development, eliminating distractions such as unnecessary e-mails, and more effective use of directed time and staff meetings to reduce workload. KEY TAKEAWAYS The classroom is absolutely at the centre of what matters in schools. The classroom and the teaching that happens here should be the main focus of school improvement. Getting that ‘quality first teaching’ in place and happening every day is the number one priority. Everything else – while still important - is mostly secondary to this. While other aspects of education still require attention and focus (for example, the curriculum design) these generally support achieving the ultimate aim of making sure what happens in the classroom is worthwhile and valuable. Strip away what is not important. Teaching should be as undisturbed as possible and allowing teachers to do their jobs in their classrooms effectively is key. The best teaching will take place when teachers don’t fear things going wrong, or are not concerned or distracted by matters outside the classroom. Part of a more general distraction can be performance management – particularly where this is ‘results driven’ because the numbers can become the focus of a teacher’s thinking rather than the quality of what they do each day. Here, a coaching model rather than a data-driven model can reap benefits. BEST MOMENTS “The halcyon dream is that: it's that ability to teach children without a lot of the nonsense and the white noise that gets in the way of it.” “It's giving staff the time to do the actual job rather than all the other stuff that we think is important but, actually, is a detraction from what we're trying to achieve with children.” “Ultimately, the person that makes the biggest difference, or the people that make the biggest difference, are the people in the classroom with the children: the teachers and the TAs. Everything else is kind of superfluous in many regards.” “Sir John Jones describes [teaching] as the 'magic-weaving business' and I completely agree with that. This is where the magic happens: in the classrooms.” “To my mind, the thing that's going to make the biggest difference to pupil outcomes, to pupil experiences, to pupil enjoyment is that interaction with the teacher in the room which is undisturbed by anything else.” “I guess it's the accumulation of marginal gains in a business sense that if every single teacher is improving one element of their practice, but doing it properly and doing it with real intent rather than giving it lip service because we've given it 30 seconds to think about, then institutionally that actually makes a huge difference.” “Our improvement plan, even in this COVID universe, was 'doing the same, but even better'. And that was the thing for the year.” “I guess it's putting your money where your mouth is. Is something a priority, or is it not? If something is, you've got to give time and, indeed, money to making it a priority. And if you don't, then it's not a priority.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Twitter: https://twitter.com/Strickomaster Education exposed 2: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1913622169 School website: https://www.thedustonschool.org/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Mungo Sheppard, headteacher at Ash Green Primary School in Halifax, about how remote teaching is currently working and how it has changed over the last year for his school. Reflecting on his school’s experience with the move to remote teaching during the lockdowns, and what they have done to overcome the varied challenges these raised, Mungo discusses what has worked for his school and staff. Mungo also shares his thoughts on the future of education and what the legacies of the lockdown might be following our increased use of technology as a means of facilitating home learning.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Preparation and flexibility are key. While we hope there will be no more lockdowns needed, it is far from certain that it won’t happen again. Having preparations in place for this possibility is important including making sure staff are clear on their roles and making sure the technology is in place should it be needed. Flexibility is also a crucial element because the unexpected can always occur, and a one-size-fits-all approach is rarely a reality. Within reason, and being mindful of workload, allowing staff or parents to find different ways for them or their children to work can mean the outcomes are better for everyone than they might otherwise have been. The future of education. The sudden and significant increase in the use of technology to enable home learning to take place opens up myriad possibilities for the future of education. It is very likely that the systems we have put in place and developed in terms of remote teaching will be expanded and built upon further to improve the ways we work within schools. Once schools return to ‘normal’, there are many opportunities for using these systems to enhance practices such staff development, moderation of work and standards, and continue the use of technology as a way of better reaching parents and allowing different ways of learning in class. BEST MOMENTS “I think, at the moment, where you've got a lot of children and families who you're not seeing each day, you've got to try and come up with interesting ways to still connect and make sure that those relationships are maintained.” “I don't think that actually teaching live all day is that useful. You lose feedback. You lose the work for the children who are not accessing it. You lose the work for the children who are in school. You'll lose some of the other things as well.” “Virtually every child is motivated by praise and reward. Not all, but virtually every child. What are the little things that you can do?” “Morale is still very high amongst the teaching staff, remarkably, and I think that the way we're doing is enabling that to happen. And I have got to give a massive shout out to the support staff at this school because they are phenomenal.” “The things that come my way... people reporting things that are going on in the community? Where does your remit begin and end? It’s a very, very far-reaching job at the moment. It’s very, very challenging.” “Don't get carried away so that this is going to take loads of teachers’ time as well. I've heard some really sad stories. You've got to look very carefully at your staff deployment. Look at work-life balance.” “Be flexible and be individual and personal and all those things you'd do in the classroom. Because you'd never teach the same learning style in the classroom for all of your children so you can't do that through remote learning either.” “I think the big difference this time is every member of staff has got a really defined clear role. Class teachers are being used much better.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshGreenHead Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshGreenPrimary Website: https://www.ashgreen.info/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks about overcoming the barriers to remote teaching with Emma Handisides, deputy headteacher at St Joseph's Catholic and Church of England Primary School. Emma talks about how her school has approached remote teaching over the last year including how they have maintained a positive determination in both preparing for, and working to overcome, the varied challenges that have emerged. From her school’s experiences, Emma shares some tips and advice and she and Claire discuss how other schools can continue to improve and develop their remote teaching provision.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Benefits of proactive preparation. Although schools will now almost certainly have their remote teaching provision up-and-running fairly smoothly, it is always beneficial looking ahead to consider what might change. This could be adaptations to the ways schools are expected to work or new government policies, for example. While it is impossible to predict exactly what will happen, looking at the direction things are moving in and having ideas for possible courses of action can really help. Likewise, considering what has worked and what has not been as successful as hoped during the recent lockdowns can help improve and overcome those barriers if or when it happens again. Nothing is ever the finished article. It is almost a certainty that no matter what we do, and no matter what systems we put in place, there will be unexpected challenges or barriers to learning that appear. To keep moving forward and maintain positivity, it is key that your vision for what you want it to look like, and the ‘why’ this vision is important, is continually communicated so that staff have that deep understanding and are all on board no matter what setbacks might present themselves. BEST MOMENTS “Being able to see those children in school who you are face-to-face teaching and those children at home on the big board who you are remote teaching, learning together, as one class, is the most immense feeling.” “It's the most amazing feeling to actually be able to overcome those barriers of school closure and to say, ‘we're still all together. We're still learning the same things. We're still learning all together.’” “We've booked in some museum sessions where the children are on tours. We've booked in some art workshops where it's been streamed out to the children. We're just really, really trying to continue to enhance the curriculum as much as possible because there are things out there that are accessible.” “You could see it coming: lockdown two, school closures. Obviously, you hoped it wouldn't come. You hoped there'd be a change of path. But we just anticipated it throughout. I think the key there was that anticipation that this will happen again and that we want it to look very, very different next time.” “We still have barriers. But whatever it is that comes at us, [we're] just trying to find a solution so that all children can be engaged.” “It’s having that determination, that resilience, that positivity, that 'why are we doing this?' Well we're doing this to give the best for those children, and keeping that at the forefront of your mind.” “It's not always easy. You are remote teaching. You are face-to-face teaching. Technical glitches happen all the time. But, actually, having that positivity and that determination is so key.” “We just wanted to make sure that the provision can be the best it can be. And that is something, again, that we're working, continuing even, to work at.” “If there is a non-attendance at the remote teaching sessions, we are straight on the phone. I did say to the children right from the start, ‘we will be on the phone. We will be knocking at your doors. We will be. Because it's not an option. We need you to be there. We need you to be engaged.’”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Emma Handisides - Twitter: https://twitter.com/handisides_emma Saint Joseph's Primary School - Twitter: https://twitter.com/stjs_staveley Emma Handisides - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emma.shore.754 Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Helen Clare, founder of ‘Class Yoga’, about the benefits of yoga and mindfulness for staff and pupils in schools. Previously a primary school teacher, Helen now teaches yoga and mindfulness to adults and children and talks with Claire about the advantages of bringing in yoga and its related techniques into schools: including how it can improve wellbeing and mindfulness. With over 10 years’ experience, both internationally and in and out of schools, Helen has some great advice on how yoga can be established as a regular tool to help children with their behaviour and health, and also shares some tips for how other aspects can be used throughout the day to help improve focus.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The benefits of yoga. Yoga has a range of benefits, not least of which is its use as an effective way of finding a mindful state. Yoga is also an encompassing and inclusive activity: anyone can do it and there is absolutely no element of competition or judgement involved which can be encouraging for less confident pupils. It is also generally easier to find a calm and mindful state through the movement element to yoga than could be achieved by simply sitting and thinking. Yoga has been shown to improve focus and concentration along with developing mental and emotional wellbeing among participants and, for children, it can provide a toolkit that they can then draw on throughout their lives. Breathing. Along with the movement element, breathing is an important part of yoga. We can usually find ourselves breathing only from the top of our lungs – particularly when anxious or busy - and not taking deep enough breaths. Starting the day (and occasionally throughout the day) with a few calming deep breaths can help to boost energy levels, confidence, and even our posture. BEST MOMENTS “By offering appropriate yoga and mindfulness tools to children, we’re really giving them a toolkit to draw upon that they can use throughout their lives to help regulate emotion; help calm themselves down; to feel more confident and more resilient.” “If we can find tools to help us become more mindful, it means that we are staying more in the present moment. It means that our thoughts aren’t constantly whirling around in our head. So the end result, the end feeling, is one of calm, peace, ease, lack of stress, lack of worry.” “There’s a lot of yoga out there. There’s a lot of kids yoga out there and I don’t think they all take quite the same approach as I do. I’m a primary school teacher by background. This method that I’ve come up with is drawn from that experience and it’s quite an authentic approach to yoga, but in a very engaging way that is fun for children, but that maximises the benefits of yoga.” “My top recommendation, for teachers, would be to start your day with a few calm, deep breaths. Yoga is just as much about breathing properly as it is about moving properly.” “Essentially, yoga is one method of reaching wellbeing. It’s the holistic approach to finding improved physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. We could also call it ‘moving mindfulness’ and it’s such a great practice for children. It can actually be a more effective way of finding a mindful state than just seated mindfulness practices.” “As we know, teachers quite commonly lose their voice and get sore throats. One of the reasons for that is breathing through the mouth which makes the throat very dry. It can take a bit of practice, and time, to start consciously breathing in and out through your nose only, so that would be something else to practise.”         “I would say the majority of children enjoy it the first time because it’s usually new. It’s usually different. If it’s taught well, then it’s engaging and they feel the benefits early on. It’s a very inclusive practice. It can be very fun; very enjoyable.” “On my trainings, I teach you how to teach to the children. I teach how to respond to what the children need in terms of energy levels. Whether we need to make it more engaging, energising, or more focusing or calming it down and finding a more relaxed class to help bring more of them in. There’s almost always a way to engage all children.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Websites: https://helenclareyoga.com and https://classyoga.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/classyogakids Twitter: https://twitter.com/class_yoga Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classyoga/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-clare-b8904a53/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Koren Sanderson about the realities of remote teaching. Koren is a Year 6 teacher in a school in Staffordshire. She is a member of the middle leadership team, has a shared subject responsibility for English and is the reading coordinator for the whole of her school. Koren discusses her experiences of the move to remote teaching and learning and shares some tips and advice based on what has worked and been successful for her and her school.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Have a clear structure and realistic expectations. Share a timetable with parents. If it needs amending during the course of the week then send out an updated version. This is particularly important for children with SEND (special needs) who may struggle with change, or for those who may be finding a lack of routine challenging. Sharing a timetable allows children to know what to expect. Safeguarding and wellbeing checks. Have the expectation that children are visible on cameras, even if just during registration. Make time for informal chat to maintain their wellbeing. Be strict with your time when you’re not working. Parents may well message at a time that is convenient to them but teachers need to make sure they turn their devices off, and log out, at the end of the working day. Make use of the ‘quiet hours’ featured on the platforms used by schools. If parents have effective means of contacting school during the day, most will appreciate that their concerns and queries will not be answered in the evenings, but they will receive a response at the next available time. BEST MOMENTS “The main thing that we wanted to get across is that this is a new thing for everybody. It’s a scary process for a lot of people and there [are] so many challenges that people face with technology, with delivering the lessons.” “Be flexible. Be adaptable. Take a relaxed approach and listen to what the families are saying to us because it’s not easy – especially if you’ve got more than one child at home or you’ve got poor internet access.” “Because we’ve got really good communication with our school community, [parents] know they can get in touch with us on Dojo, they can e-mail our ‘corona support e-mail’, there’s a member of staff available at all times during the working day, so the feedback has been really, really positive.” “If parents are struggling, we want them to be okay. We don’t want them to feel under pressure.” “If systems are in place and you’re communicating effectively with each other, sharing good practice, talking about what’s working well but also just giving each other a punch on the shoulder and just saying, ‘You’re doing a wicked job. It’s not easy and you’re doing a fantastic job.’” “It’s really important to be kind to yourself. We’re not superheroes. We’re not infallible. It’s possible to be an absolutely fantastic remote teacher without having to run yourself into the ground. It’s just about that organisation and communication and making sure that those systems are in place.” “[It’s] having the confidence to say, ‘This doesn’t quite work for me. Is there a way that we can adapt it?’ Having those professional conversations with your colleagues and asking, ‘Is there anything that you’re doing that I might do?’” “My life is really busy and I want to enjoy my family as well as work. I love my job, I’m passionate about it, but it is my job. I want to give 100% to that, but I also want to give 100% to my family and if I’m feeling down and miserable, and pre-occupied with what I’m not able to do, it doesn’t benefit anybody.” “Accept that [parents are in] working families and the pressures that they’re under are enormous as well. We’ve got to come together and support one another. I do think they really appreciate that.” “For grammar, punctuation and spelling, and sometimes for the maths, I use the Classroom Secrets resources. They’re fantastic, they’re differentiated, they come with answers, they come with PowerPoints and I can upload those with the teaching slides as an assignment on Teams. It means the kids can go back through it if they’ve not quite got anything.” “Especially now, it’s so crucial to get that work-life balance and if you want to cut down on your workload, don’t re-invent the wheel. It’s out there. It’s okay to use it. Of course, adapt for your own class and to the needs of your children but don’t start from scratch when you’ve got such a good basis to use that someone else has done already.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Twitter: https://twitter.com/sanderson_koren HRTV – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChCltEbCeBGr2l5ZdG215Hw Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Rebecca Leek, an executive headteacher and director of strategy for ASSET Education Trust. Rebecca discusses how, as a result of the coronavirus restrictions along with local and national lockdowns, her school has adapted including the move to more remote teaching and learning practices. Rebecca also talks about the importance of maintaining balance within schools and amongst staff – particularly in light of how much more quickly things are changing within the world of education. Claire and Rebecca share some really useful tips and ideas as to how senior leaders, teachers and everyone involved in schools and education can work towards making the most of the situation we are currently in.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The importance of a supportive culture Although we have been living with the pandemic and its disruptive effects for almost a year now, the situation and ways of working are still changing and adapting. Teachers and school staff – particularly those for whom understanding technology does not come naturally or where teaching online is out of their comfort zone – could well always need additional time to adapt. It is important to make sure all staff, but especially those who might feel less confident with the new ways of working, are supported and can feedback freely on their successes and challenges. Look to innovate The lockdowns and restrictions have brought about (and continue to bring up) entirely new scenarios and changes to our ways of working for many. However, while being mindful of the impact on individuals and wellbeing, this is an ideal time to experiment and try new things out. Empowering teachers and school staff to innovate and give things a go could yield great benefits including better ways of working or inventive ways of using technology. Tips for remote working With the move to being online much more, it is important to remember to take time away from the screen and be disciplined with this. Set alarms or reminders as it can be very easy – particularly if working from home – to realise that you have been staring at a computer screen for much longer than you might have thought. Also, don’t seek to reinvent the wheel where it is not needed. Share and use resources from others rather if there is something out there that does what you’re after. Finally, online teaching in whatever form cannot replace being in a classroom with pupils and being able to spot and respond more readily where children might be struggling. With that in mind, ensure modelling is as clear as it can be and, where you can, over-scaffold to help with this. BEST MOMENTS “If you can have that kind of empowering, unleashing way of doing things… honestly, it's endless what you can achieve.” “I think we've got to be cautious not to underestimate the effect that [the lockdown] has had on some people. It is really tough. But, if you can look for the opportunities, it will make it easier; and reach out if you are struggling.” “We always say, don't we, in leadership, if you don't look after yourself, you can't look after everyone else. That is it: look after yourself and then you can look after everyone else.” “We are more than the sum of our parts. I do really know that that's true. If we can get through this healthily and supportively, while innovating at the same time, our schools are going to be better at the end of it.” “We must keep reminding ourselves that we're doing many new things for the first time all the time; and some of us do thrive on that. But not everyone [does].” “We are innovating at breakneck speed and, if we don't stop and reflect about how much we're doing, and actually congratulate ourselves and celebrate what we are achieving, then things will get very tough and go wrong.” “If you can make a really simple set of rules - we just must do this and then it doesn't really matter after that - that helps with everyone's anxiety.” “We're enriching childhood. We're not just preparing them for adulthood. We are at a place where children spend a lot of their childhood, so it must be fantastic.” “It’s so complex. Teaching is so complex. You're never going to just hit one button and know it's done.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaLeek_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-leek-702a825b/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peachandpippin/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Hayley Lamb: Founder of Positive Ewe, personal and professional coach and educational leader. Hayley previously taught English in Thailand and, after completing her PGCE in the UK, went on to teach in Dubai and Egypt. During her time working in a huge international school, with 80 classes just in the primary sector, Hayley became Deputy Head and had a leading role in the wellbeing and coaching of staff. Hayley was instrumental in setting up a brand-new school from ‘the ground up’: working with architects to design indoor and outdoor spaces and cites this as her proudest career achievement to date. In 2019, Hayley returned to the UK to set up ‘Positive Ewe’. She works with students and young people, leads sessions for schools and is a personal and professional coach for individuals.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Invest in time to think on a deeper level Whilst it can be quick and easy to think about things on a ‘surface level’, people don’t generally give the time needed to consider things more deeply. Teachers invest the time needed to complete work activities - such as marking books and putting up displays - but they won’t necessarily invest that time in themselves. In coaching, the coach only needs to ask a few questions and often the person comes up with a solution themselves. It doesn’t always involve a lot of ‘deep digging’ and, with questioning, it’s finding that time and getting used to thinking on a different level. Our labels: how useful are they? We carry a range of labels such as ‘successful leader’, ‘top of the class’, ‘bright’ or ‘driven’. These labels are either given to us, from our childhood or workplace, or we give them to ourselves. If we try and adhere to too many labels, or our circumstances change that prohibit maintaining all those labels, then we need to consider whether these labels actually serve us. Your values can change - for example, when having a family - and it isn’t always possible to continue as we have done before. Hayley discusses how she would like to make coaching compulsory for anyone who has had a child. Continuing to live our lives in accordance with our old values can become very challenging. We need to stop and reflect. Focus less on the desired outcome and acknowledge the effort Rather than being very focused on an end result, for example a score to be achieved in a test or a specific level to reach, recognise and process the effort made. Results don’t just happen. Favourable or otherwise, look from a more internal perspective and acknowledge what you did, or didn’t do, for that result to come about. Take comfort from knowing that you tried your best and put in a lot of effort rather than putting yourself under pressure to achieve a certain outcome.   BEST MOMENTS “A lot of the time it’s our inner self-talk as well that’s holding us back or telling us that we can’t do something, or we shouldn’t think in a certain way.” “Naturally, we do compare ourselves. We’ve got this sort of thing of we should be doing this at this point in our lives, or I should be doing this as a teacher. You know – work/life balance – ‘I should be doing this’, and it’s really not helpful.” “Listen to yourself. Listen to your body. Listen to your mind. If something doesn’t feel right, follow the scent of it, go with it, talk about it. Very often, mental health problems arise when someone’s become quite a closed book or keeps going.” “Be true to yourself and your values. Try something new. By that, I mean so many people are either stuck in their ways or stuck in their thinking. The saying ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’, it’s because you’re not necessarily looking for it, or you’re not used to looking for it.” “When something happens, or you’re thinking or feeling in a particular way, take a step back and think, ‘What lens have I got on today? Have I got a positive lens on? Have I got a brooding lens on? Have I got a catastrophic lens on?’” “A lot of the time we will give ourselves a label: ‘an outstanding teacher’. That’s a really good label to use as an example. So, if you’ve got the label of ‘you’re an outstanding teacher’, then you have to conform to that label at all times. So, at night time, … your label of ‘you’re an outstanding teacher’ holds you back and stops you from actually living your life. Because you’re an ‘outstanding teacher’ you’ve got to mark these books and they’ve got to be perfect because you can’t be anything but this ‘outstanding teacher’.” “Encourage [children] to process all the effort they’ve put in. I didn’t just do well in GCSEs because I was naturally clever because of my ‘label’. I did well because I was really studious, I went to school most days, I did all my homework, I revised… It didn’t just happen. It happened because of all of the legwork that had been put in and all of the effort.” “They say to fulfil your wellbeing you should be continuously learning or have that feeling of learning. It could be to read a book, but why not mix things up a little bit? It doesn’t have to be learning around your job. It can be learning in anything; anything that might bring you joy.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Positive Ewe website: https://positiveewe.com/ Positive Eve on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/positiveewe Positive Ewe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PositiveEwe Hayley Lamb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayleylamb/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Caroline Allams: founder of Natterhub, a gated, child-orientated social-media platform where children can interact safely while learning about online safety. Caroline talks about how she always knew that she wanted to be a teacher recalling how, as a child, she enjoyed ‘bossing people around in the garden with a whistle’. Having always enjoyed going to school and feeling as though there was something ‘magical’ about teachers, she felt that going into education herself was a natural step. Caroline also talks about how her brother’s chronic ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) made her mother feel like a failing parent. As a teacher, this drove Caroline to vow to herself that no parent or child in her class would feel that way about themselves. Along with this, Caroline’s experiences in international schools – both as a child and, later, as a teacher – helped give her broader and more diverse perspectives on the world. Caroline discusses how, during the initial coronavirus lockdown, ‘Natterhub’ was created to enable children to communicate and interact in a way that would seem familiar to those children who were already aware of social media, but in a safer and more secure environment. While still incorporating this primary functionality, Natterhub has since expanded offering interactive and educational content to enable children to learn more about the benefits and risks associated with social media and the wider online world.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The importance of children learning about online safety. Technology, the internet and its accessibility has grown exponentially over the last few decades and children are rarely fully equipped and ready for the wider world they can access. It is, therefore, vital that children learn about the benefits and the risks of this incredible resource in an age-appropriate way. Children can pick up so much very quickly but can appear more aware and competent than they might actually be. Without putting some education in place beforehand, it is like hoping that a child will know how to cross a road safely without being taught about the dangers. Look to build digital resilience and digital empathy. Teaching children about these two areas is key to keeping children safe online. Digital empathy is being aware of how your actions will or could impact others. Digital resilience is knowing what challenges might need to be faced online and having an awareness of how to handle these. Coupled together, through knowing how to interact appropriately with others, and being able to confidently deal with inevitable bumps in the road that will occur, children can have a better and more healthy experience online. Understanding what digital literacy is. It is not uncommon to underestimate just how much is covered by the term ‘digital literacy’. Beyond the basic awareness of not disclosing passwords or personal information, digital literacy can encompass many other areas such as the ability to analyse articles for bias, misleading content, images, and also an understanding of how or when to behave a certain way as something like the wrong emoji at the wrong time in a group-chat could cause wildly unexpected consequences.   BEST MOMENTS “I always loved having the opportunity to create moments for my children, for them to really love coming to school. I quickly realised that learning through ‘doing’ rather than learning through hearing about it was definitely the direction that it was going to take with my teaching style.” “Building that digital resilience and promoting digital empathy are two key magic ingredients for keeping children safe online.” “I think what's great about growing up now and about social media is this ability for children to find other people. Whether it's through Minecraft, whether it's through another digital channel, that they can find other people like them so that the world becomes a little bit smaller and it's easier for them to connect.” “We have this metaphor, this analogy of you wouldn't put your children in a pool without teaching them how to swim. Water's a great analogy really because, if you go on holiday, you can't wait to get in the pool, can't wait to get the sea. But, if you can't swim, it's potentially fatal. The internet's a bit the same. You can thrive online. You can have a great time. This is a great time to be growing up. You've got all of this content, this information at your fingertips, but you've got to have the skills to know how to navigate it. Otherwise you run the risk of going down a very dark path and drowning.” “What we want children to recognise, in teaching them to be safe and savvy, you want them to use it creatively. You want them to use digital media purposefully. So we're trying to get away from the sort of mindless scrolling of just time-wasting which we can all be guilty of.” “We've got to nurture creativity. We've got to allow people to learn in the way that they need to learn and bring what they bring because we all benefit from that. Children benefit from that in the classroom environment.” “Children are so resilient. With all the things that they're faced with, we don't know what's gone on before they get to school. And then, they get into school and we suddenly expect them to think about fronted adverbials or get inside a poem that we've spent four hours planning the night before. It's a lot. It's a big ask. So when they when they do it, and they do it independently, I just think let's tell them how great that is.” “For children, as soon as they see the first answer to their question [on the internet] they think that it’s true. It's just teaching the skills to think no, it might not be true. It might be completely fake, and you just jumped on it.” “There's a lot of guilt around screens. Children feel guilty sometimes because they're permanently told you shouldn't be on a screen. Get off the screen. It's bad for you. Actually, they might have been doing something really amazing or had a great sense of achievement. Or it it's really contributing to their wellbeing being on a screen. And then we take that away from them by presuming that all screen time is bad. And it's not the case. It's just about putting the right education around it.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Natterhub: https://natterhub.com Natterhub on Twitter: https://twitter.com/natterhub Natterhub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natterhub Caroline Allams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-allams-46351547/ Pedagogs: https://thepedagogs.com Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hit that charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Lisa Lea-Weston: a drama therapist and the founder of Talking Heads. As a child, Lisa wanted to be an actor and went on to study drama in London. It was during her time at university that she decided she would go on to study to be a drama teacher. However, during a holiday job where Lisa supported children to access mainstream play schemes, she changed her mind and, instead, turned to working with children and young people with learning disabilities. This helped her learn more about inclusion and welcoming differences. At that time, Lisa’s manager saw how she interacted and engaged with young people who, for example, had severe autism. Lisa supported them, facilitated their play and engagement with others, and it was here where Lisa decided on a different career. Finishing her drama degree, Lisa then trained to become a drama therapist. Reflecting on the holidays where she had spent time supporting children in the play-schemes, Lisa says it shaped and informed a lot of what she does now in her current role.   KEY TAKEAWAYS We all partake in ‘mirroring’, whether we realise it or not. Lisa discusses ‘mirroring,’ both from an initial mother:baby bond, but also from the viewpoint that it continues throughout our lives. The way we might finish someone’s sentences, the way we adopt a similar way of sitting, for example, and how we might intentionally use their voice to make an attachment. As a drama therapist, Lisa is very conscious about what the other person is doing so that she can get alongside them, perhaps mirror her client’s movements, and also repeat some of what they have said. ‘Supervision’ – a distinct and powerful way of working. Whilst there are similarities to coaching and mentoring, ‘supervision’ isn’t time limited, it’s not for a particular purpose and there isn’t necessarily an end point. Supervision provides a safe space where clients can talk about work: it’s their agenda and there isn’t an expected outcome other than what they might take that needs resolving. Regular sessions help provide Lisa’s clients with an ‘internal supervisor’. That is, the tools and strategies that will help people get through challenging moments and allow them to identify what the issues are that are upsetting and de-stabilising them. ‘Supervision’ plays a part in a successful life/work balance. Despite the natural reaction of being ‘too busy’ to participate in supervision, it can have such a significant effect on people’s wellbeing. These are the exact times when we do need supervision. Rather than feeling really stressed, overwhelmed and working less effectively, supervision provides a place where you explore ‘clearing’, evaluate your workload and it allows you to go back to work and be really effective and focused. BEST MOMENTS “If you think of psychology or counselling, then [drama therapy] is that – you go because something inside of you is in distress, but the language that is available to you isn’t just talking, [it’s also] the creative language, which we all have, and that absolutely includes people with a profound and multiple learning disability…” “When people get freaked out about drama therapy, which they do and [say] ‘I can’t act’, in 20 years I can still recall the times I’ve used role-play. I don’t use it very often. That’s partly because of the people that I work with because it’s not accessible to them as a language of creativity, but there’s an entire other world of projective play, stories, music, movement, mirroring, connection, achievement, attachment that is available to us and, really, if you unpick any therapeutic relationship, those are the key components and the talking aspect is only another 30% maybe, of what happens in a therapy room. The rest, anyway, is a non-verbal kind of relationship.” “Mirroring is absolutely the first thing that happens when a baby is born, the first thing that mother and child do is to look at each other. It’s so entirely natural. A lot of us don’t realise we do it. The baby makes a noise and the mum’s eyes widen with delight. Then [the baby’s] eyes widen and mum will mirror back whatever sounds the baby makes, and that’s mirroring. A baby is so rewarded by that, what the mum does, that they gradually go on to do it again and again and it will wave its arm and the mum will catch its thumb and then you’ve got that touch attachment. The mum will stroke and soothe the baby when it’s crying, so all of that is about mirroring and it’s absolutely vital to healthy development, absolutely healthy.” “The beginning of ‘mirroring’, as adults, is being aware what’s happening with ‘the other.’ It’s really important for a teacher to be able to immediately pick up on the mood of her class in the morning and then, if they’re very heightened, knowing what you need to be [doing], somehow acknowledging that, but not joining it. So, wondering how you get alongside it, it might be doing some kind of movement at the beginning of class that gets their attention without using their voice but you’ve got to get alongside it, so you need to be conscious and then find a way to mirror back an understanding to your class. Then you’re going to have their attention.” “Supervision is where you bring all of who you are at work to your supervisor to talk about your practice, to talk about your work for the purpose, ultimately, of being ethical and accountable but not in the way that schools are used to. So we’re not talking Ofsted, we’re not talking a 1:1 supervision in the corridor where someone’s judging you and there’s a hierarchical element, it’s none of that. It’s absolutely a confidential shared space.” “The important thing about supervision is that it’s a process of regularly checking in with someone who knows you or gets to know you really, really well for the purpose of being safe, for children and young people. That’s it, fundamentally, but without any tick-boxing or ‘Ofsted-y’ outcomes needed other than checking in deeply and processing and having time to think about ‘How am I at work, and if I am or aren’t OK, what does that mean for the school and it’s culture?” “[Ideally there would be] an expectation that if you work in safeguarding that you have ‘supervision’ and yet it’s not really. It’s increasing, but it’s not commonplace in education. The emotional weight of work - in order for it to be tolerated - you need to have that space where you can clear the build-up to keep on working, otherwise you become too full really quickly.” “In twenty years, there’s probably barely been a month, or even two weeks, of my life that I haven’t also been a ‘supervisee’. I go to supervision regularly. And I don’t go to supervision because I’m not any good at my job or I don’t know what I’m doing. I go because ‘A’ I don’t want to get really full and then ‘B’, in order to remain absolutely available and able to listen and be with whatever someone brings me, I need to have done my own processing, growing and reflecting and clearing because I also sometimes get overwhelmed and stressed and I need my own supervision.” “Recognise the load that you’re carrying. Take it outside. Go walking with it. Get it moving. Something that is overwhelming needs energy and the actual physical movement of the body helps to process something and if you’re on your own then that’s a very good start. Make that commitment to yourself to realise that you are overloaded and to do something about it, even if it’s ‘diary-ing’, three times a week, to go for a walk with yourself, that would be huge.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Oak Practice: https://oakpractice.co.uk/ Lisa Lea-Weston – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingHeadsOak Lisa Lea-Weston – Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalkingHeadsOak Lisa Lea-Weston – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingheadsoak/ Lisa Lea-Weston – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oakpractice/ Leeds-Beckett university hub for supervision: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-education/national-hub-for-supervision-in-education/ Co-authored book ‘Trauma in the Creative and Embodied Therapies’: https://www.routledge.com/Trauma-in-the-Creative-and-Embodied-Therapies-When-Words-are-Not-Enough/Chesner-lykou/p/book/9781138479210 Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Andrew Whitehouse: a specialist and consultant for neurological diversities who provides training and support for professionals, parents and young people. During his childhood, Andrew was viewed as ‘odd’, ‘eccentric’ and ‘funny’. Despite his outer confidence, he had a feeling of being inferior to his peers and his goal, he says, was ‘to be like everyone else’. Andrew was in his early fifties before he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Prior to that, he had already developed an interest in what he calls ‘neurological diversities’ and was leading training on this in schools. It was a chance encounter with another consultant, who remarked how great it was to see a person with ADHD delivering the training, that led to Andrew seeking his own diagnosis. Andrew likens being diagnosed to holding his children for the first time or graduating from university saying it was ‘one of those pivotal, incredible moments’. He remembers feeling how, all of a sudden, everything in his life up to that point made sense. After initially feeling as though he would need to keep his ADHD a secret, Andrew states that, for him, it is not a disability but the driving force behind the work that he does. This year, due to the restrictions imposed by Coronavirus, Andrew has created a wide range of training workshops that are available online (at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=44843038) to ensure professionals can still access the content that he is so passionate about sharing.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Diversity, not disorder. Andrew uses the term ‘neurological diversity’. He recognises that people with ADHD, as well as autism and dyslexia, are far from being ‘disordered’. People with neurological diversities may be different, and not ‘neuro-typical’, but they play a crucial part in our communities. Andrew discusses that people with autism and dyslexia can make the most incredible architects and fantastic business people, for example. For them, this is not a disorder nor a disability. Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Andrew’s advice for teachers involves finding out what works for your children. Spend time getting to know their special interests to make something work. He says, when working in schools, that staff often remark ‘We’ve tried everything’. His role involves supporting teachers to realise that there will be something. There will be something that will act as a way in. Break up learning into smaller sections of time. Our attention span is our age plus one minute, up to the age of 16 years. Andrew discusses that, for any human being, the maximum attention span is 17 minutes. For someone with ADHD, that reduces by a third. He suggests if an hour’s lesson, for example, is split into six ten-minute activities, then the engagement of all children in the class will improve. Andrew remarks that, “the best lessons I see in schools, that include everybody and not just the ADHD people, are the ones where they break it up. Meaningful activities that you can integrate in your planning.”   BEST MOMENTS “[Being diagnosed as an adult was] just the most wonderful release and, instead of feeling like a crazy person, I felt like a normal person for the first time ever. I wasn’t a crazy person; I had this diversity and my goodness I was going to use it.” “I look at what people are doing and I say, ‘We’ll do more of what works and less of what doesn’t’. If you have a child that can’t concentrate for more than 5 or 10 minutes, don’t try and teach them for more than 5 or 10 minutes. They’re not being defiant; they can’t do it. If you have a child that needs to play with something or wobble their feet, buy a wobble board or give them something to play with because that’s what they need – and the key word is need.” “The teacher is in the eye of the storm of the hurricane. For me, I come in from the outside. I’ve got no emotion attached to this. Yes, it matters to me that this works; but I don’t have an emotional attachment so I can sit there completely detached. It’s not because they’re not good practitioners, it’s because they just haven’t had that outside help.” “The new Ofsted framework is very, very much based on the needs of the child. I think that’s not only sensible for children’s wellbeing and for self-esteem, and for meeting those kinds of needs, [but] from a society’s point of view, it’s important. We really need to consider following people’s journeys and the Ofsted framework is one step towards that.” “[In the SEND Code of Practice] talking about children who may have special educational needs instead of do have… so what we’re saying is you don’t need a diagnosis. What you need is the ability to identify people’s different needs and work towards that. It’s hugely important. But it has its negative sides as well. So now I’ve got children without the EHCPs who are getting one-to-one teaching assistants that the schools are having to pay for.” “If you’ve got a child that’s writing backwards, you have to work on strategies to help the child to write forwards because they are presenting with what may be a form of dyslexia.” “It’s very clear: the teacher is responsible. That’s what the paperwork says, that’s what the government guidance says, so that’s taking ownership and that’s a positive thing as well. When it goes right, the teacher is responsible. When it goes wrong, the teacher is responsible. So it’s getting teachers to think on that inclusion level which I think most do. It’s just to give them that extra bit of a stimulus.” “With ADHD and autism and any neurological diversity, the most important thing is to find your groove. Get people - young people - doing what they’re good at, that fulfils them. If we can facilitate that with children, that’s the best gift we can give them.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Andrew Whitehouse: https://www.andrewwhitehouse.co.uk Andrew Whitehouse – Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=44843038 Extract from Andrew’s new book: https://bit.ly/2JDRt6P Andrew Whitehouse – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeopleFirstEducation Andrew Whitehouse – Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrewWSEN Andrew Whitehouse – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewwsen/ Andrew Whitehouse – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peoplefirsteducation/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Clem Studholme: National Creative Manager at One Day Creative Education. Clem comes from a performing arts background and, after spending some time teaching English in Italy, he developed his appreciation of using performance to provide a purpose for learning. Clem went on to work for a charity involved in youth work and explored social inclusion and bringing different communities together. Further work involved social action projects and outdoor education, whilst a period in recruitment enabled Clem to gain an insight into how social enterprises and larger businesses can support creative education. Clem talks about his firm belief that creativity in education is important for children’s wellbeing and academic abilities. Now, as national creative manager, he delivers drama, music and movement workshops in schools, supports teachers in their CPD and, in more recent times, has been developing the company’s digital learning platform.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Creativity, not just performing, is important in all subjects. The curriculum, as a whole, can be delivered in a creative way. It may involve a cultural change: a whole-school approach where everyone is involved. Creativity can happen in history, maths, science, geography - in all the subjects at primary and secondary level. The impact of drama on individual pupils. Drama, dance, music and art can reach out to pupils in a way other subjects can’t. Clem discusses feedback from the settings he works in and it often relates to individual pupils. The way some children, who perhaps have been less confident and shy, or reluctant to work in a group, or who haven’t actively contributed much in the past, can become so much more involved in sessions that focus on the arts. These pupils learn that it’s okay to participate, to speak, and to make mistakes. A more creative curriculum can contribute to societal changes. Clem discusses how the culture shaped within a school doesn’t just affect the staff, but the wider school community and the local area. He shares his belief that the arts are important for learning how to get along with others, learning how to problem solve, and to create and innovate. Clem also outlines that the importance of ‘play’, even for older children, should not be underestimated. Playfulness, he says, breeds empathetic humans, encourages teamwork and it’s learning different things in different ways.   BEST MOMENTS “I really believe that creativity in schools and performing arts and the way we teach, not just at One Day but across the sector, is immensely important and I feel strongly about that. It’s what I love to do.” “If we look at education systems in [other countries] where the focus, especially in the early years up until the age of seven, is how to get along with each other and how to work together… where their education system is focused on the human being. We need to be focusing on what can we do to support our children and ourselves and the wider community to become happier.” “This idea of performing isn’t just about a performance at the end of high-quality art, drama, dance [and] music. It weaves its way into our life. We are becoming a society where a lot of things are becoming mechanised and computerised and a lot of the facts can be regurgitated. But, actually, how we get along with each other, how we empathise with each other, how we solve problems and morals, spiritual, creative problems, how we innovate… this is becoming much more important not just in work but in our lives, in our personal development. So I think that performing and creativity, and learning how to do that… is immensely important, especially as the world changes.” “That idea of being able to make mistakes and it being okay; it’s alright. Sometimes we do need facts and we do need figures and we do need to learn what has happened. We need to learn context. But making mistakes is alright and, in drama, we’re allowed to make mistakes and that’s quite fun!” “On a wider level you see some schools who really embed the performing arts in their learning: performances and presentations and longer term creative projects. Creative education isn’t just performance. [It’s also] longer term creative projects. If they embed that in their curriculum, you see children who are willing to get on with each other, who are willing to own their learning and enjoy their learning.” “[Creative education facilitators] talk to children on a very real and honest level. Sometimes [adults] do need to let loose a little bit. Let them see us as human beings as well, having fun and making mistakes because, if we can make mistakes, they’re alright to make mistakes sometimes and they can build themselves up to be better next time.” “You can do so much with something really small and you can do whole programmes of work on a single page of a book, especially with drama. Not just for a performance but how we’re going to perform, how we’re going to create that freeze frame, get into the character a bit more, and allowing that time.” “We have to think about what education is for. Some people might say it’s for the world of work, so preparing children for the world of work. Whereas others say there’s a hidden curriculum where we’re building up children, how to get along and helping children, supporting children, do that.” “We need a different kind of work and a different way of living. So we need to learn how to get along and we need to learn how to innovate, problem-solve, rather than retain facts and just regurgitate them. So I hope education goes towards a more holistic, a more caring, and a better funded, model.” “It’s incredible to see how vast this set of skills that we learn in performance, and learn through creativity, can be applied. And, actually, you can have the best idea in the world, you could be the most intelligent scientist in the history of the world but, if you can’t communicate that, then there’s only so far it will go. We need a combination of maths, science, we need all these subjects, but they need to be on an equal footing… if we lose one, we lose the whole child.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES One Day Creative – Website: https://www.onedaycreative.com One Day Creative – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onedaycreative One Day Creative – Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/onedaycreative  One Day Creative – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_day_creative_ed/ One Day Creative – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/one-day-creative-ltd Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, following their hugely popular season 1 podcast episode, Claire talks again with Hollie Hindle and Jenny Wood from Alfresco Learning. Hollie and Jenny, both from teaching backgrounds, share a passion for learning outdoors. In this episode they discuss the challenges and benefits associated with providing activities in outdoor environments. As a result of the coronavirus restrictions currently preventing school visits, Alfresco Learning now provide training videos, online CPD and have developed their Key Stage 1 planning hub to maximise their impact on even more teachers and practitioners.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Look at the bigger picture for outdoor spaces. As we do with indoor environments, consider every ‘single nook and cranny’ for learning opportunities in the outdoor space. A woodland area is not essential for outdoor learning. A playground and a strip of grass can provide great opportunities for learning. Alfresco Learning are huge advocates for using ‘natural loose parts’. Resources such as sticks, leaves, and seasonal items like conkers, pine cones and acorns are readily available, free, and are a great way to bring as much nature as possible into spaces that might be considered to be somewhat lacking in that. Appropriate clothing and the importance of effective communication with parents. Children, and adults, need suitable clothing in order to utilise the outdoors to its greatest potential. Those who are reluctant to undertake outdoor learning can frequently reference inappropriate clothing, so practitioners must be comfortable outdoors in a range of weathers. Parents need to be informed about the sorts of activities which will be taking place outdoors and what clothing is required for the children. Communication is key to ensure parents are aware of the requirements, and children are well prepared, for outdoor learning. Similarly, in our settings, we should promote a culture it being fine if children’s coats get a bit muddy. It’s part of outdoor learning and parents should not feel pressured, or obliged, to wash them every single night! Outdoor learning is very beneficial for children and adults. As children are more active outside, they are more involved in their learning. The activities and experiences are more hands-on so they pick up key learning more easily. Sometimes, if a concept is proving rather challenging and children aren’t quite understanding it, by taking them outside and doing an activity on a much bigger scale, and more practically, it can help children understand better.   BEST MOMENTS “[The challenge of time is] the one we’ve heard the most… purely down to people’s understanding of what outdoor learning is. Outdoor learning, really, should be taking your everyday indoor lessons outside. So taking your phonics outside, your maths, your English, your topic, science experiments, and people think it’s going to be an addition on their workload but, actually, what you find is, it reduces workload.” “[Some settings have timetables, allocated time slots, for taking children outside but] outdoor learning doesn’t work like that and actually, especially with the British weather, it’s not always going to fit into your slot. It might be that it just doesn’t quite fit in with what they’re learning that week. It might be that it doesn’t fit in with what the weather’s doing that week. So giving teachers a bit more freedom with when they can take their class outside really opens it up for teachers that maybe aren’t as confident in doing so because they can then choose which lesson it is that they take out…” “The outdoors demands that the activities are practical and hands-on, otherwise there’s no point… the children won’t reap the same benefits.” “[Studies] show that children develop more strongly, cognitively, when they’re outside and surrounded by nature. It has all these wonderful effects on the brain with concentration and attentiveness which obviously then increases learning… there [are] a lot of benefits for teachers and education around taking lessons outside.” “[We had children in our classes] who were maybe struggling to engage in the classroom, we went outside and they were suddenly engaged and they were suddenly starting to pick things up.” “Taking my class outside gave me that little bit of relief. It was good for the children as well and all these benefits were happening and all this learning. But, for me, when I had spent an hour outdoors with the class and I came back in, I felt so much better than I would’ve done if I’d have delivered that maths lesson, say, indoors.” “Children that I had in the class, that might have been a little bit shy to come forward and share with the group actually, outside, would share things that they had experienced outdoors, share things that they’d seen during play time, really connecting with the nature. Then, as well, children that were a little bit more of a ‘handful’ inside, outside just connected with other children and engaged with the tasks because it was a different way of learning that just worked.” “My passion for [learning] outdoors really came when my connection to those children changed after taking them outside. My teacher-pupil relationship was greatly improved by taking those children outside because I just saw such a different side to them that I hadn’t seen inside before, and it just worked.” “[Outdoor learning] takes off so much pressure from the children and you, as a teacher. Going outside you’re still covering learning objectives, they’re still learning, you’re still doing what you need to do, but everyone just has such a better time doing it because there’s no pressure of ‘it needs to be in the book exactly like this all the time’ or ‘it needs to be set out in a certain way all the time’. It’s just that freedom that it gives children, and you, to really enjoy learning again.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Website: https://alfrescolearning.co.uk Alfresco Learning – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alfrescolearning Alfresco Learning – Twitter: https://twitter.com/alfrescolearn Alfresco Learning – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alfresco_learning/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Sue Atkins: a parenting expert, author, speaker, coach and broadcaster. Sue previously worked as a teacher and deputy headteacher for over twenty years; however, a period of reflection and re-evaluation whilst walking her dogs lead Sue on to a different path to becoming an author, parental coach and broadcaster. Sue is passionate about supporting, nurturing and helping parents to raise happy, confident and resilient children. As a practitioner and trainer in ‘Neuro-Linguistic Programming’ (NLP) she offers friendly advice that has resulted in the publication of her books ‘Raising Happy Children for Dummies’ and ‘Parenting Made Easy: How to Raise Happy Children’. Sue makes regular appearances on TV and radio to offer her advice and support: ‘This Morning’ and ‘BBC Radio’ to name but a few. She is also Disney’s parenting expert for their Facebook ‘lives’, Ladybird Books’ parenting expert, a counsellor for India’s Parents World magazine, and has established an online Parenting Club.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The importance of parental engagement. There is a lot of crossover between working with children, developing their confidence and resilience, and then working with their parents. Being there to greet children in a morning and chat with the parents, as well as sharing positive feedback at the end of the school day, are effective ways to build a rapport with parents. Time and effort must be spent on aiming to reach out to all parents. There will be parents who value education and they will be the ones who usually engage and become involved in the various events that schools organise. But we must also encourage the parents who, perhaps, had negative experiences at school and think of ways to reach out to those groups. Encouraging resilience. Sue discusses her principles of resilience and how these are important to develop in children to help them feel independent and autonomous. She outlines the importance of a child feeling connected to their family, their school and their community, and also to feeling that they matter and are important and significant. Sue talks about developing children’s understanding that it’s fine to try new things, maybe fail and make mistakes, and how this aspect of being courageous is an important attitude to encourage. Have a vote of confidence in our youngest children. Raising confident and resilient children starts, from a parenting point of view, right at the beginning. A positive mindset, attitude and habits start in the early years. Adults must empower young children to feel capable and confident. We must give children opportunities to find some things difficult rather than be too quick to step in and help as this encourages them to stick with challenging experiences and develop those skills. Adults need to empower young people and children with more independence earlier on. BEST MOMENTS “With good parental relationships, we are breaking down barriers and building bridges, not walls, between parents and children so that we all nurture them and give them the best start we can in life.” “Don’t always rush to rescue a child. Help them sometimes stick with something... We can help children by leaving them to struggle a little bit. Don’t leave them there struggling for ages - that demoralises them - but allow them to feel capable and confident. That builds their self-confidence and builds their self-esteem.” “He couldn’t make that connection [transitioning to Year 7]. He couldn’t get used to the changes; he couldn’t make good friends… That always sat in my mind as a surprise – there was this very self-confident young man in his primary school who struggled to belong, to connect, to feel he was part of the new school for a little while so that triggered something in me to make sure all children should be nurtured, just as good practice. I’m very keen on seeing primaries and secondaries talking a bit more.” “Parents and teachers think [children] are worried about certain things but sometimes it’s actually worth listening to what the children themselves say… what their anxieties or worries are. We mustn’t presume.” “It’s looking at the lines of communication… small ways to make big differences that will make sure that parents, teachers and kids are connected and communicating effectively.” “[Building and maintaining resilience is important] to help a young person feel connected, that they belong, that they’re important, they count, they’re significant, you see them, you hear them, you’re listening to them.” “I think you have to make peace with the fact that you never get it all right. You never juggle it so that everything is in balance all the time… don’t let time dominate you.” “As a former teacher and deputy head, I’ve got many, many friends who are still teaching and I just watch them in awe... Teachers are absolutely outstanding and need a real pat on the back and a medal. They are doing their very, very best.” “If you follow your passion, believe in yourself, and keep doing small things regularly every day, it’s amazing where you can turn out and where you can go and you just take your life into a different direction. We’ve got to adapt, we’ve got to be flexible, but we’ve got to realise what’s important to us and then take off from there.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Website: https://sueatkinsparentingcoach.com/ Sue Atkins – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sueatkinstheparentingexpert Sue Atkins - Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B00DVOOXAK Sue Atkins – Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sueatkins Sue Atkins – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sueatkins18 Sue Atkins – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sueatkins Sue Atkins - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/thesueatkins Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Scott Cranfield: author of ‘The Wise Bear Stories’ which are a series of children’s books focusing on personal development. Scott talks about his background as a professional golfer and how this led to coaching the sport and a growing fascination with human behaviour. Scott’s collection of children’s books focuses on a range of emotional principles, based on real events, which supports readers in gaining more understanding of feelings and possible responses. Throughout this episode, Scott discusses how, in every situation, there will be positive and negative aspects. He outlines the skills involved in approaching negative events differently and the importance of looking for the positives that can be derived from such situations. Buy The Wise Bear materials: https://wise-bear.thinkific.com/?ref=90753e 20% Discount Code: TEACHER   KEY TAKEAWAYS The human brain recognises the positive and negative aspects of situations. Whilst we may strive for a one-sided life filled with positivity, we won’t ever, realistically, achieve that. However, it is understanding our minds, and knowing how to work with our minds, that enables us to return to a balanced state. Our minds are always aware of both sides - positives and negatives - and when we encounter and focus upon the negatives, we need to ask ourselves questions in order to discover the positives. Encourage children to delve into their own minds. Through stories and conversations, adults should encourage children to find their own answers when they are involved in conflicts. Although adults will naturally support children by asking questions following disagreements, ultimately, we need to encourage children to reflect upon situations and ask themselves questions to find their own way out of challenges. Use stories as a resource. ‘The Wise Bear Stories’, based on true events, centre on six areas of personal development which, in terms of emotional wellbeing, can be linked to many events familiar and relevant to children. The principles that underpin these stories, or conversation starters, are important life skills. Activities that follow the stories encourage children to apply their understanding to their own life and experiences. Switch your mindset. Other people’s personalities and behavioural traits may cause us frustration. If we can alter our mindsets and see how those traits and behaviours help us, and help us to grow, then we can change our perceptions and this, in turn, helps us respond differently. We should, then, support children to do the same and invest the time to do so to help them find the balance in challenging situations and help them see that what they think is a negative experience also, likely, has some positives too. BEST MOMENTS “[Children] now have the ability to know how to look at something and bring it back into some kind of balance.” “Every person is unique and every person has different things that are important to them and so we process the world based on that. We might look at something and get frustrated with that; somebody else could look at it and not be bothered about it at all.” “I think probably the ultimate thing for me on personal development is helping ourselves bring our mind back into a balanced state because, when we are balanced, we have mental wellness.” “When you understand human behaviour, you understand the essence of universal energy [that helps us] grow as individuals. We’re going to be given events, people in our life, challenges, different situations that are designed to help us grow.” “When we understand the truth about the human mind we actually begin to realise the human mind is always balanced but we rarely look for that. We tend to seek the things that we think make us happy, that are positive, and we try to avoid the things that make us sad and we think are negative.” “[The positive and negative aspects of our thoughts] both serve, both are required, both are absolutely necessary. The place where they will be most fulfilled and satisfied is when they’re [centred].” “I get challenge, and support, from my friends and family and it helps me to grow.” “I’m going to get in situations where I’m challenged, whether it be at school [or] in the workplace. How do I turn that around and see the support of that?” “We perceive something and then we give that a meaning. It’s the meaning that actually gives us the feeling, and if we can change the perception by asking a question to help balance that out, then we will change the meaning behind that event.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES The Wise Bear Stories: https://thewisebearstories.com Scott Cranfield – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewisebearstories Scott Cranfield – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewisebearstories Scott Cranfield – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-cranfield-3a65665/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hits the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Lauren Barratt: a teacher and wellbeing consultant. Lauren talks about how her own first-hand experience of going through the education system as a teenager led her to becoming a qualified teacher herself. By her own admission, Lauren was someone who struggled with her behaviour and concentration in many of her lessons and was regularly ‘kicked out’ of classes. However, she had realised that her passion lay in physical education and she would regularly help teach younger children after having to leave other lessons. This led Lauran to realise that she enjoyed teaching PE and, after leaving secondary education, she became a sports coach before undertaking a teaching degree. Lauren also shares how she came to become a wellbeing consultant. Within her role delivering health and wellbeing lessons as a teacher at her school, Lauren felt that the curriculum and content she was delivering was missing out some key elements. This led her to leave her full-time teaching role and become a consultant developing her own programmes and content. Lauren now works with schools and colleges, and alongside the charity NCS, to deliver bespoke wellbeing workshops in focusing on the impact of social media, growth mindset, physical wellbeing, sexuality and race studies, and happiness.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Embedding happiness. It can be tempting to think about happiness and being happy as a state that some people effortlessly achieve. However, this is not the case and finding true happiness can take hard work and be an ongoing process that needs committed attention. Teaching pupils that this is the reality, and that achieving fame or having lots of material wealth does not automatically bring happiness, is an important lesson. Some strategies to help embed happiness focus around outlook. Spend time considering the positive aspects of each day because it can be easy to focus disproportionately on the negative events and consider that day ‘a bad day’. The truth, more often than not, is that every day is a mixture of both positive and negative elements. Along with this, regularly taking more time to consider and be grateful for the good things in our lives can help to change our mindset. Embedding happiness is more about developing good habits and thinking positively. Our own wellbeing as teachers. Teaching can be a stressful career and it can be very easy for teachers to struggle to maintain a positive outlook. One thing that teachers are good at is wishing their lives away with constant thoughts and references to how many days or weeks it will be until the next holiday. As with embedding happiness, teachers should consider their own mindset and take time to think about the positives and look to change perspective. Meditation can be a tool to aid this by spending ten minutes in silence each day pushing away negative or stressful thoughts and just thinking about nothing. Time to reflect should not be a luxury. As teachers, professional development is, almost always, something that happens ‘to’ us in the form of visitors, meetings or training courses. Sometimes, as a part of these development events, time is given to reflect on and then refine our own practice. However, this reflection time, if used regularly, can be really beneficial to teachers to consider and improve on what they do in the classroom.   BEST MOMENTS “It's about developing the kind of the critical thinking skills and the reflection on what [the children are] doing. We start to look at what procedures can they put in place when they realise social media is affecting them more? What procedures can they put in place when they realise that their mood is lowering? But the first step is to get them to be able to identify that.” “If you wonder why your five-year-old always wants to be on your phone, then that's because you are probably on your phone quite a lot around them and they want to model you. Sometimes it's easy entertainment to have that, but I think we just need to start educating and teaching at an earlier age.” “We all know the risks of a young child being on social media from a safeguarding perspective. As teachers and people in education, we know that. But how are we really getting that out there?” “Try to embed what you find out about happiness into your classroom and teach the children that you're teaching that happiness doesn't just happen. There's a reason that you don't wake up happy every morning. It's not an easy thing to be consistently happy. It takes hard work and it takes you embedding habits into your lifestyle.” “I think what teachers struggle with a lot is time affluence and that just refers to you having the perspective in yourself of how much time you actually have. When I was teaching, I found that teachers wished their life away a lot. They are constantly going, 'Oh, it's nearly the weekend. It's nearly half term. It's nearly the summer holidays.' Try to change your perspective so that you're not wishing your life away.” “If you're feeling something that is different or you don't want that feeling, then you need to think okay, why am I feeling this? And once you've identified that it is up to you to kind of put the strategies in there.” “If you want teachers who are constantly reflecting and adapting and changing you need teachers to have time to think because at the moment teachers are so overworked that there is absolutely no reflection time.” “Try to change your perspective on time as well because we feel that we have no time as teachers. And maybe you don't, but if you try to change your mindset around that, it might actually make you start to feel a little bit more positive about what you do have.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Wellbeing Workshops: https://wellbeing-workshops.com/ Lauren Barratt – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_adventure_diary/ Lauren Barratt – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenbarrattadventurediary/ Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hit the charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EPISODE NOTES In this episode, Claire talks with Juliet Adloune: a school improvement adviser and mental health expert. Juliet had always wanted to be a teacher and, from a young age, had planned ahead mapping out her own journey through education by working out what she needed to achieve at each stage in order to be able to train as a teacher. Juliet talks about how, having been born and brought up in Manchester, she had experienced many positive influences on her life through being exposed to a wide range of backgrounds, religions and cultures as a part of her upbringing. After training to be a teacher at Cambridge’s Homerton College, Juliet found that she loved the area and has stayed ever since working in and with schools within Cambridgeshire Education Authority. Eventually moving into leadership, Juliet became a deputy headteacher and then a headteacher before taking on the role of a local authority school improvement adviser. Juliet discusses her belief in the importance of mental health within schools. After becoming a qualified mental health first aider herself, Juliet realised how important this was to her and she became a trainer for the programme and an advocate for raising the profile of wellbeing. Throughout this episode, Juliet shares her thoughts, experiences and advice around this key aspect of school life.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Raise the profile of mental health. Mental health is just as important as physical health and they are inextricably linked. While we have a statutory duty to have a first-aider in schools for physical injuries, it is not yet the case for mental health support. This is especially important now and for the future given the possible long-term impact of the coronavirus on people’s mental health. Adult mental health is just as important as that of the children. While children’s safety and security is of paramount importance, the mental health of adults in school is as equally significant. An analogy would be the aeroplane safety announcement where adults are told to put on their own face-mask first because you can’t be effective in looking after those around you if you are not in the best place yourself. With that, successful wellbeing in schools is, generally, based more around giving people time and space, and promoting a positive attitude to mental health rather than just making token gestures which do not add real benefit or value. Start early in teachers’ careers with mental health awareness. Raising awareness of mental health much more in initial teacher training and through school induction programmes could have significant benefits for newly qualified teachers. Even something as seemingly straightforward as promoting effective time-management strategies and good organisational skills can remove some of the key causes of stress for new teachers which, in turn, makes for better overall mental health. BEST MOMENTS “The world around us has many limitations and lots of pushes and pulls on resources. However, there is a lot of support out there. You are not alone. It's about opening the door for yourself to seek support.” “I think the ethos in a school, that feeling you get when you go into a school and it feels like it's caring and compassionate, it does come from the top. And that's because the person at the top is being looked after and looks after themselves. And we do sometimes have to ask for that. We have to say 'this is what I would like' or 'this is what I need'.” “I say this with my sense of humour popping out already: we don't solve wellbeing with donuts on a Friday.” “Giving people time and space and the feeling that you are not going to be judged is a much, much more impactful wellbeing strategy.” “I think that makes a big difference to anybody's life: you still have pressures, you still have stresses, but if you love the jobs you are in or the job you have, it makes a big impact and a big difference on your outlook on that and how you feel about yourself and how you fit into that society of work.” “We don't always appreciate what we don't know what and what we're not involved in. And as we said about mental health, if you don't have the knowledge, then that sometimes can skew how you think about things.” “Because I was working with schools, often in difficulty, I was finding that, as time went on, the things that I noticed most about what made my work impactful was because I built relationships with people and because I didn't employ a one-size-fits-all [approach].” “My advisory role has always been, in school, what I call a 'hands-on approach'. So my work in school improvement has been not just saying what needs to be done, but showing people how it could be done and working alongside them to do it.” “[People] might say, 'I've got a bad back' or 'I'm not feeling great' or 'I'm under the weather' because they don't feel able always to be open about their mental health. Unfortunately, stigma and discrimination around mental health does remain.”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Juliet Adloune – Facebook: www.facebook.com/mhfa.julietadloune Juliet Adloune – LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-adloune-318b9656 Samaritans 24-hour telephone support: 116 123 Samaritans online: https://www.samaritans.org/ Shout 24-hour text support: 85258 Shout online: https://giveusashout.org/ Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/   ABOUT THE HOST 'My mother is a teacher. I will never be a teacher.' - Claire Riley Claire arrived at the end of her performing arts degree with no firm plans to move into the entertainment industry. A fully funded secondary teaching course seemed like the perfect way to stall for a year on deciding what to do with her life. Turns out, teaching was her thing.  Three years in a challenging secondary school - check. Two years in primary schools with over 90% EAL children - check. Eight years doing day-to-day supply across 4-18 - check. If there's one thing she learnt, it was how to identity the best ideas from every school in terms of resources and use that knowledge to create something that would work for teachers far and wide. In 2013, Classroom Secrets was born. Claire had seen other resource sites and wanted to add something to the market that she felt was missing. More choice + More quality = Balance. Claire is a self-proclaimed personal development junkie and is always looking for ways to learn and improve. It's usually centred around business, her new-found passion. In 2019, Claire launched The Teachers' Podcast that hit that charts on launch and is listed in the top 200 educational podcasts most weeks. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.