Adam Seldon joins us to talk about his new book, Around the World in 80 Schools, which is a lovely surprise!

It could have been a self-indulgent travelogue of schools, but it is far from that.

It is really well crafted around big issues which are all current and relevant, and he is a great travelling companion who is open-minded, questioning and a great learner. All of this makes for a fine book and makes for a great conversation which gets into some of the really big questions about what we can learn and how we can improve education

You can also hear about:

Unfinished Business

Cleverlands by Lucy Crehan

Welcome to a brand new series of EduTalk!

As it remains such an important issue for teachers and school leaders, we wanted to explore the growing issue of industrial action in schools, particularly in light of the recent teacher pay offer. We couldn't think of a better guest to discuss it with than Pepé Di’Isaio, General Secretary of ASCL, the Association of School and College Leaders.

Pepe is typically insightful, open and direct. He brings balance and perspective as well as humour, which is essential when you work in education!

We discuss a range of issues including the fragmentation of education, the impact of falling rolls and budget cuts, the pressure of SEND costs, the challenges around behaviour and more.

We also speculate on how far action will extend into the coming sessions. Pepè gives David lots to think about, and we are sure that he will do the same for all our listeners.

Books mentioned in this episode:

(Inevitably) Unfinished Business

(Recorded during the World Cup, as mentioned by DC)

Paul Banks is our second volunteer for EduTalk, and we are very glad that he has offered to be involved.

When the Government's White Paper states an ambition to have every school in a Trust, we really need to ask what the advantages and disadvantages are.

Paul is an ideal person to have that conversation with, as the Chief Executive Officer of the Chelmsford Learning Partnership. He has the experience, but he also has objectivity, openness and balance.

This makes for a rich conversation full of insight and genuine debate.

Useful Links:

Unfinished Business: The life and legacy of Sir Tim Brighouse

There are an increasing number of conversations about leadership in our schools, but they are getting quieter!

In this conversation, we discuss Kind Leadership with Joanna Povall and the wonderful Jill Berry, whose book Making the Leap offers practical advice which will be invaluable to anyone considering headship.

We also discuss Calm Leadership and Quiet Leadership, both recent titles in the Crown House Armory but, it should be noted that it is lively and inspiring leadership that is what comes through from this conversation!

Mentioned in this podcast:

Making the Leap by Jill Berry

Kind Leadership by Joanna Povall

Unfinished Business edited by Mick Waters, Steve Munby and David Cameron

Calm Leadership by Patrick Cozier

Quiet Leadership by Andrew Marsh

The Rethinking Education Podcast with James Mannion and David Cameron

Teaching Autonomy by Sophie Smith -Tong

Imperfect Leadership by Steve Munby

The Teaching Life by Robin McPherson and Kate Jones

The A-Z of School Leadership by David Woods and Tim Brighouse

Another very timely podcast from EduTalk.

We all need to think about AI and how we use it in schools.

This episode does exactly that.

It covers many bases through Gemma Clark who is a primary school teacher and the author of Artificial intelligence in the Primary Classroom, Lord Jim Knight, formerly Minister for Schools and Learning with a remarkable track record beyond that and Priya Lakhani, the Founder CEO of CENTURY Tech, an artificial intelligence education technology company that develops AI-powered learning tools for schools, colleges, universities and employers across the world. Jim and Priya contributed chapters on AI to Unfinished Business - The Life and Legacy of Sir Tim Brighouse.

The conversation is rich and deep and well worth your time!

Priya's TED Talk can be found here: https://www.ted.com/talks/priya_lakhani_this_is_how_kids_should_be_learning_with_ai

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Careless-People-explosive-memoir-doesnt/dp/1035065924

If you are interested in a rousing conversation about class, inequality and what we really need to do to provide a better education for young people, regardless of their background, this is the podcast for you.

Prepare yourself for true stories, passion, brilliant references and genuine radicalism. All of this is inspired by Andy Griffith and Matt Bromley's book The Working Classroom, wonderfully championed by Andy in this conversation.

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Working Class by various

The Magic of Metaphor by Nick Owen

The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J Sandel

The Wire - HBO Tv series

The Best Job in the World by Vic Goddard

Making School Unmissable by Rachel Macfarlane and Paul Jenkins

You can access Professor Danny Dorling’s website here, which has lots of resources about inequality

An introduction to Andy's course, mentioned in the episode, can be accessed here

The Scholars' Programme document can be accessed here

It is always a pleasure to record the Crown House EduTalk podcasts, but this one is particularly special.

We get the opportunity to talk to one of our educational heroes, Michael Fullan, who has been purveying common sense and inspiration based on sound research for decades. Added to that, we are joined by Fiona Millar, journalist, campaigner and someone who was at the heart of New Labour in its heyday. Fiona is always clear, direct, perceptive, well-informed and very smart.

We also owe a special thank you to Richard Bustin, author of What Are We Teaching?, who holds his own in this elite company.

If you are looking for a half-term report on the Government’s performance in education that comes with breadth, balance and insight, this is the podcast for you.

Other publications mentioned in this episode:

Unfinished Business edited by Mick Waters, Steve Munby and David Cameron

Youth matters: Your national youth strategy

The Curriculum and Assessment Review

Every Child Achieving and Thriving

The New Meaning of Educational Change by Michael Fullan

Failed State by Sam Freedman

This is a different podcast for us in lots of ways. Nikos Savvas contacted us and expressed an interest in being on the show, and we do love a volunteer!

Nikos was particularly intriguing because he is a Trust CEO, and someone who is established and successful in the education world and yet is still asking questions about that world.

Like many of us, Nikos is concerned about threats to democracy and the rise of extremism in British society and has very clear ideas about what we need to do about it. It was an irresistible offer, because the issues are timely, pressing and important, and the perspective that Nikos has is important. He is not some radical offering a critique from outside the system. He is someone who is making change within his own Trust and who thinks that we need to be making these changes much more widely. Listen and enjoy!

Books you may like to read:

Unfinished Business

About Our Schools

The Kindness Principle

Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice

The Working Class