In the final episode of seasons 1, Ian speaks to the amazing Jo Brassington who talks about Bottled Book and how speaking about our feelings is so important for the mental health of our young people.

Jo (they/them) is a trans, non-binary former primary school teacher, who now supports schools, universities, charities and businesses to create more LGBTQ+ inclusive space, with greater awareness of trans identities. Jo is the co-founder of Pride & Progress: a podcast, platform, and community group who supports and amplifies the voices of LGBTQ+ educators, and explores ways to make educational spaces more inclusive. They have recently published their second book - Pride & Progress: Making Schools LGBT+ Inclusive Spaces.

In this episode Ian talks to Andrew Lowery about the importance of teaching grammar, and how the website 'Rollama' can help students rehearse their grammar skills.

Andrew taught Secondary English and then KS2 for 15 years in England, Malaysia and China. In 2021, his school in Shanghai was facing some challenges with EAL, so he wanted to make English SPAG more fun for his students to practise. Andrew and his wife Beth, who makes the artwork, started building a website of mini-games. It has grown into Rollama, which launched in August 2022, and is growing in popularity, especially in UK primary schools. He now runs the business full-time.

In this episode, Ian is joined by George White, a trans catholic teacher who shares his experience growing up and transitioning during his time as a teacher.

About George: I am a Catholic & transgender teacher of Religious Education. I completed a PGCE in Secondary Religious Studies at the University of Cambridge in 2016/17. I am currently a Teacher of Religious Education & Diversity and Inclusion Lead at St Paul’s Catholic School, Leicester. Prior to my PGCE, I spent 4 years in higher education at the University of London (Heythrop College and King's College London) studying Philosophy, Theology and Ethics. I am particularly interested in conversations between Catholic organisations and LGBT communities and I lead on this work with the various organisations including NEU, Million Minutes, Quest, Diverse Educators, ASCL, NAHT, Just Like Us, Christian Brothers Network and more. I have appeared on BBC Radio Leicester, BBC radio 4 & GB News to discuss the importance of LGBT+ inclusion in Catholic Schools.