Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast)

Lee and Adam are back for Episode 264, Season 10 Episode 7, with the October half term getting ever closer and the next run of the Let That Be A Lesson live tour just around the corner. After a quick update on the upcoming shows, the pair catch up on what's been happening over the past week, including Adam's birthday celebrations and a memorable trip to London. The conversation turns to birthdays,...

Lee and Adam are back for Episode 263, Season 10 Episode 6, and this week they have finally made it to a professional space. The pair are recording in the Manchester Podcast Studio courtesy of the team at TeachMate, taking in the proper setup after eight years of podcasting. With the Let That Be A Lesson tour's October run getting ever closer, excitement is also building for the upcoming live show...

Lee and Adam are back for Episode 262, Season 10 Episode 5, and this week they're recording virtually for the first time this series. Lee checks in from a Premier Inn in Grimsby, there's a look back at the podcast's lockdown recording days, and the pair give an update on the upcoming Let That Be A Lesson live shows as the October run gets ever closer. The nostalgia levels are high this week as Lee...

Lee and Adam are back for Episode 261, Season 10 Episode 4, as the countdown to the October half term and the next run of live shows continues. After a quick tour update, they get straight into this week's blind ranking as Adam attempts to rank some of the nation's favourite crisp brands without knowing what's coming next. The conversation then takes an unexpected turn into food, health and some o...

Lee and Adam are back for Episode 260, Season 10 Episode 3, with another hour of teacher stories, questionable conversations and absolute chaos. They kick things off with a reminder about the next leg of the Let That Be A Lesson live tour before discussing why teenagers seem to find absolutely everything cringe and whether growing up in a world where every embarrassing moment can be filmed has mad...

We sit down with the director of Bad Apples, the dark comedy starring Saoirse Ronan, to talk classroom chaos, good intentions and some very bad decisions. From working with Saoirse and a lively cast of young actors to Ofsted pressures and the vital role of support staff, they explore the real school experiences behind the film’s outrageous premise, and ask what it would take to make education work...

Lee and Adam are back for Episode 259, Season 10 Episode 2, as everyone settles into the first full week of the new academic year. They kick things off by reflecting on their special screening of Bad Apples in Manchester, where more than 70 teachers and school staff joined them for the film, popcorn and a post screening Q&A. Lee also shares his rather surreal trip to Twickenham, where he found him...

Season 10 is here! Lee and Adam are back for Episode 258 with a special back to school episode, recorded for the first time from Podcast Studios Manchester - podcaststudiomanchester.uk. After catching up on their summers, the pair are ready to help everyone face the start of another school year with plenty of laughs, questionable stories and the usual teacher chaos. First up, Lee and Adam discover...

This week, Lee and Adam are joined by Charlie Burley, better known as the Teachers Health Coach, for an honest and practical conversation about teacher wellbeing, burnout and what schools can do to better support their staff. Charlie shares the personal story that led him from primary teaching into coaching, following his own experience of chronic stress, anxiety and a panic attack in the classroo...

*This week, Lee and Adam are joined by Dave Robertson MP, a former physics teacher, trade union activist and now Member of Parliament. Dave shares his journey from the classroom to Westminster, explaining how a career in teaching, followed by years supporting teachers through the union movement, ultimately led him into politics and why he believes more teachers should have a voice in Parliament.*...

*This week, Lee and Adam are joined by Greg Jenner, public historian, bestselling author and creator of the hit podcast *You're Dead to Me. Greg reflects on his fascinating career, from working behind the scenes on Horrible Histories to becoming one of the UK's best known history communicators, sharing why humour is often the key to helping people genuinely fall in love with history.** *The trio e...

*This week, Lee and Adam are joined by Zoe Kalar, founder of We Are 8, for a fascinating conversation about the future of social media and why she believes the internet can be redesigned to put people before profit. Zoe explains the vision behind the platform, why she spent a decade building it, and how its unique model aims to inspire people to spend less time scrolling and more time living.* *Th...

*This week, Lee is joined by Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, for a wide ranging and honest conversation about the biggest challenges facing education today.* They discuss why every teacher and support staff member should be in a union, the benefits that go far beyond workplace protection, and Daniel shares his own journey from primary teacher and PRU maths teacher...

This week, the lads wrap up the final full episode of the school year by reflecting on another academic year in education, thanking listeners for their support and debating the annual calls to shorten the six week summer holidays. They discuss why children and staff desperately need the break, the pressures on working parents and why better holiday provision, rather than less time off, is the real...

n this special episode, Mr P sits down with the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson. A few weeks ago I asked you one simple question: if you could ask the Education Secretary anything, what would it be? Over 1000 of you replied. Teachers, TAs, SENCOs, SEND parents, school leaders, the response was overwhelming. So I took your most liked questions directly to Bridget Phillipson. Fr...

This week, the lads are counting down the final days until the summer holidays, with another hot week in school and England's World Cup semi final dominating absolutely everything. Adam admits the tournament has been the perfect distraction from a difficult few months at home, while both share their hopes, nerves and excitement ahead of England's biggest match in years. The conversation also turns...

This week, the lads return still battling the heat as another sweltering week hits schools across the country. The episode features a fascinating behind the scenes look at Lee's visit to the Department for Education, where he took four pupils to Westminster and the DfE for a day they'll never forget. From private tours of the Houses of Parliament to interviewing the Education Secretary and seeing...

This week, the lads look back on one of the hottest teaching weeks in recent memory and the media backlash that followed as schools across the country battled impossible classroom temperatures. Lee shares his frustration with the criticism aimed at teachers, discusses why schools are constantly expected to solve society's problems and explains why the real conversation should be about supporting w...

LO: To wonder how anyone is supposed to teach in this weather! This week, the lads are recording in the middle of a sweltering heatwave and wondering how on earth anyone is expected to teach thirty children in classrooms that feel more like greenhouses. With temperatures soaring, an England World Cup campaign underway and the ever-present threat of an Ofsted call, it's a survival guide for teacher...

This week, the lads are back with a big chat about the proposed under-16 social media ban and whether it actually solves the problem or just shifts it somewhere else. Lee and Adam talk through phones, attention spans, online safety, loneliness, youth clubs, boredom and why children need better alternatives than just being told to “go outside” like it’s 1998 and Snake on a Nokia is the height of en...

This week, the lads are back after half term and counting down the final few weeks until the summer holidays. Adam opens up about leaving his latest role and finding himself in that strange in-between stage of weighing up new opportunities, signing up for supply work and figuring out what comes next. Two new features this week. First - THE BIG QUESTION from a listener focuses around the Department...

This week’s special guest is the brilliant Richard Coles, joining the lads for a wide-ranging chat that somehow manages to cover children’s books, pop stardom, religion, reality TV, school life, funeral disasters and losing a speedboat in Ibiza. Richard talks about releasing his very first children’s book - https://amzn.to/3S51Q6j after already writing more than a dozen books for adults. He explai...

Back for episode 250 and it’s the last one of the half term. SATs are finally done, but before anyone starts skipping into summer like they’re in a feel-good montage, the lads quickly remind everyone that the final half term is anything but calm. Reports, sports days, transitions, residentials, productions and the emotional roulette of finding out next year’s class all get a mention. Lovely. Peace...

Back for episode 249 and the lads kick things off right in the middle of SATs week, with the usual frustrations around testing, pressure and the yearly debate over whether SATs are helpful, pointless, stressful or all three at once. There’s also some pre-show nerves creeping in ahead of the biggest live podcast show they’ve ever done at The Lowry, with family, friends, colleagues and even headteac...

Back for episode 248 and it kicks off with the realities of the summer term: SATs, GCSEs, mocks, revision timetables and that slightly terrifying moment when you realise your children are suddenly much older than your brain has agreed to process. The opening chat turns into a proper reflection on parenting, growing up and those little moments that make you realise time is absolutely flying. There’...