Education Matters

This week Hannah & Lucy explore the human side of the classroom, the joy of the school holidays and the profound impact of early childhood nurture on lifelong brain development. Teaching is a demanding profession that frequently takes a toll on health and personal lives. Hannah shares her recent battle with tonsillitis and the realities of maintaining business as usual when you are a single mu...

What happens to a school's best ideas when its top teachers walk out the door? This week on Teaching Matters, host Paul Hazzard and his dazzling, sharp-witted panel, the discerning Dr Shauna McGill and the wise John Gibbs , tackle one of the biggest headaches plaguing modern education, staff turnover and the loss of institutional memory. Inspired by David Tuck ’s provocative article in the TES...

Double-jobbing as hosts and panellists Paul and John battle tech demons to explore Online abuse of teachers a ‘growing professional risk’, finds SSTA The Lingering ‘Learning Styles’ Myth Girls are falling behind boys in AI confidence A shocking new survey highlights the dramatic rise of digital abuse targeting school staff, ranging from fake online profiles to malicious deepfakes. Most schools rem...

Freedom of speech. Three words that can empty a staffroom, derail a GCSE lesson and, apparently, start a national news story. Hannah and Lucy wade into one of the most contested questions in education right now: what does free speech actually mean in a classroom, who gets to define it and why has a GCSE Citizenship textbook ended up making headlines in the press? A Pearson Edexcel revision guide,...

What does it actually take to protect children's wellbeing in a world where smartphones reach primary school age? Rachel Harper , principal of St. Patrick's National School in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, has spent three years finding out. The answer it turns out is simpler and more effective, than expected. Rachel tells the story behind It Takes a Village, a community initiative that began as...

What does a school leader actually learn from a five-minute classroom drop-in? Should canteens be doing more to feed children well and are 45% of parents really more stressed about GCSEs than their own kids? This week on Teaching Matters , host Paul Hazzard is joined by the experienced and forthright John Gibbs and Dr Shauna McGill for a wide-ranging conversation that covers school leadership, foo...

Hannah & Lucy bring their experience to a pressing questions facing schools today: what does it actually mean to teach morals, values and self-discipline to young people in 2026, and who is really responsible for doing so? As usual it’s a candid look back at how things have been since the last show. Hannah shares a striking story from teaching a group of Yr10s who refused to wait for an escort...

An in-depth conversation between three experienced professionals, Sam , John and Paul , that explores the complex nature of discipline and behaviour in schools, emphasising the importance of relationships, understanding individual needs and fostering self-discipline among students. Sam , John and Paul share insights on behaviour management, the role of love and respect and practical strategies for...

Join Lucy and Hannah as they catch up on recent adventures, chat about their upcoming trip to Vegas and delve into the serious topic of teachers losing their jobs due to misconduct. This episode balances lighthearted travel stories with a critical look at accountability and integrity in the teaching profession. The show explores accountability in education and safeguarding protocols. Chapters 00:0...

Join us as ⁠ Joanna Povall , principal of ‏Wales International School⁠, shares her journey from Manchester to the UAE, her leadership philosophy centered on kindness and practical strategies for fostering a compassionate school culture. Discover how her 'CHASE' framework and authentic modelling of kindness are transforming her school environment and her book is 'taking the world by kin...

In this week's episode John, Shauna and Paul explore the influence of social media influencers on students, the role of humour in teaching and how schools can better align with students' life goals. Our experts discuss strategies for addressing contentious issues, the importance of relationship-building and the impact of school culture. Key Topics Influence of social media influencers on s...

John Gibbs talks to actor and teacher David Houston. https://dramaimpact.com/actor/

📌What happens when schools are asked to do more … with less? 📌And what happens when trust between schools and society begins to fray? In this sharp, thought-provoking episode of Education Matters, host Paul Hazzard is joined by the ever-insightful John Gibbs for a wide-ranging and deeply reflective conversation on some of the most pressing issues facing education today. From sixth-form funding p...

What does it really feel like to lead a school through inspection? Anne Anderson, principal of New-Bridge Integrated College, in Loughbrickland, tells Paul all about it in this episode of Education Matters. Together they explore leadership under pressure, the evolving inspection landscape and the reality behind the headlines. Anne, Principal of Newbridge Integrated College in Northern Ireland, bri...

Paul Hazzard is joined by Dr Shauna McGill and John Gibbs for a sharp and thoughtful discussion across bold issues in education: What if... setting by ability was banned in schools? https://www.tes.com/magazine/leadership/tips-techniques/what-if-setting-ability-was-banned-schools Enrichment is a vital ingredient that gives school its full flavour https://schoolsweek.co.uk/enrichment-is-a-vital-ing...

Join Dr. Shauna McGill in a profound conversation with educator and author Dr. Richard Bustin as they dismantle the traditional "content-delivery" model of education. Drawing on Richard’s book, What Are We Teaching? Powerful Knowledge and a Capabilities Curriculum, this episode moves beyond the "knowledge vs. skills" binary to ask a more urgent question: How can what we teach t...

Education is changing quickly. Childhood looks different. Reading habits are shifting and even the structure of GCSE mathematics is under debate. Paul Hazzard is joined by education experts John Gibbs and Shane Leaning for a wide-ranging discussion about resilience, literacy and curriculum reform, and what these changes mean for teachers, schools and learners. A familiar question starts the conver...

Join Lucy and Hannah freshly back from their trip to Dublin. Share in their adventures. But remember much that happened in Dublin is staying in Dublin ... till next time. Beyond that they explore the importance of media literacy, empathy and open conversations in education. Tonight specifically they look at how we teach children in times of world crises. 🔸 The importance of media literacy and mis...

In this week's Teaching Matters, panellists, Dr Shauna McGill , Lucy Neuburger , John Gibbs and host, Paul Hazzard explore the English language proficiency of Swedish young people, the implications of zero tolerance policies in schools and the declining appeal of the teaching profession. The panel discusses cultural perceptions of language learning, the mental health impacts of punitive school...

𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘺 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. https://education-matters.org/ 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 | 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 | 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵. Follow us, we're worth it: 🔗 Website 🔗 Spotify 🔗 Instagram 🔗 Bluesky 🔗 X (Twitter) #Shorts #...

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖𝙝 & 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬 - 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙮 & 𝙒𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 | 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 | 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 is a digital platform that brings outstanding people, practice and ideas to a global audience. https://education-matters.org/ We offer thoughtful company for curious minds, igniting the courage to think and the power to change. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳...

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖𝙝 & 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬 - 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙮 & 𝙒𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 | 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 | 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 https://education-matters.org/ 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 is a digital platform that brings outstanding people, practice and ideas to a global audience. We offer thoughtful company for curious minds, igniting the courage to think and the power to change. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳...

Hannah and Lucy are surviving not thriving as half term creeps closer and the rain refuses to stop. Between carnival costumes, classroom glue and a few dodgy dance moves they ask a big question. Is TikTok a help or a hindrance when we talk about learning. They weigh up what short clips can do well such as quick recall and catchy hooks that stick before an exam. They also push back on the idea that...

Teaching Matters ' host Paul Hazzard is joined by panellists Lucy Neburger and John Gibbs to explore the multifaceted nature of learning, the unfairnesses in maternity leave in the teaching profession and the decline of singing in school assemblies. The discussion begins with an exploration of the meaning of learning, emphasising that it encompasses much more than just test results. John artic...

Paul , Shauna and John explore the integration of AI in education, focusing on its role in safeguarding, the balance between human interaction and AI, and the implications of personalised AI for youth. The discussion also addresses the reliability of exam marking, the importance of early intervention, and the impact of class sizes on learning. The panel emphasises the need for transparency in educ...