Education Matters

Hannah Wilson and Lucy Neuburger turn the spotlight on “the quiet ones” - introverted pupils and teachers who often go unnoticed in noisy classrooms and louder staffrooms. With their usual warmth and wit, the duo explore why quietness is misunderstood, how schools can nurture introverted learners and what silence can teach us about connection, creativity and care. 🤫 The Power of Quiet Hannah reca...

John sits down with Caroline Derbyshire , one of the most respected figures in UK education, for a conversation that explores her thirty-six years in teaching and leadership. Caroline offers open and deeply thoughtful reflections on what it means to lead, teach and care in a profession that’s often stretched to its limits. Caroline’s insights draw on a lifetime of experience in classrooms and staf...

Hannah and Lucy explore various global education systems, focusing on Finland, South Korea, Singapore and Estonia. They discuss the importance of wellbeing in education, the pressures of academic excellence and the need for creativity and digital literacy in modern curricula. The conversation highlights the challenges faced by the UK education system and emphasises the necessity for reform that pr...

This week, Hannah Wilson and Lucy Neuberger tackle one of the biggest issues in education, the myth of teacher wellbeing. In classic fashion they ask why wellbeing in schools so often misses the mark and what real care for staff should look like. 🌟 Lighting Up & Lifting Off Hannah has a new ring light. Lucy gets a “Croydon facelift”. Then there’s tales of CrossFit mishaps. Yet amid the laughs...

John Gibbs, Lucy Newburger and Paul Hazzard consider how education can reconnect those who have switched off, what learning means in closed settings such as prisons and how artificial intelligence is reshaping professional judgement in schools. Many teachers describe a growing sense that some pupils no longer see the point of learning. John talks about the loss of motivation he sees among students...

𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻-𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁: 📕 How earlier puberty is affecting pupils 📗 17 thinking routines to guide learning 📘 What if detentions became walks? Takeaways 📕 Early onset puberty is affecting pupil behaviour significantly. 📕 Teachers often feel unprepared to address the challenges posed by early puberty. 📕 Societal views on childhood can impact children's emotional and academi...

Hannah Wilson and Lucy Neuburger return with humour, honesty, and big ideas. This episode imagines what education could look like if teachers ran the system – from the perfect Education Secretary to rebuilding trust, creativity, and sanity in schools. Teacher Rest & Recharging Hannah’s post-Ibiza glow sparks talk of real rest. The pair joke about “teacher retreats” where everything is organise...

This week’s Teaching Matters explores three pressing stories shaping education right now. Paul Hazzard hosts alongside Dr Shauna McGill, Lucy Neuberger and John Gibbs. 1. Imposter Syndrome in Teaching The panel begins with Mark Roberts’ TES article highlighting how 62% of teachers report experiencing imposter syndrome. Its effects, loss of confidence, reduced motivation and even attrition, exert s...

Paul Hazzard is joined by Dr Rachael Jefferson , Dr Shauna McGill and John Gibbs for a rich conversation about: – How teachers handle controversial classroom issues – The debate around teacher educators and the “science of learning” – What makes a great teacher, inspired by John Tomsett’s research And, as always, Banana Time. Handling Controversial Topics Prompted by Thomas Michael’s TES article (...

John and Paul discuss three pressing education stories: pupil unhappiness in secondary schools, the dominance of privately educated elites in UK leadership and the growing crisis of primary school budget deficits. Pupil Unhappiness in Secondary Schools Parentkind research shows unhappiness doubles at secondary level.• The Transition Shock: Paul and John recalled their own move from nurturing prima...

🌟 The Scene The focus for Hannah and Lucy this week is the mysteries of directed time calendars - something many teachers have never even seen. 🕒 What Is Directed Time? • Teachers in England can only be directed for 1,265 hours per year across 195 days. • This is a legal limit, not a target. • Directed time should cover: teaching, meetings, registration, duties, inset days, parents’ evenings and...

🌍 Knowing Pupils’ Real Needs Do schools really understand the lives of their pupils? Research shows many schools don’t know if pupils are in unsuitable housing, have a parent in prison or face other major challenges. 🔸 Lucy noted that much depends on what parents share, but weaker home-school links post-Covid make this harder. 🔸 John stressed teachers often discover hidden truths only when pupi...

“Sport is NOT a luxury.” The perceived impact of the cost of living crisis on sport and physical activity opportunities for children and adolescents in Northern Ireland (NI): A cross sectional survey Dr Maria O'Kane & Dr Angela Carlin, from Ulster University, talk to Education Matters about the cost of living's impact on children's ability to play sport and the consequences that ar...

In this reflective episode Hannah and Lucy mark World Suicide Prevention Day with a conversation many might avoid, yet one that’s urgently needed across schools, colleges and universities. This episode explores:The unspoken pressures that teachers and lecturers face around mental healthHow institutional policies can silence or flatten real conversations about distressThe difference between safegua...

This week’s episode features John Gibbs and Lucy Neuberger alongside host Paul Hazzard. The panel takes on three education stories:1. A retiring teacher’s heartfelt “love letter to teaching”.2. The growing school refusal crisis.3. A teacher who spent $2,000 decorating her classroom. ❤️ A Love Letter to TeachingThe first story centres on Caroline Derbyshire, who retired after 36 years and wrote a r...

Hannah and Lucy return with their trademark mix of humour, honesty and sharp reflection. This week’s episode tackles:• The ASICS campaign for girls’ school sportswear 👟• The good, bad and ugly of Inset days 🗂• Why icebreakers should be binned ❌• Staff camaraderie, wellbeing and what really matters in teaching 💙 👟 Rethinking Uniforms: Comfort and ConfidenceThe episode opens with praise for ASIC...

The Ant and Dec of Education Are Back! In this episode, Hannah and Lucy explore two hot-button topics:⏰ Later school start times for teenagers📆 Four-day teaching weeks ⏰ Later School Starts for TeenagersThe debate begins with whether schools should shift to a later start time.🌙 The case for later starts• Teenagers’ body clocks naturally shift, making early mornings tough.• Research suggests la...

Rustout is the hidden twin of burnout, hitting lecturers, academics and teachers, when work is busy but meaning and challenge are missing. In this episode, host Paul speaks with Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons (DCU) about her new research, along with Dr David Smith (RGU), into rustout, its impact on teacher educators and universities and what leaders can do to tackle it. The study of 154 participants showed...

Room 101 - What We’d Banish from Teaching From minor irritations to major frustrations, Hannah and Lucy, the Ant and Dec of the Education World, chat about the serious and the ridiculous. No topic is too niche or too well-trodden. Whether it's forced fun, motivational mug culture or the tyranny of laminated displays, nothing is off-limits. But these aren’t just throwaway complaints. Each “bani...

What the Lionesses Teach Us About Teaching, Reflection, Resilience and Real Change Hannah and Lucy turn their attention to the Lionesses, England’s fabulous women’s football team, fresh from their historic victory at the 2025 European Championships. But this isn’t a chat about sport. It’s a conversation about what everyone in education can learn from a team that’s rewritten the story on leadership...

The Hannah & Lucy Show | Summer Survival, Teacher Burnout and What Actually Matters As the school year draws to a close, many educators are running on empty. In this episode of The Hannah & Lucy Show , Hannah and Lucy talk candidly about what it means to actually rest over summer - not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too. This isn’t another “how to be productive during the ho...

👩‍🏫💬 Single-Sex Schools, Safeguarding & Safe Spaces This week, Hannah and Lucy are back after whirlwind weeks of OCR championships, youth conferences and one very public stumble on stage. But it’s not all travel tales and heatwave woes, today’s conversation tackles one of the more controversial issues in education: should boys and girls be taught separately? Prompted by a recent Ofsted ruli...

Summary Paul and Shaniqua take on three big questions that educators face: 🔍 What is practitioner inquiry and does it actually work in schools? We hear how teachers might use research to improve their practice, but also the reality: time pressures, accountability, and the challenge of making local findings matter more widely. Shaniqua shares how partnerships with universities could make the proce...

Teaching Matters host Paul Hazzard , is joined by John Gibbs on today's show. First, they examine the importance of spatial skills in learning, drawing on new research that highlights how these abilities underpin everyday tasks and academic success across subjects like maths. Source article: How to boost children’s spatial skills - and their maths performance https://shorturl.at/FV75u Further...

Getting Through the Summer Term Hannah and Lucy tackle the chaos of the summer term with humour, honesty and practical ideas. From outdoor lessons to sponge dodgeball, teacher burnout to report hacks, they share stories and strategies to help you survive (and maybe even enjoy) the final stretch. 🧷Staff Room 101 – What Would You Ban? This recurring feature hits its stride here. Between the two of...