Frank and Stan Chats

This week, it is just Frank and Stan chatting for a change. No guest! It is like old times. We consider some recent research into the teaching of mathematics produced by the Nottingham University School of Mathematics Education. It suggests that many pupils feel the curriculum is progressing too quickly. This includes around 10% of the higher attainers! No wonder we are continuing to have many adu...

One of the major benefits of attending national conferences is that you often meet inspiring colleagues. When Frank attended an Association of Education Advisers conference in Manchester he had no idea he would end up chatting with Emily a Headteacher of a small independent alternative provision. The discussion focused on values, principles and aspiration and was fascinating in terms of how her ca...

With Stan unavailable this week, it is left to Frank to manage proceedings. The chat is fortunate to be connected with some amazing guests, and this week we welcome back Andy Buck, author, speaker, former headteacher, director at National College and Trust Managing Director. He is also the founder of Leadership Matters, BASIC 4 Schools and Cadogan Press. I'm always left wondering what I did wi...

Dave McPartlin is the Headteacher of Flakefleet Primary School in Fleetwood. He is an extraordinary colleague who has driven improvements at his school for the benefit of his pupils, but also for the local community. We last visited the school in November 2023, when he was just about to open a community cafe. We were delighted to walk around the school, chat with staff and pupils and finish off th...

No guest has appeared three times in a year on the Frank and Stan Chat. Dame Kathy August is the exception. She has worked for over forty years in the public sector (Education) with three Headships and Director posts in LEAs. She was Principal of one of the first city Academies in Moss Side, Manchester, which opened in 2003 and became outstanding in 2008/09. Following this, she was Deputy Chief Ex...

The second Live Edition of the Frank and Stan Chat took place at Lacey Green Primary School in Wilmslow last week. We were a tad nervous about the technology but it all worked well. We asked delegates to submit questions in advance, but neither of us had sight of them. We randomly selected them and asked the author of the question if they fancied joining us. Some chose to. The discussion was fasci...

In February, Mel McMorrow was a guest on the chat. She had just published an amazing book called 'You've got me today!'. It draws on her extensive experience working in some of the most challenging secondary schools in the North West. We were keen to invite her back and were a little surprised when she informed us that she would like Sarah Highfield to join as well. Frank has seen thei...

This week, the Frank and Stan Chat is delighted to have Mark Phillips, a former HMI with expertise in music education, rejoin us after a highly enjoyable and well received guest appearance last year. Stan gets things moving by reflecting on the recent ITV documentary 7Up. He considers how many significant life changes and developments take place between the ages of 7 and 21 and how they play out i...

Frank has known Mick for close on 20 years and had been keen to invite him to be a guest on the chat. He's a major figure in education, bringing a wealth of varied experience aligned with a strong academic background. His collaboration with Tim Brighouse, 'About our schools; Improving on previous best' is a seminal book. In this chat he doesn't disappoint. Stan opens the conversation, considering...

The Frank and Stan Chat which covers Education and Leadership issues, is back for its seventh academic year. Who said it wouldn't last? Frank and Stan Chat feel privileged to have Dennis Sherwood as a guest. His career includes reading physics at Clare College, Cambridge, followed by an MPhil at the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, and a PhD in biology at the...

Frank and Stan reflect on some recent announcements by the new Prime Minister and the new Secretary of State for Education on vocational and technical education. We then get into the main part of this mid-summer break chat with Dame Kathy August and Tom Clark CBE. Over the past 20 years, education has undergone significant changes. The movement from maintained schools run by local authorities to a...

The joy of our weekly chats lies in the contributions made by our amazing guests. This week is no exception as we are joined by a former HMI, Mathematics subject lead and specialist adviser, Steve Wren. Steve has been keeping a keen eye on Ofsted's new inspection framework and has shared his insights on social media. Today he focuses on the problems around attendance and behaviour. Stan gets thing...

The SPOTLIGHT editions of the Frank and Stan Chat provide us with a chance to meet colleagues with one topic of conversation. The 30th edition is with Sian Hampton and Alice Gregson. They have created a System Leadership programme that is focused on a range of partners delivering services for children and families. It brings educators together with those from health, social care, housing and other...

It is always a joy to have John Malynn back as a guest on the chat. He is the only senior civil servant we know of to lead on accountability for the DfE, including its relationship with Ofsted, and also be invited to join the inspectorate as a key policy adviser. A rather unique set of experiences. With so much happening in politics this week we focus on the important work of the Education Select...

It was a pleasure to welcome Jill Munday to the Frank and Stan Chat. Jill has had a varied and interesting career and met Frank when they were Assistant Divisional Managers working on local authority inspections with Ofsted. Since retiring Jill has been a passionate supporter of The Malagiri School in Nepal. This Spotlight chat covers how she got involved, how she currently supports their work and...

Part 2 of the chat due to a power cut during the recording. Stan is away this week so Frank had the chance to chat with Dave Smith, a former colleague in the Coop Group Press and Media team, someone Frank worked with frequently when he was the CEO of the Coop Academies Trust. Our relaxed chat covers how best to use the media, including social media, for the benefit of the school and how it is real...

Part 1 due to a power cut during the recording: Part 2 follows. Stan is away this week so Frank had the chance to chat with Dave Smith, a former colleague in the Coop Group Press and Media team, someone Frank worked with frequently when he was the CEO of the Coop Academies Trust. Our relaxed chat covers how best to use the media, including social media, for the benefit of the school and how it is...

Both of us look forward to Aelwyn's annual visit to the Frank and Stan Chat. Always well prepared, challenging and at times controversial Aelwyn is, as my wife says, a proper HMI. After over 20 years of working for Ofsted in various roles, he retired a few years ago, but he remains committed to his desire for all children and young people to succeed. Stan gets things rolling as he considers a coup...

Frank began working with Alice when she invited him to be the co-leader of a leadership programme with her for Forum Strategy. They struck it off straight away and enjoyed a few years collaborating and sharing connections to improve the impact of their leadership work. Alice is driven by a desire to share and listen to others and her relaxed approach comes across very strongly in this week’s chat....

An absolute privilege to be joined by Malcolm Greenhalgh, a former Primary school teacher who went on to lead one of England's largest independent inspection companies contracted to Ofsted and is now leading Incyte, a school improvement consultancy. Malcolm provided us with a helpful steer on what he was going to discuss and Ive copied it here. Inclusive Flexibility Like most I chat to about famil...

It is a privilege to have the chance to chat colleagues who have had impressive careers and are now making a difference through their support for others on their leadership journey. Today, we chatted to Glyn Potts, a former Headteacher who has been a guest while a headteacher on our weekly chat. He was joined by Neil Jurd, the former military senior officer and author of The Leadership Book and a...

This is a special edition of the Frank and Stan Chat SPOTLIGHT edition because we are joined by someone who we have both worked with. Joshua Mangas is a senior education and governance leader with over 15 years' experience across schools, training providers, and public sector partnerships. He currently leads governance development and strategy for over 500 schools across Lancashire at Lancashire C...

It's quite rare for a guest to have to drop out of a planned visit to the Frank and Stan Chat but that happened recently so we used the World Wide Web to ask for volunteers. We’re pleased to report that a few people responded. We were then presented with a problem. How do you select which one? We decided to choose the first person who'd replied and that was Joe Pardoe. Joe has a fascinating back s...

Our guests this week are Alan Braven and Anthony Benedict. Anthony is CEO of Ambition Community Trust and Executive Head Teacher of Tameside Pupil Referral Service, with 27 years of experience in education. Alan is a recently retired Executive Headteacher of Endeavour Federation, which provides specialist SEMH (Social, Emotional, and Mental Health) provision in Manchester. They are co-authors of t...

In May 2025, Frank met Ellen Mukwewa at a conference, and they followed this up with a virtual chat or two. During one the chats Ellen explained that she and her good friend Michelle Baker had created a new organisation bringing together those involved in the non-association independent school sector. As this was an issue the Frank and Stan Chat had not covered on a regular basis it seemed a good...