MET Pod

In the first episode of the new series of MET POD, host Chloe Bateman sits down with Jon Peck, CEO of Maiden Erlegh Trust, for an honest conversation about leadership, change, and steering a growing multi-academy trust through uncertain times. Jon shares his unorthodox path to the top, from accountant to CEO, and reflects on what it really means to lead: operating in the "grey", surround...

Join host, Chloe Bateman, Associate Senior Leader at Maiden Erlegh School, and our guest, Vicky Boatman, Executive Assistant to the CEO, for our brand new episode of MET Pod! Vicky discusses all things project management, sharing her key principles for managing a project effectively from conception to completion, whilst providing practical advice and tips for how to stay organised, lead team membe...

Welcome back to another episode of MET Pod! Join host, Chloe Bateman, Associate Senior Leader at Maiden Erlegh School, and our guest, Jon Peck, CEO of Maiden Erlegh Trust, for this month's episode! The growth of academisation, multil-academy trusts, and devolution have contributed to a rapidly changing educational landscape over the last 13 years - one which generates new challenges and opportunit...

Welcome back to another episode of MET Pod! Join host, Chloe Bateman, and Nicola Reynolds, Teacher of French and German at Maiden Erlegh School, for this month's episode! Nicola discusses the importance of mentoring in developing new teachers and explores a range of scenarios to share her top tips and advice for mentors old and new. As an award-winning mentor herself, Nicola's practical strategies...

MET Pod is back for its fourth season! Join host, Chloe Bateman, and Josh Whorriskey, Head of Drama at Maiden Erlegh School, for this month's episode! Josh discusses the increasing importance of cultural capital in education and in closing the attainment gap, whilst proposing a powerful vision for its role in the holistic development of the students within our care. With a blend of theory and...

Join Chloe Bateman and Isobel Pravda, current Assistant Head at Reading Girls School and former Head of Drama at Maiden Erlegh School, for this month's episode! Isobel provides a comprehensive and engaging insight into the practice of instructional coaching and how this can be used to support professional learning and development at all levels of an organisation. Isobel's passion for instr...

Join Chloe Bateman and Rob Buck, Director of Maiden Erlegh Institute and Trust Professional Learning, for this month's episode! Rob outlines the invaluable role Maiden Erlegh Institute (MEI) plays in supporting the development of our growing Trust and shares the evolution of MEI to date. Rob discusses the inspiring and comprehensive range of professional learning opportunities on offer to Trust co...

Join Andy Johnson, Executive Director of Education, and Gill Albone, Lead Teacher at the Cranbury College Hospital Teaching Service, for this month's episode! Gill shares the invaluable work of this team who tirelessly support children of all ages admitted to the Dolphin and Lion wards of the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Gill discusses their bespoke 1:1 teaching, personalised curriculums, and how the...

This month we are discussing how to get the most out of action research with Steph Hyde, Assistant Head of KS3 and Teacher of Drama & English Literature at Kendrick School in Reading. Steph not only shares the findings of her recent action research project investigating students' social media usage and how schools should respond to this, but an array of advice and guidance for those interested...

Join us as we chat all things metacognition with Maitrayee Bhattacharjee, Teacher of Science and ECT Mentor at Maiden Erlegh School! Maitrayee shares the science behind metacognition and why it is deserves to be part of every classroom, whilst discussing her inspiring action research project into how metacognition can be used to equip students with the skills to think about challenges they face in...

MET Pod is back! In our first episode of the 2022-23 season, we chat with Caroline Brayle, Head of French at Maiden Erlegh School, about supporting the 'quiet student' to succeed and thrive in our settings.  In education, our careers, and our personal lives we are often encouraged to 'speak up!' and share our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with peers. Communication is key! But what happens whe...

This month we bring you a very special episode of MET Pod as we discuss the joys of leadership with our CEO, Mary Davies. Mary reflects on her fascinating and varied journey into leadership at the highest level and shares advice and guidance which will resonate not only with current leaders, but those who aspire to be leaders in the future. This episode is a truly inspiring look at what makes educ...

In this month's episode of MET Pod, we discuss the challenges and pressures of headship with Paul Gibson, Headteacher at Maiden Erlegh School. Paul shares his inspiring journey and career path to headship and provides a candid insight into the unique pressures which make this role so challenging. The episode features a range of invaluable strategies to effectively manage the demands of the positio...

In this month's episode of MET Pod, Sara Elliss, Director of Standards and Continuous Improvement across the Trust, is joined by Jo Ricketts, Trust Compliance and Procurement Manager and former Business Manager at Hamilton School. Jo shares the extraordinary journey that was the designing, managing, and realising of a brand new school site and building for Hamilton School, our SEMH Special School....

This month we joined by Head of Religion and Philosophy at Maiden Erlegh School, Sian Jones! In this invaluable and inspirational episode, Sian draws on her wealth of experience as Head of a department which has historically included multiple teachers with subject specialisms outside of Religion and Philosophy to share her top tips and strategies for effective leadership and management. Sian's une...

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Sara Elliss, Director of Standards and Continuous Improvement across the Trust, is joined by Luke Baker, Special Educational Needs and Vulnerable Groups Manager at Cranbury College, to discuss how we can create the conditions for our most vulnerable students to thrive in the school environment. Luke draws on his wealth of experience to share how staff at Cranbury...

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Leah Shepherd, History Teacher at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge, reflects on life as a new teacher and offers a range of invaluable tips and tricks to help you thrive - not just survive - in your first years in the profession! Join us to hear Leah's advice on everything from managing behaviour to achieving a healthy work-life balance...

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Laura Ashton, Geography Teacher at Maiden Erlegh School, explores the possibilities of using gesture and movement in the classroom. Laura shares the fruits of her wide-ranging research into how gesture and movement can aid students' cognition, understanding of abstract concepts, and improve recall and mastery of topics within a spiral curriculum.  To find ou...

Season 2 of MET Pod kicks off with Matt Bell, Teacher of Music at Maiden Erlegh School! Join Matt and our host, Rob Buck, to discover the potential of introducing music technology software into the Music curriculum and embracing the diverse opportunities it can offer our students. Don't miss Matt's invaluable advice and guidance on securing funding for software, integrating music technology into t...

Join Charlotte Ajowole, Key Stage 2 Phase Leader at Great Hollands Primary School, for an insight into how Great Hollands have transformed their Science curriculum to create a rigorous and inspiring learning journey for students right from the moment they enter the school. In this discussion with our CEO, Mary Davies, Charlotte reflects on the importance of using scientific enquiries, creating cro...

In this episode our CEO, Mary Davies, is joined by Nicky Watson, Assistant Headteacher at Great Hollands Primary School, to discuss the range of strategies she has used to transform students' writing! Nicky not only shares the comprehensive whole-school writing approach that Great Hollands have worked to develop, but also reflects eloquently on the process of initiating, managing, and sustaining l...

In this week's episode of MET Pod, we are joined by Laura Hawkins, Class Teacher at Great Hollands Primary School, to explore Barry Carpenter's concept of the 'Recovery Curriculum'. We discuss a range of strategies for ensuring that our students continue to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally now that they are back in school, and consider how we can embed aspects of the 'Recovery Curric...

In this week's episode of MET Pod, we are joined by Rob Buck - Assistant Headteacher at Maiden Erlegh School, Trust Lead for Careers and Destinations, the Trust Lead for Higher Ability Provision, and the Director of the Teaching School. We discuss the concept of 'personal brand' and how colleagues in a range of roles can cultivate this effectively, whatever stage they are at in their careers. Pack...

In this week's episode of MET Pod, Katy Hardman, Head of Science at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge, shares the wide range of strategies she has used to engage students in Science from the moment they step into the classroom in Year 7! Join us to hear Katy's invaluable reflections on how sequencing, practicals, and embracing the academic rigour of a subject can help students to embrace the intricacies...

Join us for a MET Pod roundtable discussion on effective recall and retrieval in the Modern Foreign Languages classroom! This week we are joined by Ana Bruna, MFL Teacher at Maiden Erlegh School, and Gianluca Raso, Curriculum Leader for Spanish at Maiden Erlegh School and for pedagogy in MFL across the Trust. Ana and Gianluca share a fantastic range of strategies for embedding recall and retrieval...