School Shorts

If your child has ever needed learning support or additional education needs you might be familiar with the terms SENCO and LSC, but for many families this is unfamiliar jargon for very important roles within a school. In this episode, Lizzie Bayliss talks about how educators in these roles support students. We also discuss her journey from founding a fashion company to becoming a deputy principal...

How to set confident, compassionate boundaries that actually deepen your connection with children and don't negatively impact your relationship. Obstetric social worker and renowned Parent Educator Gen Muir is the author of Why Kids Need Boundaries. Gen shares her own parenting struggles and says it's a myth that boundaries threaten attachment. However, we talk about the most effective way to set...

Last time we spoke with AI consultant to schools, Bex Rose, the feedback was running hot! From people who wanted to know about the AI tutor she created for her daughter, to people interested in more information about how AI is being used in schools already ..and those who expressed very real concern about the impact digital technology has on brain development and learning and human relationships....

Cara Zelas is a U.S-based early childhood educator who speaks at conferences and in classrooms around the world about her work with 'Big World of Little Dude'. She shares how parents can build essential life skills at home, including resilience, manners, and emotional regulation. She also unpacks how technology is currently used in classrooms and why she believes digital apps should never replace...

Harry Scott believes a cornerstone of childhood fun and experience is at risk. He is the founder of Barefooted and teaches outdoor education by giving school students and hosting community events so that kids get to experience all the things they might usually learn on school camp on a more regular basis. Harry believes outdoor play is vital for childhood development and for reconnecting kids with...

Hear from the Principal of Lemonwood Grove, among the biggest primary schools by roll in New Zealand. The area has had its fair share of major local traumas like the Christchurch earthquakes and mosque attacks as well as covid. These experiences reminded Blair Dravitski of just how important schools are as part of the community in managing anxiety not just for students but for their extended famil...

Children starting school without the skills needed for learning, are more likely to start on the back foot when it comes to the reading, writing and other skills that are assessed in the curriculum. Andrea Ford and Carolynne Masson work with families and communities to strengthen all those foundation skills through Ready 4 Learning. With backgrounds in teaching and school leadership, they discuss...

Tami Harris is the CEO of Acorn Neurodiversity and a passionate advocate of better support for children and young people who are neurodivergent. This episode is especially useful if you are a parent overwhelmed or unsure of the diagnosis process, a teacher pondering strategies for diverse learners or anyone who wants to better understand the terms neurodiversity v neurodivergent thinking. Tami tal...

Mohan Nair has written what he calls 'the nutrition label for AI'. Rather than a 'warning label', this is just saying here are all the ingredients we need to be aware of so that we can use AI in a way that benefits our health rather than the other way around. More specifically in this episode we are looking at the ways in which children and young people an prepare to become 'Unreachable'. This is...

Nancy Young is the creator of the infographic the Ladder of Reading and Writing which explains reading skills as a continuim. Nancy is also the Co-Editor of the 2024 book 'Climbing the Ladder of Reading and Writing: Meeting the Needs of All Learners' Here she also talks about exceptionalities that can co-occur alongside dyslexia, including ADHD, DLD and giftedness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

Principal Steve McCracken doesn't want a student to be able to go through a day at school and not have a teacher or school leader say their name or greet them for a chat. It is one of the things he fears losing with growing school rolls as the Principal of Whangaparāoa College in Auckland, New Zealand. While there are many benefits of growth and the resource and specialisation it can offer. The sc...

There are so many things that happen with behaviour and attitude when hormones start changing in the teen years that it can be a bit of a mystery what is going on in the brain. After this conversation with Kathryn Berkett so much made sense. Kathryn has written many books translating neuroscience research in to practical insights for parents and her latest book is called 'What's Going on In There?...

Is there any system of enrolling children at school that creates an equal footing? New Zealand has a 'rolling enrolment' system with flexibility within that for schools to decide how it might work best in their area and for individual children. In this episode, I talk with Andy Jackson, Head of Policy at the Ministry of Education about the reasons behind the policy and what, if any, work has been...

Last we spoke to Jo Knox on the podcast we looked at what birth month was best for academic success. There has not been a lot of specific research on this topic but there are some indicators which point to being the oldest in your school year leads to better educational outcomes. That might not necessarily be surprising but what is interesting is a new survey has found that a large percentage of t...

Not sure if your child's reading progress or the teaching they are getting is going too fast or too slow? This is a common discussion among parents at the school gate and the answer is going to be very individualised depending on your child and their teacher. However, it's really important to have some information about how it all works so you can make a decision about whether it is something that...

Karina McHardy shares a personal story but one that will resonate with any parent who has had to advocate for their child's needs, whether it be additional assistance or learning needs in school. Karina shares the story of her son's autism diagnosis and the overwhelming silence she felt which followed. With no roadmap for support, Karina has fought for personalised support and questioned when ther...

A study of school readiness found as many as 90 percent of primary schools surveyed said there was an increase in the number of new entrant students coming to school not knowing basic skills like holding a basic conversation, identifying their name or being able to go to the toilet independently. This episode explores the critical skills children need before starting school, the impact of COVID-19...

Online Schools and Alpha Schools have had a massive spike in interest but who do they work for and is this a long-term disruptor in education? In this episode, we explore the future of education with Penelope Barton, CEO of Crimson Global Education. Penelope shares what Crimson is working on in innovative models of schooling and whether it is more suited to catering for learners with different lea...

How well do you remember what grammatical words like adverb, adjective, prepositions actually mean? There is a lot of discussion in the education world at the moment about how much focus should be on teaching these word classes and instead focussing on whether a sentence instinctively feels right. Some research suggests being able to circle an adverb or noun on a worksheet has zero impact on writi...

Look, I'll admit it, I don't know much about the assessment system when it gets to High School. I know you can do NCEA (with potential changes on the horizon) and some students also do Cambridge Exams, IGCSE's and A-Levels. I was among the last to do the Bursary assessment system and with kids still in primary school, I don't really know much about how this all works. So consider this an explainer...

Hamish Brewer throws out the rule book when it comes to what people expect a Principal to be. The tattooed skateboarding Principal from New Zealand now spends most of his time in the U.S where he is one of the most recognisable and disruptive voices in education. Hamish has won national awards for transforming failing schools into 'high-performing', 'high-expectation communities'. Hosted on Acast....

Artificial intelligence is already in classrooms. Bex Rose from AI Surge shares what that actually looks like for teachers, students and learning. Bex works directly with schools to help them understand how they can integrate and use AI to assist. She discusses what it means for ethics, safety and age appropriate use and common misconceptions about AI in education. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

Follow these top 10 school safety tips from Police Officer Constable Bryan Ward and empower your kids and students to have the confidence to navigate their day at school to the walk home. If you grew up in New Zealand, Constable Bryan and his canine partner Bobby probably taught you everything you know about being a safe "kiwi kid." Today, he’s joining us on School Shorts to bring those timeless l...

Learning to read isn’t just about sounding out words even though the biggest part of reading instruction that gets spoken about publicly is phonics. Education journalist and author Natalie Wexler explains why in this episode. She points out that at a certain point student's reading progress flattens out unless they haven't also had teaching that helps to build fluency, background knowledge, vocabu...

As countries around the world look to a structured approach to literacy to try and lift achievement results, what can educators learn from the experience in Mississippi, USA. It went from having the second-worst reading statistics in 2013 to 9th in 2024. What was behind the rapid increase in achievement? Kymyona Burk lead the change as State Literacy Director and reflects on what was done well and...