Teachers Talk Radio

Continuing the mini-series on teacher job satisfaction, Darren explores the literature about the satisfaction criteria for teachers and considers whether the length of time you've been in the job impacts how satisfied you feel.

Chatting, calling out, tapping and answering back: how much disruption has become accepted as part of everyday teaching? On Points of View, we debate the cumulative impact of so-called low-level disruption on teachers and pupils. Where is the line between ordinary classroom restlessness and behaviour that stops others learning? Are expectations clear and consistent and do teachers get the support...

Who keeps our schools running when the classroom doors close? This show shines a light on the often-overlooked support staff who keep education moving. From dealing with frustrated parents to supporting teachers and school leaders, their contribution is vital but often unrecognised. Featuring an interview with an 18-year-old school office apprentice, the show explores the realities behind the scen...

Tim Smale is joined by executive headteacher Adrian McLean to ask why school values so often go out of the window, and why schools might need virtues instead. They also get into teacher overload and the rise in AI-written complaints to schools. Adrian has taken one question to the TEDx stage and the House of Lords: what does character ask of a leader when holding the line is the lonely and expensi...

Know Your Worth, hosted by Mehmet Ali Zekay, explores confidence, professional value and having the courage to ask for more. In this episode, Mehmet speaks with Dr Rebecca Taylor, a Physics teacher, about recognising your worth, career progression and why teachers shouldn’t be afraid to have conversations about pay.

Headaches, migraines, nausea and high blood pressure: are we taking the health impact of poor pupil behaviour seriously enough? JP, Liz Webb and Maud Waret discuss a NASUWT survey linking severe pupil behaviour with higher rates of reported physical health problems. Of more than 10,000 respondents, 59% reported verbal abuse from pupils in the previous year and 17% reported physical assault. Should...

In this fourth episode, PSHE lead and educator Clare Price considers how to challenge the unsafe myths that vaping is "safe", considers who might be the right person to deliver messages about misogyny in schools and statistics that show young people are increasingly positive about Relationships and Sex Education.  Articles referenced include:  One million UK people who have never smoked are now va...

In this episode, Konstantinos is joined by Dr Irida Ntalla from London College of Communication to explore knowledge exchange in higher education. Together, they discuss how universities connect with industry and communities, the benefits for students, and the opportunities knowledge exchange offers for teaching, academic development and career progression.

This week, multiple reports paint a picture of a watchdog under pressure, with school leaders questioning Ofsted’s leadership, unions losing confidence, and serious concerns mounting over the impact of inspections on school leadership and staff wellbeing. An independent study has found that almost nine in ten schools reported a negative impact on staff mental health following inspection, while ASC...

Are classrooms becoming politically biased, or are teachers being dragged into another political row? Tonight on Points of View, we debate Laura Trott’s claim that some teaching on equality, citizenship and identity amounts to “propaganda that’s brainwashing our children”. The Conservatives are proposing compulsory impartiality training, greater Ofsted scrutiny and a ban on school “culture” or “id...

The teaching profession is tough in the UK with high workload, sustained accountability pressures and increasing levels of student need. But how do the pressures in the UK compare to those overseas? Perhaps we have some reasons to be thankful? Join Yannick and Tony as they delve into some of the biggest challenges faced by other countries currently and reflect on why some aspects of UK education m...

We talk the countdown to half-term and how to deal with performance anxiety and any conflict at work. Not to be missed. We'll talk it out and take care of mental health along the way.

A major DfE survey "Growing up in the 2020s" has found that 31% of students affected by bullying said that staff were aware, with 33% saying they were not and 36% being unsure. The survey, conducted by UCL and the Anna Freud Centre, will follow 8000 students in England, currently aged 12 and 13, through their secondary school experience. The results reported are the first collected. The survey als...

Tim Smale is joined by Guy Holder, Head of PSHE for a frank conversation about the technology arriving in children's lives faster than schools can keep up. Camera-equipped smart glasses are on sale on the high street, and Guy is campaigning to have them banned. Tim and Guy ask what these glasses mean for consent, for safeguarding and for anyone who could be filmed in a classroom without knowing it...

In this week's show, Claudia and Martin talk about how to approach the teaching of new courses.

It will come as little surprise to most that work in education to hear that teachers are leaving the classroom in their droves. This is a pattern being repeated around the world, but in England the statistics are above the OECD average, with 7.2% of fully qualified teachers resigning in comparison to a 4.2% average. 91% of these are resignations in England, in comparison to an average of 55% acros...

Why are teachers in England resigning at a much higher rate than the international average and what would persuade them to stay? According to the OECD figures reported by Tes, 7.2% of fully qualified teachers in England resigned from the profession in 2024–25, compared with an OECD average of 4.2%. Teachers in England also reported longer working weeks than similarly qualified workers in other occ...

Join Famida Choudhary on The Lunch Show with English educator and trainer Divya Joyce J as they explore how public speaking can transform English learning. From building confidence and vocabulary to supporting quieter learners, strengthening oracy and finding an authentic voice in the age of AI, discover practical ways to create classrooms where every child feels they have something worth saying....

Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard recently declared: “School exclusions are failures.” He argues that minimising exclusions could reduce crime and help young people build positive futures. Join Tom Rogers live on Teachers Talk Radio as he asks John what prompted the statement.

Homework has long been a bone of contention between home and school. A report in the TES this week reports that “Homework is Vanishing” as teachers set less and family lives make its completion increasingly difficult. And this is before debates over content, time taken, level of challenge, too much vs too little and access to resources are considered. Times have changed. More young people are livi...

In this episode, Toby talks to Hayley Carlyon about creating lessons which engage, entice and motivate learning. We go from the importance of building relationships to discussing activities and strategies that work in the classroom.

We talk how to cope when things change in and outside the classroom.

In this show, Darren looks at a UK Teacher forum and discusses what the participants say keeps them in the profession. 

What does it really mean to make an assessment fair and accessible to every learner without compromising academic rigour? Hosted by Tom Rogers and Christopher Vowles, we explore Universal Design in assessment and AQA's work to identify and remove unnecessary barriers that prevent students from demonstrating what they truly know and can do. The special guest is Louise Badham. We’ll look at what Uni...

Join Michael Wright for his Sunday Lunch Show with guest Ed Watkins as they discuss the continued decline of A-Level music in education and why it's happening. Ed will also share his insights into his research on how music students have been graded compared with other subjects.