The Independent Teacher

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we catch up with Annie Gouldsworthy, Director of ITT at The King Edward's Consortium in Birmingham, to have an engaging and informative conversation about intitial teacher training in the UK. Annie’s teaching career began in 1994, following a few years post-university in various roles. Entering the teaching profession, she gained experience via curricular, pa...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I speak with Dr Christie Margrave from Cardiff University about the experiences that have shaped both her academic career and her life beyond the university. Christie reflects on her role at Cardiff and the work that motivates her within higher education, while also sharing the deeply personal story behind her decision to become a solo mum by choice. We also discu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Independent Teacher podcast, I’m joined by personal trainer Tristan Buttle to talk about fitness, wellbeing, and why playing the long game really matters. Tristan shares what led him into personal training. He also considers what advice he would give to his younger self, to 18-year-old Tristan. We explore why sustainable change isn’t about quick fixes or ext...

Send us Fan Mail Olivia Isaac is the Director of Pastoral Care at Barnard Castle School in the north of Engand. In our conversation, she talks about the importance of embedding key pastoral initiatives across her school, the HeadSpace wellbeing programme, as well as the school's really innovative AS STEER tracking system , which has helped to create an excellent data-informed approach to pupi...

Send us Fan Mail Heather Rhodes has been a pioneer in online education for over ten years, and is a strong advocate of the potential of technology to transform education and was the founding Principal of Harrow School Online. Prior to this, she founded an online tutoring organisation for international students wanting to improve their level of English.  In this episode, we talk about Heather'...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, former school leader Julia Silver talks about her career in teaching, including her decision to leave the teaching profession to found an innovative and groundbreaking organisation, Qualified Tutor which works to improve standards in tutoring by developing the essential skills and knowledge required for effective tutoring. As we talk to Julia, we learn what motiva...

Send us Fan Mail Andy Cope has been described as a ‘wellbeing revolutionary’. His mission is to change the narrative and re-focus psychology away from what’s wrong with people to what’s right. His messages act as a gentle nudge towards people taking charge of their own mental health. Andy’s books are frequently on the best-sellers list. ‘ The Art of Being Brilliant ’, ‘Shine’ , and ‘Zest’ have all...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we talk to Andrew Rogers the Australian Teacher of the Year (Secondary Non-Gov) in 2021 and a regular contributor to radio programmes and philosophy conferences.  In our show, Andrew talks about his love of Philosophy, its role in the school curriculum, and the important skills it nurtures in young people. We find out about teaching in Australia, as well as Andrew...

Send us Fan Mail After an early career as a professional singer with international contracts,  Dr Michael Bonshor developed a diverse portfolio of work as a performer, teacher, conductor, choral arranger, director, and workshop leader.  He has run his own professional theatre company, opera group, and jazz ensemble, alongside maintaining a well-established private teaching practice. Michael has al...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we catch up with the  Azmat sisters. Throughout this episode, we'll unravel the stories of each sister's academic journey, exploring the turning points that led them to change their minds about their initial chosen degree courses. But that's not all – we'll also delve into the dynamics of sibling rivalry. The Azmat sisters will candidly share h...

Send us Fan Mail Dr Lucy Kelly is an Associate Professor in Education at the University of Bristol, primarily working with PGCE English trainee teachers. She advocates that trainee teachers see themselves as their own biggest resource in the classroom, and that they prioritise their wellbeing from the outset. Her main research interest is reflective practice as a positive tool for educator wellbei...

Send us Fan Mail In this moving episode, we talk to author Fiona Buckland, who is also a life coach, facilitator and public speaker. Fiona has worked with thousands of individuals both one-on-one and at workshops and events to influence positive change. She was previously Head of Learning at The School of Life, a global organisation helping people to lead more fulfilled lives, where she is still a...

Send us Fan Mail The End Sexism in Schools movement is a grassroots organisation made up of individuals in the UK, and even as far afield as New Zealand, who all are united by a shared vision of ending sexism in UK schools. In this episode, I am joined by the founder of the movement Debbie Brazil along with Rachel Fenn, who has carried out extensive research into the secondary school English curri...

Send us Fan Mail Nikki Shure is Associate Professor in Economics at the UCL Social Research Institute at University College London and a Research Fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA). She completed her PhD in Economics as a Weidenfeld Scholar at the University of Oxford with a focus on labour economics and education economics. Her research interests include non-cognitive skills and edu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of our podcast, we catch up with Management Consultant & Social Value Lead for Capgemini UK, Joy Shepheard-Walwyn. Joy talks about her decision to accept an apprenticeship with PwC rather than study a degree in Russian and Philosophy at university. We also talk about diversity and inclusion in the workplace and Joy's current role at Capgemini UK.

Send us Fan Mail Talia Filippelli, is the founder of Starr Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is known for her solution-focused approach, practical strategies, and fearless mission to make seeing a therapist something people brag about! Talia is a contributing mental health expert for numerous media outlets including CNN and CBS, an 8-time winner of NJ Family Magazine's Top Docs Awards, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr Nilu Ahmed, from the University of Bristol, talks about the importance of having a sense of purpose, the problems of loneliness, and we also talk  about 'quiet quitting' and its potential role in creating happier employees.  Nilu has degree in Psychology, an MSc in Applied Psychology, as well as a PhD in Human Geography.  She is a Chartered Psychologi...

Send us Fan Mail  Joshua Fullard is an Assistant Professor at the Warwick Business School and a Research Associate at the Research Centre on Micro-Social Change. He received his PhD in Economics from the Institute for Social and Economic Research. He has previously worked as a Lecturer at the Department of Economics at the University of Essex , a Senior Researcher at The Education Policy Institute...

Send us Fan Mail Professor Andy Phippen is a Professor of Digital Rights at Bournemouth University and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Suffolk. He has specialised in the use of ICT in social contexts, carrying out a large amount of grassroots research on issues such as attitudes toward privacy and data protection, internet safety, and contemporary issues such as sexting, peer abuse, a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we talk to Drew Vernon. Drew is the marketing director for tonies, where he leads Tonies for Teachers, partnering with schools, museums, and libraries to promote screen-free education for children. His work contributed to tonies being named as one of Fast Company’s 2021 Most Innovative Companies in the Education category. Prior to tonies, Drew led the U.S. prescho...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Director of Music and author, Dr Martin Leigh talks about his new book, Becoming an Outstanding Music Teacher .  We discuss how Martin's love of music developed, what attracted him to the teaching profession, the role of music in schools, developing independent thinkers, allowing students to fail, and why sharing best practice is so important in the teaching...

Send us Fan Mail In the first part of our episode, Project Manager Hannah Macarthur, who is based at the University of Liverpool, discusses ways in which to implement change successfully either within a small team or across a large organisation.  Then, in the second part of the programme, we discuss Hannah's fantastic work as a mentor with The Girls' Network. Hannah also takes the time t...

Send us Fan Mail  Dr Jan Eichhorn,  Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh and a Research Director for the Germany-based think tank d|part discusses his research on the outcome of extending the vote to 16-year-olds. He also explains the importance of political and civic education in the curriculum and in local youth organisations.  In addition, Jan talks about the differen...

Send us Fan Mail Paul Hopkins is a lecturer in education at the University of Hull and has worked in the secondary, primary and higher education sectors for nearly 30 years. His research areas are in pedagogy, philosophy of education, primary science and technology enhanced learning. In this episode, we have a very interesting and thought-provoking conversation about the role of homework in the pr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we are joined by Stuart Lancaster who has worked at the highest level of international sport and has studied leadership extensively throughout his career, working with teams at all levels. Stuart was appointed to the role of England Head Coach in 2011 and led the team through four Six Nations campaigns and a Rugby World Cup in 2015. In September 2016, he joined  L...