The School of School

Warts and all, Opinionated kids, and more. In this episode of the School of School podcast, hosts Andy, Robin, and Adam discuss their recent school visits and the insights gained from observing students and teachers. What’s it like being a fly on the wall? Does engaging with students who struggle provide valuable insights? Plus, talk of how the environment of a classroom can significantly impact l...

Children teachers, SEN advice, and more. Craig Robinson is back again, this time joined by Gill MacDonald to share their insights from teaching using Maths — No Problem! Are they now better equipped to help struggling learners? How can teachers teaching less be a good thing? Plus, Gill was ‘the most reluctant teacher’ when it came to changing their maths programme, find out how things have changed...

Training investments, Concrete in Year 6, and more. This week we have Matt Bland, Assistant Head and Specialist Education Leader at Our Lady’s Bishop Eton Primary School join us. We’re discussing his school and their ten-plus year journey with maths mastery. Just how impactful has CPD been on practitioners? Plus, girls previously weren’t interested in taking maths at A-Level, but are they now?

Small steps, Different interpretations, and more. We’ve got Sana Malik, Assistant Headteacher and Local Leader of Maths (new role since recording) at St Mary’s in Moss Side, Manchester with us to talk about mastery. Is it dangerous that people have different definitions of the word? Plus, chat about how to be successful in following a mastery approach — what elements do you need in place to succee...

Composition of Number, Imaginative youngsters, and more. Laurice Prempeh is back with us this week to share her experience of teaching at both ends of the school. What was it like stepping into an Early Years classroom as teacher for the first time? Did she now recognise where learning links could become broken as they go up the school? Plus, how did Laurice deal with the challenge of pupils not b...

Sneaker deals, Eat-sleep-drinking Bar models, and more. Crenstant Williams joins us again from Bermuda to discuss the impact the bar modelling approach has had on learners and educators. What was the catalyst for spreading this around the country? Why was this not a thing years ago? Plus, a heart-warming moment of a pupil who returned to give their thanks — don’t miss it.

Oboe experts, Being anti-maths, and more. We’re talking teacher training this week, looking in how many hours teachers get to explore maths during their training. How serious can the knock-on effects be if something is misunderstood by a child early on? Why are there different attitudes to other subjects? Plus, we talk about the unique circumstance of how usually the people holding teachers accoun...

‘Jinfant’ life, Siloed subjects, and more. We’re lucky to be joined again by someone who has so many roles that fitting them in this description box would be a challenge in itself! It’s Alison Borthwick, who is back to talk all things maths — from her journey from maths-phobic to maths expert, to discussing the current issues in education. Plus, if Alison became ‘Maths Prime Minister’ what would b...

Glass eating, Short-term wins, and more. Our 3 regulars this week are discussing long term planning in schools. Do short term snap decisions lead to chaos down the line? Do teachers need more time planning and working together? Plus, what needs to be built initially for things not to go wrong…

Small successes, CPD importance, and more. We are joined by guest Felix Savedra to hear more about his school’s success with maths. How important is programme consistency to both pupils and teachers? What have results looked like? Plus, what is next for a school that has been continually improving?

Shocked observers, Early obstacles, and more. We’re joined by Craig Robinson from Kingsley Primary School this week to discuss their journey with Maths — No Problem! How do the kids manage to talk about maths for 40 minutes solid? What mindset changes have been made by both teachers and pupils? Plus, hear how important the Accredited Schools network has been for Kingsley.

Weighing watermelons, Javelin angles, and more. We’re joined this week by Wendy Liu. With over 25 years in Primary Schools, and 15 years specialising in maths, Wendy shares where the journey began and what she has learnt on the way. What subject is a perfect vehicle for soft skills? What were some findings from Wendy’s thesis? Plus, 10 years on since Wendy attended the first 5 day Maths — No Probl...

Curriculum crown-jewels, Negative parents, and more. The team are joined this week by Mathematics Educator, Wenxi Lee to discuss the Singaporean Approach as well as her book: ‘The secrets to Singapore’s world class maths curriculum’. What are some fundamentals of the Singapore curriculum? Are some kids born with their bar model skills? Plus, Wenxi details the importance of seeing the Singaporean f...

Idea freedom, Journal of the day, and more. This week the experts from Langley Green Primary School are back to share insight on their journalling successes. What are some tips for schools starting out with journals? What’s in it for a pupil themselves? Plus, have you heard of a Thinking Journal before? No? Listen to find out what it is!

Knock-off Shakespeare, 3 billion pound schemes, and more. As the new school year begins, our trio are here to raise some questions regarding the government’s spending in education. Is a 5.5% pay increase even enough? How much funding is actually allocated per class? Plus, Andy is on his soapbox again! Don’t miss it!

Clear pathways, Master and Expert statuses, and more. This week, the crew announce the Maths — No Problem! Qualification Programme. Designed to broaden the impact of our problem-solving approach and take the guesswork out of CPD, the Programme provides a clear and coherent pathway to maths mastery expertise for teachers. Get involved in this amazing opportunity, visit mathsnoproblem.com today.

Bar-model magic, Hurricane hiding, and more. Our regulars are joined by Crenstant Williams, Principal of Port Royal Primary in Bermuda. How and why has Bermuda taken on this approach to teaching? How difficult was training non-specialist teachers a new programme? Plus, what has happened on the first day of school in Bermuda for the last 5 year? Find out!

Tiger Woods, Mind-numbing worksheets, and more. The gang are back with a bang. This week they’re taking on the topic of holiday homework, as well as chatting about summer schools. Is the threat of summer school helpful to a child? What summer homework tasks are actually useful? Plus, who had a winter sports addiction in their youth? Find out!

Lesson run-downs, Multiplication transitions, and more. The crew are joined by Felix Savedra, who has journeyed from Teaching Assistant all the way to his current position as Maths Lead. What are some of the key takeaways from his journey? What is it like dealing with tricky mindsets from new staff? Plus, Felix shares the importance of making each child feel special.

Summer camps, Bodybuilding, and more. Shades on, it’s summer time! Our hosts are debating if the summer holiday is too long, or too short? Do kids forget stuff? Is it good if they’re bored? Plus, is the non-school learning that takes place during summer valuable?

Pupil expectations, Journal types, and more. Ed Parkinson is back to take us through some of the journalling types his school uses. Should all types be implemented at once? What is the impact of each type? Plus, Ed speaks on how journals are used for assessment and can give deeper information than a test.

Buzzing classrooms, Early angst, and more. We are so excited this week to be joined by Laurice Prempeh, maths-loving Assistant Headteacher at Rosetta School in London. Why were there early negative feelings towards the programme? What was it like dealing with a whole-school rollout. Plus, find out what was key in terms of setting the right culture amongst teachers of ’we can do this together’.

Dishwasher loading, Number lines, and more. Dr Alison Borthwick joins our regular trio to discuss her work on Spatial Reasoning. Where does spatial reasoning apply to the real world? Is it time for a curriculum change? Plus, we get into the ‘Ready to Progress’ document — should it still be used?

Ofsted boogeyman, Slap-dash training, and more. Our trio are discussing the shocking headline — that 1 in 10 teachers are leaving the profession in their first year. Who is to blame for this happening? Has a teacher’s role become way more than just teaching? Plus, are governments in other systems more hands-off? Find out!

Forced into farming, YouTube lessons and more. Our crew are discussing this week whether schooling in a school is becoming less and less relevant for the needs of the modern world. Does school restrict pupils from their passions? Do jobs of today even require traditional schooling? Plus, Andy pitches a model for a hybrid school system.