What a second lockdown means for pregnant women, The future of flexible working, The history of the biscuit, Outdoor learning

We’ve just started a second lockdown in England – with other parts of the United Kingdom also going through variations of the same. But what if you’re pregnant? What’s going through your mind and what are you concerned about? As the pandemic’s gone on, we’ve heard about women being on their own for scans, deliveries and sadly, miscarriages too. And an enquiry has just started into a rise in stillbirths over the last Lockdown. Chloe discusses the issues with Bertie Harlev-Lam, Executive Director for Professional Leadership at the RCM ,also a working midwife, and Jo Mountfield, Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Southampton, and a consultant obstetrician at University Southampton Hospital.

Has the Covid crisis helped to usher in a future of flexible working? A new report from the campaign Flex Appeal says while that forced remote working during a pandemic is not the same as flexible working, there are lessons that can be learned from lockdown. They have surveyed more than a thousand employers about how their work has changed since March, and which aspects their employees are keen to keep longer-term. Chloe is joined by Anna Whitehouse aka Mother Pukka who co-founded Flex Appeal, and Louise Deverell-Smith who runs Daisy Chain, an online platform that matches flexible employers with flexible job-seekers.

How did the humble biscuit become so embedded in our culture? Lizzie Collingham’s book The Biscuit: The History of a Very British Indulgence explains how it began as the foodstuff of explorers, then, sweetened, found its way into the recipe books of ladies of the manor and finally becoming our customary snack with a cup of tea. Chloe talks to Lizzie about the stories of women involved in biscuit production through the ages and asks her the all-important question: to dunk or not to dunk?

What is a forest school and what are the benefits and challenges of outdoor learning? Can it re-engage children after the broken learning of the pandemic? Chloe discusses the issues with Sara Collins, Deputy Chair of the Forest School Association and founder of the Nature Premium campaign, which is calling for ring-fenced funding for schools to provide nature-based learning. She’s joined by Dr Rowena Passy, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth’s Institute for Education.

Presented by Chloe Tilley Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Beverley Purcell