SecEd Podcast

This episode looks at how secondary schools can plan and implement flexible working practices to help boost teacher recruitment and retention. Our panel of experts include headteachers who have placed flexible working at the heart of their recruitment and retention strategies as well as teachers who work flexibly themselves. We discuss why schools should consider flexible working, the impact it can have, and the benefits for staff and students. How can we be strategic about our approach to flexible working? What do we need to consider when designing flexible working roles? How can we ensure it has an impact on issues such as workload and staff wellbeing? And it's not all about part-time working – we consider the forms that flexible working can take and the types of flexible working approaches that are possible. Our experts offer a range of practical tips and examples and discuss how schools and teachers can overcome common blocks or barriers to effective flexible working.

What is "calm leadership" and how can this philosophy help middle and senior leaders in schools to be effective and inspiring in their roles? In this podcast, we chat to Patrick Cozier, the long-serving headteacher of Highgate Wood School in London, about his philosophy of calm leadership. In a nine-article SecEd series last year, Patrick described his calm leadership approach, discussing what being a calm leader looks like in practice and the many elements involved, including empathy, listening, honesty, integrity, humility, trust, and so much more. The series is now being turned into a new book and in this episode of the podcast we chat to Patrick to get practical insights into what calm leadership involves and how we can all aspire to be "calmer" in our leadership approaches in schools. We discuss the challenges of leadership and how to deal with them in a calm and reasoned way, including the paranoia of leadership, imposter syndrome, when doubt sets in, handling difficult moments, and difficult conversations. We also talk about how to keep calm in challenging situations, keeping a sense of perspective, staying optimistic, and working with colleagues to make good decisions. We consider how to lead people effectively, including building trust, empowering colleagues, listening properly, and being kind. And we ask how we can nurture other key elements such as humility, empathy, integrity and more. And we discuss coping with the emotional rollercoaster that is school leadership.

This episode discusses how we can build strong connections and relationships with our students – especially those who are vulnerable – in order that they have the best chance of overcoming barriers and making progress in our classrooms. Two experienced colleagues discuss why this is important and some key principles to building these relationships. We ask how we can begin building connections with a new class of students and how we can foster strong relationships even when we might see hundreds of students every week. We talk about building a culture of trust and respect in our classrooms and the common traits that teachers might display in order to build these connections. We also consider quick wins, including shaking hands, seating plans, corridor conversations, positive calls home, how to remember key details about students, role-modelling, and apologising when necessary. We discuss strategies for building connections with individual vulnerable students – perhaps those who face the greatest barriers to learning and who are at the greatest risk of disengaging. And we look at engaging with families and some whole-school strategies that might help teachers to build connections with their students.

In this episode we speak with Rachel W – an abuse survivor who disclosed to staff at school when aged 14 after suffering years of abuse. Rachel talks powerfully about her story and the lessons schools and school staff can learn from it in order to improve safeguarding practice. Interviewed by pastoral specialist and teacher Adele Bates, Rachel discusses the impact of the abuse, including on her education and behaviour in school. She talks about her attempts to disclose and how she was finally rescued from her abuser. She discusses spotting the signs of abuse, the barriers to disclosure, how staff should handle disclosures – how we must respond – and what to do if you suspect a child is being abused or is at risk of harm. We also talk about the behaviour of children who are living with trauma and what staff should be aware of. Rachel has been writing about these themes in SecEd (https://bit.ly/seced-disclosure) and wanted to take part in this episode to help support school staff to know what to do in safeguarding situations. The podcast makes for uncomfortable listening at times but is essential listening for all those working with children in schools.

This episode focuses on how we can teach oracy and speaking skills in the secondary school classroom, with lots of practical tips, ideas, resources and advice. We discuss what oracy is – including the four strands of oracy skills – why oracy matters, the benefits of good oracy skills, what the national curriculum says about spoken language and student talk, and the impact we have seen on students' speaking skills since Covid (spoiler: 44% of secondary teachers say the pandemic has hit oracy skills negatively). We look at how we can teach oracy in the classroom and via the curriculum, including practical ideas and activities for the explicit teaching of oracy. We ask what high expectations for classroom talk look like and hear examples of practice from two secondary schools. We consider whole-school strategies, including creating a culture where students feel able to speak-up, cross-curriculum planning for oracy, how to ensure consistent approaches, staff CPD, the role of extra-curricular clubs, and much more. And we ask how we can best assess and monitor our students' progress in terms of oracy.

This episode of the SecEd Podcast offers best practice and tips for effectively managing Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) and supporting students with SEND in the mainstream secondary school. Our expert panel offer advice and tips for teachers, SENCOs, and school leaders across a number of areas. We discuss the main things that mainstream secondary schools need to bear in mind when a student has an EHCP. What do teachers need to be aware of when reading EHCPs and how should teaching staff and SENCOs work together (and with parents/carers) to ensure SEND students are supported effectively in their lessons and learning? And how should EHCPs evolve as the student moves through secondary school and into key stage 5 (and beyond)? We offer advice for SENCOs to help them manage the EHCP within the mainstream secondary school setting. We also look at how to support families of students should have an EHCP but do not. The EHCP is a local authority document and so we also discuss the role of the local authority and some of the common problems in the system. Finally, we discuss the implications of the government's recently published SEND Improvement Plan, especially plans to digitise the EHCP.

This episode looks at how we can best develop the literacy skills of our students, offering whole-school, cross-curricular and classroom-specific ideas, interventions and tips. The podcast defines literacy as the ability to speak, read and write and to understand and use language in order to communicate effectively. We welcome four guests from four schools who discuss the range of approaches, programmes, and interventions they use to support students' literacy. We ask why literacy skills are so important, what form these skills take in practice, and how we can help students to develop these skills. Our guests discuss the interventions and programmes they use to support literacy catch-up and how they go about identifying students most in need of these interventions. How can we ensure that all teachers see themselves as teachers of literacy and teach the vocabulary of their subjects? What is the role of phonics in secondary literacy education, especially post-Covid? We talk vocabulary and disciplinary literacy. How can we teach vocabulary effectively and explicitly? How can we close the vocab gap? How can we embed vital disciplinary literacy? How do we develop speaking and listening skills? We talk Ofsted too – what inspectors looks for and how we can ensure that our literacy work also meets inspection requirements.

This episode discusses the role of the secondary school form tutor – what the role entails, how teachers can become effective form tutors, key expectations and obligations, ideas for running your form day-to-day, and general dos & don'ts. Two experienced pastoral leaders offer their insights, including the key obligations of the form tutor and legal duties in terms of safeguarding and attendance. What is the purpose of a form tutor and how does this change with the age of the students? How can we create an effective form tutor environment? Our guests offer a number of tips for running your tutor group, including the essential routines or checklists that will "set students up" for a successful day and the basic day-to-day and week-to-week tasks. Which school policies must new form tutors get familiar with and be sure to uphold? We offer ideas for activities, initiatives, or areas of focus to support students pastorally and academically and to boost morale. What does the role of the form tutor entail outside of tutor time? How should form tutors liaise with other members of staff in the school. How can tutors build relationships with students and parents, especially in year 7? What can you do when you have a challenging form group? And the podcast finishes with some dos and don'ts for teachers taking on form tutor groups for the first time.

This episode looks at career progression pathways in the secondary school, advising teachers on the range of options and how to develop specialisms and experience. Our expert panel beings with key things to consider when planning where you want to take your teaching career. We discuss the different options and why all teachers – including early career teachers – should be thinking about career progression. How can you hone your plans and develop your skills? How should teachers go about choosing a specialism? What kinds of opportunities should you look for? Who can you approach for advice/mentoring? Once teachers have their career progression plan in place, where can they find support? We discuss in-school CPD, other opportunities, qualifications and more. How do we go about developing a specialism? How long does it take? Should we change schools to support our career goals? And how can schools ensure they are supporting the development of their teaching staff? This is the second of two episodes focused on career conversations. The first offered advice, practical tips and inspiration for teachers thinking about taking on leadership roles within schools and those climbing the leadership ladder: https://bit.ly/seced-leadership These episodes have been produced in partnership with Teaching Vacancies, the free-to-use job listing service from the Department for Education: https://teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/

This episode offers advice, practical tips and inspiration for teachers who are thinking about taking on leadership roles within schools and for those already climbing the leadership ladder. Three experts discuss why teaching staff should aspire to leadership and the different pathways and roles within middle and senior leadership. What kind of skills are needed for leadership? How can teaching staff – including early career teachers – develop these skills and wider leadership experience? How can they dip their toe in the water and "have a go"? What kind of leadership opportunities can teachers look out for? We discuss different pathways, specialisms and CPD options, including via the Chartered College, WomenEd, National Professional Qualifications and other routes. What are the common barriers to leadership aspiration and how can we overcome them? And how can schools make middle and senior leadership attractive and more diverse? This is one of two episodes focused on career conversations. The second, out on March 22, will focus on wider career pathways and progression within the secondary school. These episodes have been produced in partnership with Teaching Vacancies, the free-to-use job listing service from the Department for Education. Sign up for job alerts via https://teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk