Shows / The School Leadership Podcast
The School Leadership Podcast
In NAHT's podcast series, you'll hear interviews with some of the leading voices in education and conversations about issues at the heart of leadership and learning.
Episodes
- The School Leadership Podcast
Mobile phones in schools: the reality for school leaders
Since September, schools in England have been required to be mobile phone-free environments by default. They are expected to ensure pupils do not have access…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Improving outcomes for white working-class pupils
This summer, an independent inquiry into white working-class education outcomes concluded that underachievement is driven not by low aspirations or individual…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Professional supervision for school leaders
What is professional supervision, and why are more school leaders turning to it for support?In this episode in NAHT’s podcast series, James Bowen, NAHT…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Cultivating a culture of belonging in schools
What does a culture of belonging really look like in schools – and where should leaders begin? In this episode of NAHT’s School Leadership Podcast, we’re…
- The School Leadership Podcast
The transformative power of kindness
Experienced school leader Joanna Povall speaks to NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen about the transformative power of kind leadership. Sharing some…
- The School Leadership Podcast
An update on Ofsted and our campaign for a fairer inspection system
Following Ofsted’s consultation on its new inspection framework in early 2025, and its limited rollout later last year, the new framework has been fully in…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Understanding hygiene poverty and supporting students in schools
Recent research suggests that nearly three million schoolchildren in the UK have experienced hygiene poverty in the past year. This means everyday essentials…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Celebrating inclusive school cultures
With the education sector facing an unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis, former head of science Jagdeep Pabla felt it was time to celebrate the…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Calm leadership
Head teacher Patrick Cozier talks to NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen about the calm approach to school leadership he has developed over 24 years…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Battling burnout: tips and tools for school leaders
Join Rowena Hicks, an experienced teacher and deputy head, as she shares her experience of burnout – a challenge faced by so many school leaders. You’ll hear…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Putting well-being first: the school that changed children’s education by prioritising mental health
Four years ago, Carr Mill Primary School in St Helens, Merseyside, embarked on a new whole-school approach to mental health that has delivered some remarkable…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Allergies in schools: supporting leaders, teachers and students
In the wake of the tragic death of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 from an allergic reaction to sesame seeds in the dough of a baguette…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Inspiring Leadership – part two
How can you effectively manage conflict? What qualities define great leadership? In what ways should schools implement artificial intelligence? In this…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Inspiring Leadership – part one
In this episode, we explore the art of decision-making, the importance of ‘botheredness’, the dynamics of people-pleasing, and much more. Join us to hear…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Rethinking teacher appraisal
The removal of performance-related pay in 2024 marked a turning point in how schools approach teacher appraisal. But why was performance-related pay a problem…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Cybersecurity for school leaders
How do you keep your school’s IT systems and data safe? From ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ backups and the cloud to patching, passwords and multi-factor authentication…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Lessons in negotiation: tools to help school leaders build better relationships and calm a crisis
In this episode, former Metropolitan Police hostage and crisis negotiator Nicky Perfect shares strategies to help school leaders deal with difficult everyday…
- The School Leadership Podcast
The future of school inspection: what school leaders need to know about Ofsted’s plans for reform
Plans to change the way schools in England will be inspected were unveiled by Ofsted earlier this month. These would see schools graded on a five-step scale…
- The School Leadership Podcast
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: what school leaders need to know
Published in December and currently making its way through parliament, the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill would bring about changes to laws…
- The School Leadership Podcast
How can we make school leadership sustainable?
What does being a leader in a primary or secondary school today really involve? How does the role vary across the UK? And how can we make it more sustainable?…
- The School Leadership Podcast
So far, so good? What impact has the new government had on schools?
A little more than four months on since the general election, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman reflects on working with the new government so far, why…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Reducing workload and improving well-being: one trust’s journey
From ditching performance targets to allowing teachers time off – hear how a multi-academy trust is overhauling its policies in a bid to tackle workload and…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Extra episode: exploring staff absence protection for schools
What does a really good school staff absence insurance policy look like? How can schools support staff well-being and lower absenteeism? What does having an…
- The School Leadership Podcast
How do we improve education policymaking?
Whether it's synthetic phonics, the curriculum or school inspection, how are our education policies actually made? Why do they often fail the sector they are…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Rethinking the curriculum: creating an inclusive primary education
Where do you start to if you want to diversify the primary curriculum? Based on her experience as a primary head teacher, Sarah Wordlaw shares ideas and…
- The School Leadership Podcast
An election special
With the 4 July 2024 general election approaching, the School Leadership Podcast explores NAHT’s manifesto for education For Their Future with the union’s…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Top of the class? Insights from some of the world’s highest-performing school systems
What can we learn from the world’s top-performing school systems? Join Geoff Masters, CEO of the Australian Council for Educational Research, and NAHT…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Rethinking leadership development
Liz Robinson, CEO of multi-academy trust and charity Big Education, believes there’s a significant gap between what national professional qualifications (NPQs)…
- The School Leadership Podcast
What next for the school system?
It is more than two decades since academies were first introduced to the English education system, and around half of all state-funded pupils now attend one…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Inspiring leadership in 2024
The Inspiring Leadership Conference is back in Birmingham this June for its tenth year, with another uplifting programme of speakers and sessions specifically…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Teacher Wellbeing Index 2023: a snapshot of the sector
Content warning: please note this podcast episode mentions suicide. Loneliness, stress, not-fit-for-purpose inspections and burnout: Education Support’s latest…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Will AI transform education?
Could AI reduce workload by cutting the time teachers spend on marking and lesson planning – is it a time-saver or time-waster? What are ‘hallucinations’ and…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Learning with parents
Research suggests that by age 11, a disadvantaged child is on average nine months behind their peers in English and Maths – and that only 14% of this is…
- The School Leadership Podcast
The social model of disability
NAHT supports the social model of disability, which shifts the focus away from individuals, and onto the societal barriers that ‘disable’ people. Through this…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Inspiring Leadership in 2023
From demystifying mindfulness to rethinking resilience, hear thought-provoking conversations with key speakers at this year’s Inspiring Leadership Conference…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Talking technology: edtech in schools
How can schools decide what education technology (edtech) to invest in? Has the edtech agenda been overrun by technologists – and if so, how can it be…
- The School Leadership Podcast
An industrial action special
In this special episode of the School Leadership Podcast, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman talks about the upcoming industrial action ballot and what it…
The School Leadership PodcastLife-friendly leadership
What does life-friendly leadership look like in schools? And why do so many women aged 30 to 39 – more than any other group – leave teaching every year? Emma…
- The School Leadership Podcast
The picture on pay
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman gives his analysis of the current dispute over pay for teachers and school leaders, and explains why the government must…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Talking about transition
Experienced school leader and education advisor Dave Harris talks about what good school transition looks like, why it’s the elephant in the room and how it…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Schools and sustainability
How can schools help tackle climate change? Are solar panels, heat pumps and retrofitting realistic solutions – particularly for older school buildings? And…
- The School Leadership Podcast
A Black History Month special: the anti-racist journey of a Manchester school
Hear Laura Morris, head of religious studies and citizenship at a secondary school in Manchester, reflect honestly on her school’s anti-racist journey over the…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Closing the writing gap
How is writing like a game of chess? What difference does improved writing make, and how can teachers be supported to achieve this? Is reading the key to good…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Leading on assessment
Effective assessment remains one of the most crucial aspects of high-quality teaching and learning. In this episode, three school leaders speak to NAHT’s…
- The School Leadership Podcast
An Inspiring Leadership special
This episode of NAHT’s School Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with some of the key speakers at Inspiring Leadership Conference 2022, which took…
The School Leadership PodcastCoaching for the classroom
History teacher and coach Sam Moinet speaks to the School Leadership Podcast about his experiences in the classroom and of the mental health challenges faced…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Making sense of the metrics
Husham Khan, author of the best-selling book Financial Intelligence for School Business Leaders, speaks to NAHT’s Natalie Arnett about the pressures facing…
- The School Leadership Podcast
In conversation with Ed Balls
Former secretary of state for education and cabinet minister Ed Balls reflects on his experiences of – and views on – leadership in this April 2022 episode of…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Ventilation in schools
What is the best way to ventilate a classroom, what do you need to know about CO2 monitors and are air-cleaning machines worth the investment? NAHT’s James…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Just Like Us
As part of LGBT+ History Month in 2022, hear Dominic Arnall, chief executive at LGBT+ young people's charity Just Like Us, in conversation with NAHT’s Natalie…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Talking with Tes
In this episode, Tes editor Jon Severs talks to NAHT’s James Bowen about tackling covid guidance, teachers on Twitter and Tes being a voice the profession can…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Doing the sums on school funding
What does this autumn’s budget really mean for school spending? Will schools be better off in 2022, and beyond? And what will changes in the funding formula…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Educating for equality
In this episode, hear primary head teacher and director of Educating for Equality Sabrina Edwards talk about her work supporting leaders on their journey to…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Black History Month: Betty Campbell
Geraldine Trotman, Black History Patron for Wales, reflects on the contribution of her lifelong friend, champion of multiculturalism and Wales' first Black…
- The School Leadership Podcast
An equality, diversity and inclusion special
In this episode, you’ll hear conversations that reflect on student and staff experiences of discrimination and explore how school leaders can take steps to…
- The School Leadership Podcast
A head teacher’s diary: leading a school through the pandemic
In March 2020, head teacher Alan Garnett decided to start a weekly column for a local paper chronicling the experiences of his school community as it responded…
- The School Leadership Podcast
The science of learning
What does research say about the science of learning, and what does it mean for school leaders? In a conversation that takes in his experience of working with…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Speech and language therapy in covid times
In this episode, you'll hear two perspectives on children's speech and language. Speech and language therapist Anna Sellers, who works with children in…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Swimming and schools with Olympic medalist Steve Parry
Former Olympic swimmer Steve Parry is the co-founder of Total Swimming Academies and believes every child should have the opportunity to learn and enjoy…
- The School Leadership Podcast
Football Beyond Borders
Football Beyond Borders is an education and social inclusion charity which transforms the outcomes for disadvantaged young people who are passionate about…