SecEd Podcast

This episode offers a range of practical ideas, advice and teaching techniques for engaging students in the work of William Shakespeare – both in the English classroom and across the school. Produced in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the episode features a panel of experts and educators who discuss how we can make Shakespeare enjoyable for our students. We talk about Shakespeare's place across the school, in the English and drama classrooms of course, but also in other places such as the assembly hall and extra-curricular work. We offer a range of teaching tips and ways we can make Shakespeare enjoyable and engaging for students, including how we can help them to penetrate the vocabulary of Shakespeare, how Shakespeare can support oracy education, and ideas for how we can introduce Shakespeare effectively in key stage 3. Crucially, we also ask what we should avoid doing when teaching Shakespeare and ask how we can show students the relevance of Shakespeare in today's world. This episode has been produced to mark the launch of RSC's new Shakespeare Curriculum platform, which brings you the next generation of digital resources to support your teaching of Shakespeare. It is free to access for state-maintained schools and SEN schools. More details at the end of the podcast or via: www.shakespearecurriculum.com

In this discussion, Anne Peck, a seasoned educator specializing in primary leadership, Claire Duffy, a senior deputy head with a wealth of secondary education experience, and Paul Wainsworth, an education director and Ofsted expert, dive into the revised Ofsted inspection framework. They break down crucial changes such as the new 'secure fit' model and expanded evaluation areas. The importance of inclusion, effective communication during inspections, and strategies for self-evaluation and evidence presentation are explored, along with practical advice for school leaders to prepare without overwhelming staff.

In this engaging discussion, education experts Matt Bromley, Kristen Smith, and Paul Haig explore the vital themes of belonging and inclusion in secondary schools. They define what it means for students to feel valued and safe, emphasizing the importance of a strong school culture. The trio shares effective strategies for fostering relationships, improving classroom practices, and creating inclusive curricula. They also discuss how family engagement and community outreach can enhance student attendance, making belonging a key element of educational success.

Ben Newmark, an experienced school leader and adaptive teaching consultant, teams up with Amy Williams, a Director of School Improvement, to explore the ins and outs of adaptive teaching. They dive into the differences between adaptive teaching and traditional differentiation, emphasizing tailored approaches for diverse learners. Practical strategies like planned adaptations and effective use of teaching assistants are discussed, while maintaining high expectations for all students. Their insights offer valuable tools for educators aiming to enhance inclusivity and engagement in the classroom.

This episode offers a range of ideas and advice for identifying and supporting students with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in the secondary school. SLCN are the most common need for the more than 1.2 million students who are on SEN Support in England's schools – and the evidence tells us that there will be many more who are going undiagnosed. This discussion features four experts who look at identifying SLCN, screening students, and the problems of underdiagnosis and "masking" that prevent students from getting the support they need. We discuss what the signs of undiagnosed SLCN are in the classroom and the overlaps between these needs and other challenges such as SEMH, poor behaviour, and school absence. We hear about the approaches being taken in two secondary schools and discuss a range of ideas for practical interventions to help support students with SLCN in and out of the classroom. We also touch upon how we can support teaching staff in this work, including with CPD. This episode has been produced with support from our friends at Speech and Language Link.

This episode considers how teaching staff can effectively support autistic students in the classroom and across the mainstream secondary school. Our expert panel offers a range of practical insights and advice to help teachers and support staff, including teaching tips and pastoral care. We begin our discussion by busting some of the common misconceptions and myths about autism and autistic students before dissecting what makes for an autism-friendly school and classroom environment and strong inclusive practice. We discuss what schools can do to support and foster friendships and social connections for our autistic students – and how can staff build strong relationships with these young people? We touch upon Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) but also why we cannot rely on the paperwork and must engage with the young person if we are to meet their needs – taking a strength-based approach. How can teachers adapt their lessons to include their autistic students without overwhelming them – and what part does technology (including AI) play in making learning accessible for young people? We also ask what needs to change in the school environment to support proper inclusion autistic young people – including asking each of our experts for the one big change they would make in schools… Finally, we discuss the common teaching methods that make things harder for autistic students. How can teachers combine routine with the flexibility that these students need.

In this episode, we consider what makes for excellent library provision in the secondary school, including ideas for supporting literacy and curriculum delivery. We speak with four experienced and expert school library professionals to glean their advice, ideas and tips for excellent library provision. We discuss the most important elements in effective library provision and why schools should consider employing a qualified librarian as part of their provision. We consider how school librarians can work effectively with teaching staff to support whole-school teaching and learning and ideas for how librarians can engage with colleagues across the school. Of course, we focus on literacy and reading and the role libraries and school librarians have to play, including ideas for library-based initiatives, managing library stock, engaging struggling readers, and boosting reading for pleasure. And it's not just about books, we also consider the hidden roles of a school librarian, including the pastoral side. And we finish with our ideas corner when we ask each of our guests to offer their ideas for library provision that schools can adapt and adopt.

Shanti Shahal is an ITT tutor focusing on wellbeing and EDI, Tom Fisher is a senior ITT mentor from Orchard School Bristol, and Elizabeth Jobling leads early careers at Five Dimensions Trust. They delve into the new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, emphasizing the importance of SEND and inclusive practices. The panel shares practical advice for new teachers, including job application tips and strategies for managing transition from trainee to ECT. They also discuss essential mentor qualities and how to effectively support newcomers in the school environment.

To celebrate the 100th edition of the SecEd Podcast this episode counts down our top 10 most popular podcasts of all time. Have you listened to them all? Launched in early 2020, the SecEd Podcast has been on air for five years and to mark episode 100 podcast co-hosts Pete Henshaw and Matt Bromley reveal our top 10 most listened to episodes – interspersed with clips and highlights from each one. Without giving the game away, themes include oracy education, senior and middle leadership, quality first teaching, classroom management, Pupil Premium, inclusion and SEN, and much, much more. Matt and Pete also pick out their own favourite episodes from the last five years. All these episodes and indeed all of our 100 episodes are available to listen back to via the SecEd website – www.sec-ed.co.uk/podcast – or via your streaming service of choice. Our thanks to you – the teachers and educators of the UK – for listening. Here's to the next 100 episodes!

This episode looks at the opportunities and risks presented by the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. We speak to three experts who are working in schools to develop AI in effective and safe ways. We kick off the discussion by asking our panel to list what they consider to be the three biggest benefits of AI in schools and the three biggest risks/threats. We then look at whole-school AI strategy and policy. What does a good AI strategy look like and what elements need to be included in a school's AI policy? What does effective staff training look like? How should education around AI be fed into the curriculum? What kind of "rules" need to be in place? And what does Ofsted have to say about AI? We also talk AI in the classroom. How might teachers use AI in their lesson-planning and resource-creation? We discuss a number of ideas for using AI to create resources/plan lessons. Also, what risks should teachers be aware of when using AI? What pitfalls do teachers need to avoid? We talk about diversity in resource-creation, the pitfalls of prompt engineering, and data protection. We name drop a few resources that our panel are using with success, and we end the podcast with their biggest "lessons learned" so far and their final reflections.