In this special episode, Dr James Mannion and The Real David Cameron take a look at the education systems in the four nations of the United Kingdom and ask: what can we learn from one another? Graham Donaldson has been central to development in Scotland as chief inspector, advising government as well as leading on quality assurance. And remarkably he has also been central to the development of Curriculum for Wales in the role of chief adviser to the Welsh Government. Tony Gallagher, from Queens University Belfast, has made a massive contribution to education in Northern Ireland and internationally. He is best known for his work on education in divided societies, a subject that, sadly, continues to be of vital importance. Lena Carter is the headteacher of two schools in Scotland, Glassary and Tayvallich, in Argyll and Bute, a challenge that Lena embraces with real energy, passion and a tremendous commitment to meeting every pupil’s needs. And Lucy Kirkham teaches geography at Bassaleg Comprehensive school near Newport in Wales. Lucy has a considerable track record in Environmental Education and has been a real driving force behind a series of conferences where young people can engage with the climate emergency on their terms. LINKS Follow Graham - https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-donaldson-b8a9ba43 Follow Lena - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-carter-27748a39/ Follow Lucy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-kirkham-9b8699279/ Follow Tony - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-gallagher-a845ab9/ Follow David - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cameron-72061a15/ Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/

This episode features an astonishing conversation by two remarkable educators, Hywel Roberts and Tim Taylor. Tim kindly stepped in as a guest host for this episode, to explore some of the big ideas that underpin Hywel’s excellent book, Botheredness: Stories, stance, pedagogy. LINKS Buy Botheredness - https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/botheredness Follow Hywel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hywel-roberts-67ba032b/ Follow Tim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-taylor-50358439/ Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact. SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Joining the conversation are Debra Kidd, an author focused on hopeful learning environments, and Clare Whyles, a dedicated deputy head with 25 years at St. Ebbe’s Primary School. They dive into the essential roles of compassion, creativity, and community in education, sharing insights on fostering hope and well-being. The impact of storytelling in engaging students and the need for curricular innovation are also highlighted, alongside personal reflections on collaboration and resilience in schooling. Together, they envision a vibrant and joyful educational landscape.

Welcome to this episode in which we get to know our new cohost, The Real David Cameron! David Cameron is an incredible educator, public speaker and human being whose work I have admired for many years now. He has been a teacher, a senior manager in schools and in local authorities, most recently as Director of Children’s Services for Stirling Council. He was President of the Association of Directors of Education Scotland and has been centrally involved in virtually every major development in Scottish education over the last 40 years. More recently he has been an independent speaker and consultant working across the UK and internationally. LINKS About David: https://therealdavidcameron.net/about Buy Unfinished Business: https://amzn.to/49G5Uid Buy Making Change Stick: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Change-Stick-Implementing-Improvement/dp/1398387487 Subscribe to James’s Substack newsletters (which alternate fortnightly) Rethinking Education: https://drjamesmannion.substack.com Making Change Stick: https://makingchangestick.substack.com Repost about the book launch to be in with a change of winning prizes: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rethinkingjames.bsky.social/post/3lffz7ygg722y Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7283574500909088768/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@drjamesmannion/post/DEqIRjlMHEv X: https://x.com/RethinkingJames/status/1878060170397286715 Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact. SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

In this episode I’m speaking with Mick Waters and David Cameron, two of the editors of a wonderful new book Unfinished Business: The life and legacy of Sir Tim Brighouse - a tribute and a call to action. It’s a long title and rightly so - there’s a lot to say about Tim and about the ideas he pursued throughout his remarkable career. Mick Waters is a former head teacher who works closely with teachers and leaders in schools, MATs and local authorities to support the development of teaching approaches and curriculum to ensure the best learning outcomes for children. For some years he was Director of Curriculum for England, based at the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA), and before that held the post of Chief Education Officer for the City of Manchester. He is also invited to work at a policy level with government in different parts of the world. David Cameron has been a teacher, a senior manager in schools and in local authorities, most recently as Director of Children’s Services for Stirling Council. He was President of the Association of Directors of Education Scotland and has been centrally involved in virtually every major development in Scottish education over the last 40 years. More recently he has been an independent speaker and consultant working across the UK and internationally. LINKS Buy Unfinished Business: https://amzn.to/49G5Uid Buy ‘About Our Schools’ https://amzn.to/4ivsKgF Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact. SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Clare Sealy currently works as the Head of Education Improvement for the states of Guernsey. Prior to this, she was the Headteacher of St Matthias Primary School in Tower Hamlets for 22 years. In 2018, the Times Education Supplement named her as one of the 10 most influential people in the world of education. In 2022, Clare was awarded an OBE for services to education. Oracy – in case you’re unfamiliar with the term – was coined in 1965 to put spoken language firmly on the map, giving it equal status to written literacy and numeracy. Fast forward nearly 60 years, and we’re still having this conversation. Just last month, the Oracy Education Commission published a report suggesting that oracy should be recognised as the ‘fourth R’ – alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic. It’s a sentiment I wholeheartedly support. These days, oracy is often thought of as having three dimensions: learning to talk, learning through talk, and learning about talk. If that idea intrigues you, the Oracy Cambridge website is full of thought-provoking blogs. Recently, the Oracy Cambridge team published a collective response to the Oracy Education Commission’s report, offering this updated definition: ‘Oracy is the ability to use the skills of speaking, listening, and non-verbal communication for a wide range of purposes.’ Oracy is very much in the spotlight at the moment, especially here in the UK. The Labour government has repeatedly signalled a renewed emphasis on spoken language and communication skills, and we’re already seeing this shift in schools and classrooms. I think it’s an incredibly welcome change – though, as with any policy, not everyone agrees. Clare and I get into some of these differing perspectives in this episode. Clare and I also discuss a fascinating blog she wrote, titled ‘Talking floats on a sea of write’ – a clever inversion of James Britton’s famous statement that ‘writing floats on a sea of talk’. I found her ideas so compelling that I asked her to join me for this conversation – and, well, here we are! LINKS Clare’s article that prompted this discussion: https://hwrkmagazine.co.uk/talking-floats-on-a-sea-of-write/ Clare’s blog: https://primarytimery.com/ Clare on X: https://x.com/claresealy Oracy Cambridge: https://oracycambridge.org/ Oracy Education COmmission report, We Need To Talk: https://oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/oec-report/ Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact. SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

In this episode, my guest is Sir Anthony Seldon – a figure who truly needs no introduction in education. However, for those less familiar with his remarkable contributions, here’s a bit of context. Anthony has held some of the most influential roles in education, most recently as headmaster of Epsom College. Before this, he served as vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham and was headmaster at Wellington College and Brighton College – among many other roles. Beyond his leadership in education, Anthony is a widely published author and renowned biographer, especially of political figures. For over 40 years, he has written extensively about British prime ministers, an 'impossible office,' as he titled one of his books. His most recent book was the number one Sunday Times bestseller, Truss at 10: How Not to Be Prime Minister - a hair raising read if ever there was one. Anthony has written on education as well, including his thought-provoking The Fourth Education Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Liberate or Infantilise Humanity? I recorded this conversation at Epsom College last year, prior to the latest change in government. Fittingly, this was also the day Sir Keir Starmer – then Leader of the Opposition – announced Labour’s intention to prioritise oracy in education, a topic we explore in depth. Our conversation is wide-ranging and rich with insights: we discuss oracy, why spoken language skills often flourish more in private schools than in state schools, the essential role of agency in education and life, and the transformative impact of meditation – a daily practice that both Anthony and I find invaluable. LINKS Anthony on X: https://x.com/anthonyseldon Truss at 10: https://linktr.ee/trussat10 Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact. SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Welcome to the Rethinking Education podcast! In this episode I spoke with Curtis James from Class Divide, campaign group which recently ran a successful campaign to change the school admissions code in Brighton and Hove. But if anyone is looking at their local schools and thinking ‘School X has 15% of pupils eligible for free school meals, and School Y has over 60%. This doesn’t seem right. I wonder if there’s anything we can do to change that?” Well, there is - and in this episode, Curtis will explain how! LINKS Class Divide website: https://www.classdivide.co.uk/ Give us a (lovely!) review: https://www.tinyurl.com/raterepod Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI “Let’s Rethinking Education” jingle: Rocktopus DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact. SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Welcome to the first episode of Season 5 of the Rethinking Education podcast! As you may be aware, Estonia has consistently been the highest performing European country in the PISA assessments in recent years. This episode features my recent conversation with Gunda Tire, Head of International Assessments (PISA & TALIS) at Estonian Education and Youth Board. Gunda very generously gave me almost 2 hours of her time to take a whirlwind tour around the Estonian education system - early childhood, curriculum, assessment, inspection (or the lack of it) - behaviour, attendance, technology - you name it, we cover it. In many cases, you’ll see that Estonia does things quite differently to how we do things in the UK. While you can’t just cut and paste education policies from one country to another and expect them to work effortlessly - there is plenty of food for thought here which I hope the Labour education team will give some serious thought to. LINKS Free lunches, brain breaks and happy teachers: why Estonia has the best schools in Europe: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/27/free-lunches-brain-breaks-and-happy-teachers-why-estonia-has-the-best-schools-in-europe Gunda TIRE: "Estonians believe in education, and this belief has been essential for centuries": https://english.caucasianjournal.org/2020/02/gunda-tire-estonians-believe-in.html Gunda Tire - What is Estonia doing right? Presentation about PISA results for Estonia. British Council Education Conference: https://vimeo.com/207516457 Give us a (lovely!) review: https://www.tinyurl.com/raterepod Outro track: 'How it is and how it should be' by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI “Let’s Rethinking Education” jingle: https://www.rocktopusmusic.com/ DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod

Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 100 scientific papers and 9 books, and the co-author of a further 6 books. His books have been published in 28 languages. And on ResearchGate, the largest scientific and academic online network, his Research Interest Score places him in the top 4% of scientists. It’s fair to say that Rupert is something of a controversial figure. This can be seen in the response to his first major work A New Science of Life, published in 1981, in which advanced the hypothesis of morphic resonance, the idea that there’s a kind of memory in nature. As we discuss in this episode, this book was described somewhat illiberally – on the front cover of Nature, no less, the world’s leading science journal – as a “book for burning”. It’s also fair to say that the controversy surrounding Rupert’s work has not really abated since then. Rupert’s work largely focuses on asking questions that probe at the edges of the materialist understanding of reality. This can be seen in his later books ‘seven experiments that could change the world, dogs that know when their owners are coming home, and the sense of being stared at. In this conversation we mainly discuss Rupert’s two most recent books, Science and Spiritual Practices and Ways to Go Beyond And Why They Work. This is a fascinating conversation in which we discuss the rather peculiar fashion within science education for using the passive voice - a test tube was taken, rather than I took a test tube… The horrors of being a biophile working in animal vivisection, an experience Rupert and I share… The way in which nature is structured as a kind of hierarchy of nested wholes - w h o l e s - each nested within the next level up… the way in which materialism eats itself… and what Rupert describes as the moral vacuum at the heart of education… and the fact that cancel culture is nothing new, and has in fact existed within science for several decades. Lots more fascinating controversy in other words. It’s rather a lot to squeeze into an hour, I’m sure you’ll agree. LINKS Rupert’s website - https://www.sheldrake.org/ Rupert’s (banned) TEDx talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TerTgDEgUE British Pilgrimage - www.britishpilgrimage.org An interesting blog where Rupert responds to TED’s claims about his talk: https://blog.ted.com/open-for-discussion-graham-hancock-and-rupert-sheldrake/ Give us a (lovely!) review: https://www.tinyurl.com/raterepod Sign up for the Rethinking Ed Round-up: https://www.rethinkinged.beehiiv.com DON'T BE A STRANGER The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod