Teach Sleep Repeat

Our chat with Sophie morphed into a marathon conversation, so we are back with week with part 2 that is all about the Key Stage 2 SATs. Sophie is a SATs data guru and talks us through past patterns and what we are likely to see this year. She shares some super insight into what's needed to pass the tests & what to prioritise. We talk more deeply about whether testing in general is worthwhile, and the cons to the papers. We also discuss the open secret in education that is the sheer amount of schools who cheat when it comes to the tests. Teachers being told to tell children when they've got a question wrong, opening test packs early, or even outright doing questions for the children... You name it, it's happened. Follow us on Instagram: @teachsleeprepeatpodcast

Sophie B joins us as our first ever return guest on the podcast. Last time we spoke, Sophie was on maternity leave. Now, she has returned to work and is navigating parenthood whilst also getting back into the swing of things at school. We chat about how tricky it is returning to work, how you HAVE to learn to say no and stop working, and how job sharing has many pros and cons. What did you think of the episode? Let us know! Follow us on Instagram: @TeachSleepRepeatPodcast

Over the years, the narrative has changed as more and more research became available. The overarching thought now is that setting in primary schools is not the way forward and that instead we should teach mixed-ability classes across the board. But does this work in reality? What are the drawbacks? What is the ultimate best way to teach children? We talk about the evidence, the lived experience, and all the possible options in detail during this episode. Let us know what you think. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachsleeprepeatpodcast Key Ideas Taking care of one's health is crucial for teachers to perform their best. Handwriting is an important skill that should be given dedicated time and attention in the curriculum. Teaching foundational skills in math, such as time-telling and mental arithmetic, is essential for students' overall mathematical understanding. Certain areas of the curriculum, such as time-telling skills and reading time, are often disregarded but are important life skills. The priorities in the curriculum should be re-evaluated to focus on skills that are relevant and beneficial for students' future. Research suggests that setting in maths can have a marginal impact on attainment, with higher ability students benefiting more. Teacher opinion is valuable in the decision-making process for setting, and tests can be used to support or inform decisions. An ideal school system for setting involves considering the needs of individual students and using a combination of teacher opinion and empirical data. An individualized approach to education is crucial, taking into account each student's needs and abilities. School culture plays a significant role in creating a positive learning environment. Sets should be fluid and based on ongoing assessment rather than predetermined. Differentiation by outcome and support are important strategies for meeting students' needs. Both mixed ability and setting have benefits and challenges, and a hybrid approach may be most effective. Real-world skills and experiences should be incorporated into education. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Hayden's Illness 00:39 The Importance of Handwriting 03:23 Teaching Foundational Skills 05:19 Disregarded Areas of the Curriculum 06:36 Differences in Pronunciation 08:49 Teaching Small Goals and Celebrating Progress 09:31 Finding Time for Handwriting 10:00 Explaining the Purpose of Handwriting 11:26 The Impact of Laser-Focused Teaching 13:37 Disregarded Foundational Math Skills 16:09 The Importance of Time-Telling Skills 19:09 Re-evaluating the Curriculum Priorities 21:28 Future Episode on SATs and School Struggles 22:28 Instagram poll 24:04 Setting in primary schools 27:01 Takeaways from the Instagram poll 28:29 The debate on setting in maths and English 30:01 The impact of setting on attainment 32:25 The benefits of setting in maths 34:36 The challenges of mixed ability in maths 38:16 The benefits of mixed ability in English 41:23 The challenges of mixed ability in English 43:10 The dilemma of setting and the role of teacher opinion 45:05 The decision-making process for setting 47:07 Setting in an ideal school system 47:55 Mixed Ability vs. Setting 48:29 Individualized Approach 48:56 Importance of School Culture 49:24 Fluidity of Sets 50:20 Realistic Approach 51:15 Negative Effects of Mixed Ability 52:07 Differentiation 53:25 Differentiation by Outcome 54:10 Differentiation by Support 55:08 Limitations of Differentiation 56:07 Benefits and Challenges of Setting 59:19 Differentiation in the Past 01:00:17 Differentiation by Size 01:00:38 Differentiation by Support 01:01:50 Limitations of Differentiation by Support 01:06:01 Realism vs. Idealism 01:10:38 Example of Effective Streaming 01:11:46 Reacting to Children's Needs 01:12:36 Importance of Support in Education 01:13:06 Broadening Horizons 01:14:22 Importance of Real-World Skills 01:15:20 Summary and Call for Stories

Following on from the discussion what exactly the role of a teacher is in last week's episode, we flip the narrative this time and discuss exactly what learning children should be doing at home. Times tables? Complex problem solving? Grammar and punctuation? Endless projects? What's actually useful? What's a waste of time? What might contradict what's going on in school? Join us for a good chat where we set out what children should be doing at home, what to prioritise, and what to avoid completely. Follow us on Instagram: @teachsleeprepeatpodcast

This week, we saw a study where half of parents felt it wasn't solely their responsibility to toilet train their children. Labour want to introduce teeth brushing to primary schools. What exactly is too much to ask for teachers? We discuss it all in this week's episode, and more! Join us on Instagram and let us know what you think. www.instagram.com/teachsleeprepeatpodcast

Doing a podcast about education during the most turbulent year in memory (strikes, funding crisis, retention and recruitment issues) is bound to throw up some negativity. This week, we thought we'd focus solely on what keeps us coming back to the job. Why do we still love it? Why haven't we quit, if things are so gloom and doom. We come up with our top reasons why teaching is still a great job and what makes us feel good about the profession. Let us know what you think. Instagram: @TeachSleepRepeatPodcast

Teaching is consistently placed in the top 5 most stressful jobs there are. Burnout feels inevitable. With the wrong school & policy in place, it's practically impossible to avoid. However.... We do have control of enough in our job to help. Even just a bit. Here we talk about our top 6 actionable tips to avoid burnout. We do these ourselves & they've had an impact! We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think. Instagram: @teachsleeprepeatpodcast

Writing assessment is broken. Ridiculously high bar for children to reach; a moderation procedure open to fudging; increasing pressure to meet certain end goals. Should we go back to formal tests? Is there a way to fix teacher assessment? Why are 'Published' pieces of a work a complete waste of time? Find out all that and more in this week's episode! Instagram: @teachsleeprepeatpodcast Bew report (2011): chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7a4d2b40f0b66a2fc015ab/Review-KS2-Testing_final-report.pdf

Join us for a chat about the current state of OFSTED in schools and the committee report into what needs to happen to change the horrific narrative around school inspections. What are the main problems currently? What are the most important and urgent changes we need? Is the new chief inspector serious about change? Hope you enjoy the talk! Let us know what you think on Instagram. Find us at @teachsleeprepeatpodcast

School absence is at crisis-level post-pandemic and doesn't seem to be budging much. We chat about the underlying causes, why playing the blame game won't help & what are the actionable steps that need to be taken to solve it. We look at a cross-party committee report from the House of Commons and the suggestions it made to the government. The fining system is limited and doesn't seem to be doing the job. Instead, it impacts low-income households disproportionately. What's the solution? Join us for a good chat! Follow us on Instagram: @teachsleeprepeatpodcast