Sophie Smith-Tong joins James and David to discuss her book Teacher Autonomy: Where Has It Gone and Why We Need It Back – and the conversation is as rich, funny, and urgent as the title suggests.

Sophie is a teacher of 16 years and mental health and wellbeing lead, who came to the question of autonomy through noticing the human cost of a system built on fear. In this episode, she makes the case that the loss of teacher autonomy isn't just a professional grievance – it's a structural wound that affects children's learning, teachers' wellbeing, and the long-term health of the profession.

In this episode we explore:

- Why only 18% of teachers strongly agree they have freedom over how they do their work – and why Sophie thinks fear is at the root of it

- James Callaghan's 'secret garden' speech and the long arc of tightening control since the 1970s

- The 'fidelity' culture: from scripted lessons to approved emails to clocks as cognitive overload

- Why wellbeing training is a sticking plaster – and what addressing the actual disease might look like

- David's 'good tired vs bad tired' distinction, and why autonomy determines which one you get

- Sophie's definition of autonomy: not self-rule without support, but self-governance within a collective direction

- 'Aligned autonomy', 'connected autonomy', and the difference between tight purpose and loose practice

- The curriculum and assessment review: evolution when revolution was needed?

- Child autonomy in early years – and why it gets educated out of children by year one

- Peter Gray's five educative instincts: curiosity, playfulness, sociability, willfulness, and planfulness

- Practical starting points for leaders and teachers: noticing, getting curious, making small changes

-The inner work required of controlling leaders – and why self-compassion is the first step

Find Sophie:

teacherautonomy.com

mindfulnessforlearning.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mforlearning/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-smith-tong-7b3891207/

Get the book: Teacher Autonomy: Where Has It Gone and Why We Need It Back by Sophie Smith-Tong https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1032874589

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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.

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