Edufuturists

What if the biggest problem in schools isn't teachers resisting change, it's that they're never given enough safety to try it?

In this episode, Ben and Steve are joined by Grant Wootten, founder of Edusfere, to unpack why so much of a teacher's best work disappears the moment they leave a classroom and what it would take to stop the cycle.

Grant spent a decade teaching in Southeast Asia, first with a nonprofit in rural Thailand and then at an international school in Bangkok, before founding Edusfere: a platform built to capture and preserve the instructional knowledge teachers create every day. He's recently relocated to the UK to lead Edusfere's expansion into the UK market.

We cover:

- Why teachers become "islands" and how decades of instructional knowledge gets lost every time someone leaves the profession

- The real reason schools resist change and why psychological safety, not disruption, has to come first

- What Grant believes is genuinely the hardest part of being a teacher today

- Why EdTech should meet teachers where they already are instead of chasing flashy new features

- A live debate: should the teacher or the learner sit at the centre of EdTech design?

- Whether human-to-human "formation" is automatically better than a machine's and a story that complicates the answer

- Why fear of conflict is quietly holding back adoption in education

- How to bring your most resistant, most experienced teachers along for the ride

Why listen?

If you've ever watched brilliant teaching disappear into a filing cabinet or a departing colleague's laptop, this conversation names the problem precisely and makes the case that fixing it isn't about ripping up what works, but about giving teachers the safety net to build on it. Expect a genuinely sharp disagreement about whether AI or humans should sit at the centre of education, and a story from Ben that will make you think twice about assuming human-led always beats machine-led.

Chapters

00:00 Highlights

01:30 Welcome back and the Wolfpack community update

03:25 Meet Grant Wootten: from Thai classrooms to EdTech founder

05:25 What is Edusfere and why target the UK market

07:53 Teachers are islands: the knowledge that gets lost every year

08:48 Ben's story: planning in silos at school

10:26 The hardest part of being a teacher today

15:51 Creating psychological safety before disruption

23:51 The role of EdTech in driving culture change

29:27 Should the teacher not the learner be at the centre?

33:26 Is human formation always a force for good?

38:36 Why we're afraid of conflict, and what it costs education

41:42 Bringing veteran, resistant teachers along

46:36 Three quick-fire questions with Grant

Find out more about Edusfere

Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.

Ben & Steve x

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Is kindness in school leadership a weakness, or is it the one thing that actually stops your best teachers walking out the door?

In this episode of the podcast, Ben Whitaker and Steve Hope sit down with Joanna Povall, principal, COBIS lead improvement partner, and author of Kind Leadership: Leading Schools with Empathy, Honesty and Impact. Joanna has spent 30 years in education across the UK, France and the UAE, including running a school through genuine crisis conditions in Abu Dhabi, and now carries out school accreditation visits everywhere from Tokyo to Ascension Island.

We cover:

- Why Joanna wrote Kind Leadership after coming close to burnout in a school that turned toxic almost overnight

- The difference between being nice and being kind, and why people confuse the two

- - The Al Capone quote that shaped the whole book, and what it reveals about legacy and leadership

The CHASE framework: Communication, Honesty, Accountability, Self-esteem and Ego

- What COBIS accreditation actually looks like when it's done as a relationship, not an inspection

- Whether leaders can be both liked and respected

- Why teacher and headteacher retention is a leadership problem before it's anything else

- Being kind to yourself, and the story behind the now-famous red jacket

If you lead people, manage a team, or have ever worried that being kind makes you look weak, this conversation will change how you think about it. Joanna makes a compelling, funny, and occasionally uncomfortable case that kindness and accountability were never opposites.

Chapters

00:00 Highlights

02:20 Welcome to the Edufuturists Podcast

04:14 Meet Joanna Povall: from Manchester to Abu Dhabi

06:11 Moving into international school leadership

08:53 A melting pot of cultures and communities

11:14 Inside COBIS: what accreditation really looks like

14:23 Why accreditation should build relationships, not fear

20:10 Introducing the book: Kind Leadership

20:41 The toxic experience that inspired the book

25:38 Kindness vs weakness: the Al Capone question

32:41 The CHASE Framework explained

37:31 The red jacket story: kindness to yourself

39:11 Can leaders be liked and respected?

48:48 Being kind to yourself as a leader

54:00 Quickfire Questions

Grab a copy of Joanna's book

Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.

Ben & Steve x

Check out all about Edufuturists

Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?

Get in touch

Grab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

Join the Edufuturists Wolfpack

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, we chat with Andrew Young, social sciences teacher, co-director of a Teaching School Hub in York, and author of Adaptive Teaching: Culture to Classroom, published by Crown House. Andrew has spent 14 years in education, from an unexpectedly early stint as deputy head of sixth form in London to his current role co-leading a hub supporting 250 schools a year across coastal, rural and urban North Yorkshire.We cover:- Why adaptive teaching depends on the local context a school sits in, not a one-size-fits-all playbook- What an inclusive classroom actually looks like when you strip away the jargon- Why high challenge has to be matched with high support, and how "we" beats "me"- The exam overload facing GCSE students and what it's doing to cognitive load- Why the curriculum needs more breadth: arts, dance, computing, AI and citizenship- The hidden financial barriers that stop disadvantaged pupils accessing enrichment- Why success shouldn't be measured by grades alone, and what schools can do instead- The four ingredients of adaptive teaching: culture, brains, teaching and curriculum- The danger of deficit language and labelling pupils by what they can't doIf you've ever wondered why some pupils switch off from school entirely, or you want practical ways to make classrooms work for every learner regardless of the label attached to them, this conversation gives you a genuine framework rather than another vague call to "differentiate more."Chapters00:00 Highlights01:53 Welcome to the podcast04:46 Andrew Young joins the show05:26 Andrew's journey into teaching08:12 Life as a Teaching School Hub co-director10:20 Why context matters for adaptive teaching15:57 Socialisation, homeschooling and alternative paths22:24 What does an inclusive classroom actually look like24:46 High challenge, high support and the power of "we"31:13 Rethinking a one-size-fits-all curriculum32:37 "Too many vegetarians dining in steakhouses"35:02 Assessment overload and broadening the curriculum37:21 Enrichment, disadvantage and hidden barriers41:34 Alternative pathways and shifting what success means44:03 Milestones, character and personal development47:23 The four ingredients of adaptive teaching53:37 Labels, deficit language and cognitive load55:19 Quickfire questions57:31 Wrap up and where to find the bookGrab a copy of Andrew's bookThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education bookJoin the Edufuturists Wolfpack

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, Ben gets to sit down with AI pioneer and award-winning school leader Matthew Wemyss to unpack what AI literacy actually looks like when you stop treating it as a bolt-on subject and start building it into lessons teachers are already planning.Guest introMatthew Wemyss is Assistant School Director at the Cambridge School of Bucharest, a former Edufuturists AI Pioneer award winner, and founder of the AIDucation conference. He's the author of AI guides for teachers, students and (soon) parents, and creator of the AI Lit Kit - a tool that maps AI literacy activities directly onto existing lesson plans and curriculum standards.We cover:- Life inside a British international school in Bucharest and what makes international school culture different- Growing the AI Education conference from three workshops to hundreds of attendees, and what's next for 2027- Writing AI guides for teachers, students and now parents and why the tools change but the principles don't- Inside the AI Lit Kit: turning existing lesson plans into AI literacy opportunities without adding a new initiative- Navigating the EU AI Act, evolving deepfake definitions, and what schools are legally responsible for- Why "just try it and see what breaks" beats waiting for permissionWhy listenIf you're a school leader, teacher or parent trying to work out how AI literacy, compliance and everyday classroom practice actually fit together, without piling another initiative onto an already packed calendar, this conversation gives you a practical, grounded way to think about it, from someone living the compliance side and the classroom side at once.Chapters00:00 Highlights01:53 Welcome and Edufuturists updates03:59 Matthew's route into teaching09:03 Life in a British international school in Bucharest20:29 Building the AI Education conference25:53 Writing AI guides for teachers, students and parents30:36 Inside the AI Lit Kit38:30 Is AI illiteracy the real problem?42:39 EU AI Act, deepfakes and AI governance in schools49:34 Quick-fire questions53:12 Wrap-up and what's nextGrab a copy of Matthew's new AI book (which he wrote with Ben!)Check out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education bookJoin the Wolfpack - our annual membership

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Alexandra Levit and Stephanie Loeck for a conversation about whether youth unemployment is really a "crisis" and what we should be doing about it either way. Alexandra Levit is a workforce futurist who has spent over two decades tracking the disconnect between what education provides and what employers actually need. Stephanie Loeck is VP of Strategic Development at GPS Education Partners, a nonprofit that bridges education and industry through work-based learning, a model borne out of a very real local talent 'crisis' rather than theory. Together they've co-written Make School Work: Solving the American Youth Employment Crisis Through Work-Based Learning, and their combined lens - one futurist, one practitioner - is exactly what makes this conversation land. We cover: - Whether youth unemployment is a genuine "crisis" or a slower-moving "wicked problem" - The demographic cliff, labour shortages, and the "twindemic" reshaping the future workforce - Why this is as much a moral and equity issue as an economic one - The "presentist" trap - why business adapts fast and education doesn't, and what that costs young people - Why "preparing young people for work" is the wrong goal and what to aim for instead - AI, curiosity, and the "four A's" of authentic work-based learning- Real examples of applying work-based learning thinking to your own kids' choices Whether you're a parent, teacher, school or college leader, or someone shaping policy around education and work, this episode will change how you think about what young people actually need to be ready for their future. Chapters 00:00 Highlights 01:16 Welcome to the podcast 02:49 Meet the guests 03:09 Alexandra Levit: workforce futurist 06:12 Stephanie Loeck: GPS Education Partners 09:27 Crisis or wicked problem? 13:07 The moral and equity crisis underneath it all 14:34 Presentism: why business and education move at different speeds 17:00 Why GPS Ed was built to solve a real local talent crisis 20:43 Inside the Make School Work framework 27:27 Anxiety, agency, and what work-based learning is really for 30:24 Preparing young people for the world, not just for work 34:33 AI, UBI, and the future of work 40:48 Applying work-based learning to your own kids 43:13 Curiosity beyond employment 45:55 AI and the four A's of work-based learning 50:28 Quick fire questionsThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about Edufuturists

Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

What if the one thing standing between a child and a lifetime of struggle is simply which adult happened to notice them today?Turning down a pro wrestling contract to study Shakespeare isn't the usual route into running a multi-academy trust but nothing about Stephen Steinhaus's journey has followed the usual route, and that's exactly why this conversation is so good. Stephen is co-founder and CEO of the Solihull AP Multi-Academy Trust, and on this episode he sits down with us to talk about what actually gets him up in the morning: a genuine, fired-up belief that permanent exclusion isn't inevitable, and that every single person in a school - from the cleaner to the CEO - has the power to change a child's trajectory. From Chicago Bears fandom to Falstaff, from a heritage archive project that changed his career to the hard truths about what happens to kids after they're permanently excluded, this one covers a lot of ground. And yes, there's a quick fire round at the end. Yes, he smashes it. We cover: - Stephen's route from American football and professional wrestling to Shakespeare scholarship and teaching - How a heritage archive project called "Other People's Children" reshaped his whole approach to education - The real statistics behind permanent exclusion in the UK and why they should make you angry - Why "alternative provision" should really just be called "provision" - The JFK/NASA mindset - why every role in a school, not just teachers, is a difference-maker - Rethinking behaviour policies: culture, language, and moving away from a punishment-first mindset- Practical starting points for anyone dealing with complex behaviour in mainstream, AP or special settingChapters 00:00 Highlights 01:33 Welcome to the podcast (and Ben's brand new overshirt) 02:50 Meet Stephen Steinhaus 03:55 From Chicago to Solihull: building an AP trust 08:03 Turning down a wrestling contract to study Shakespeare 18:15 How Shakespeare led to alternative provision 23:14 The "Other People's Children" project that changed everything 29:20 The truth about permanent exclusion 39:33 Every role matters: the JFK/NASA mindset 50:51 Rethinking behaviour: culture, language and leadership 59:09 Quick Fire QuestionsFind out more about StephenRead his Let’s tackle the SEND exclusion crisis one child at a time articleThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touch Grab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

What if the most important people in your school or college never set foot in a classroom?In this milestone 350th episode of the Edufuturists podcast, we sit down with Chris Loveday for a conversation years in the making - one that reframes who really drives an education organisation.Chris Loveday is Deputy Principal for Digital, Data and Funding at City of Portsmouth College, and the author of Operational Intelligence: The Power of Digital, Data and AI. His route into education leadership is anything but conventional - from leisure assistant on a school site, to running a 5,000-capacity music festival, to senior leadership in schools, sixth form and FE. That breadth is exactly what makes his thinking on systems, data and AI so distinctive.We cover:- Why "co-professionals" - the people who support learning beyond the classroom - are often the unsung backbone of education- The real value and untapped potential of Further Education in the UK- Why schools and colleges are "data rich but insight poor" and how to fix it- Using live data and AI to spot at-risk learners early and actually measure whether interventions work- Moving from "can we?" to "should we?" - guardrails, ethics and red-teaming AI in education- Building one of the UK's first student digital assistants - safely, at scale, for 5,000 students- Practical first steps: auditing legacy systems, writing a digital strategy, and getting an AI policy in place- Freeing humans up to be human by automating the mundaneWhether you're a teacher, school or college leader, EdTech professional, or someone working in operations, IT, data or finance, this episode will change how you think about the systems that hold education together and the people who run them.Chapters00:00 Highlights01:49 Welcome to Episode 35002:57 Meet Chris Loveday: an unconventional journey into education06:30 What is FE — and why it matters more than people realise11:29 Running a 5,000-capacity music festival13:23 Challenging convention and the power of rebel ideas16:28 Why he wrote Operational Intelligence — and why now18:44 Data rich, insight poor: the problem with education data23:30 Data with context: the story behind the numbers25:10 AI, natural language and at-risk early warning systems28:19 IT as a service: ego, vision and working in tandem38:25 From "can we?" to "should we?": ethics and guardrails42:14 Building one of the UK's first student digital assistants45:10 Solving the workforce crisis: freeing humans to be human49:55 Practical first steps you can take tomorrow53:07 Quickfire questionsThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.

Ben & Steve xFind out more about ChrisGet a copy of his latest book, Operational IntelligenceCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, Ben and Steve sit down with Shahneila Saeed for an extended version of a conversation that began at the Brilliant Festival. They dig into why play-based learning is rigorous pedagogy, how computing can be taught without a single computer, and what the games industry can teach the classroom about preparing young people for the world as it actually is.

Shahneila Saeed is Head of Education at Ukie, the trade association for the UK's video games industry, and the founder and director of the Digital Schoolhouse programme. A former IT and computing teacher, she is also the author of How to Raise a Tech Genius.

We cover:

• Why play is serious pedagogy, not a break from real learning
• How "Just Dance with the Algorithm" teaches programming concepts through dance
• Teaching in-game AI with nothing more than a playground and some beach balls
• The classroom with no computers that reshaped Shahneila's entire approach
• Motivation, failure, and the problem with the GCSE "finish line"
• Whether schools are really preparing children for the jobs that exist right now
• What industry actually says about the skills graduates are missing
• Game IP in the classroom, and how to use it without losing the pedagogy
• Digital Schoolhouse as a bridge between the games industry and education
• How parents can support computing and tech learning at home, including free resources

Whether you're a teacher, school leader, edtech professional, or a parent trying to make sense of your child's screen time, this conversation will change how you think about play, computing, and the gap between school and the real world. Expect practical, low-cost ideas you can use on Monday morning, free resources you can access today, and a sharp case for why engagement has to come before assessment.

Chapters:

00:00 Highlights

02:01 Welcome and the new Edufuturists book

03:42 From IT teacher to Ukie and Digital Schoolhouse

06:02 The classroom with no computers

10:36 Why play is serious pedagogy

12:56 Just Dance with the Algorithm

15:13 Teaching game AI with a game of dodgeball

16:24 Motivation, failure and the GCSE "finish line"

24:01 Computational thinking at home

27:44 Are we preparing kids for jobs that exist now?

28:34 What industry really says about graduate skills

32:08 What is Game IP and why it works in the classroom

36:14 Digital Schoolhouse as a bridge to industry

41:10 Parents, tech and the home conversation

46:14 Quick-fire questions

Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.

Ben & Steve x

Book  a Digital Schoolhouse workshop

Digital Schoolhouse free computing resources

Digital Schoolhouse Playful Computing Conference
Check out all about Edufuturists

Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

In this episode, Ben and Steve sit down with Professor Sara de Freitas for an extended conversation following their meeting at the Brilliant Festival in Liverpool. It's a wide-ranging discussion about immersive learning, the bloated curriculum, serious games, assessment reform, and why the UK's response to AI in education has been so fractured.Sara is one of the few people to have led at every level of education. She's an international researcher in digital technologies who set up three research labs, including the Serious Games Institute at Coventry University. She's served as Deputy Vice Chancellor in both Australia and the UK, ran the largest school in the UK during lockdown (including a separate provision for excluded children), and is currently a governor at the University of Sunderland. In June 2024 she founded Waypoint, building immersive, co-designed classroom tools with teachers and partners including the UK Space Agency.We cover:- Why universities pivoted seamlessly during COVID while primary schools struggled, and what that reveals about infrastructure and mindset- The "bloated curriculum" problem: too much content, not enough time for skills, creativity, and group work- Serious games and game-based learning, from Sara's 2010 study to today's evidence base- Why data alone never changes minds, and the hearts-and-minds work every transformation needs- The false binary of rigour versus fun, and why good teachers refuse to choose- The generational split that made boards, not teachers, the real blockers to innovation- Why the UK's AI in education response is so inconsistent, and the strange logic of "students can use AI but teachers can't"- Sara's blended pedagogic model (learn, explore, apply, reflect) and the case for cutting curriculum by a third- Connecting primary, secondary, FE, and HE on one safe, shared backbone- Three quick-fire questions to close, including what would change if schools were judged like restaurantsWhy listen? If you're a teacher, school leader, or anyone working in EdTech and wondering how to move past the AI panic and the curriculum overload toward something genuinely better, this conversation offers both the research and the realism. Sara has lived every side of this debate, and she makes the case that meaningful change comes not from one giant leap but from everyone taking one small step forward.Chapters00:00 00:00 Highlights01:25 Intro and World Cup sticker chaos03:42 Meet Professor Sara de Freitas04:12 A career across schools, universities, and two continents08:34 The sea change in emerging technology09:33 COVID, resilience, and the primary school infrastructure gap14:00 The bloated curriculum and the case for a research council16:04 Has university really changed?23:18 Serious games: the research journey25:39 The 2010 study and why evidence isn't enough27:56 The generational split and boards as blockers31:12 Rigour versus fun: a false dichotomy35:13 Hearts, minds, and play-based learning37:09 Why the UK's AI response is so fractured39:00 Blended learning done properly40:43 The optimal blend and rethinking assessment42:57 AI in education and the shutters coming down45:46 Quick-fire questions50:28 Wrap-upThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xRead the Research Report that Sara mentioned here

Order her latest book - Education in Computer Generated Environments (foreword by Sir Anthony Seldon) at Routledge or AmazonCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touch:Get your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026Grab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, it's just Ben and Steve in the studio for The Big Review Part 15, looking back over seven recent conversations and pulling out the threads that connect them. From leadership and wellbeing to AI, integrity and creativity, this is a fast tour through the ideas that defined the last review period, with plenty of prompts to send you back to the full episodes.Ben Whitaker and Steve Hope co-host the Edufuturists podcast and are the authors of the new book Pick 'n' Mix Education (Crown House Publishing). In this review they revisit conversations with headteacher and Calm Leadership author Patrick Cozier, Manhattan University dean and engineering researcher Kathryn Jablokow, SchoolAI's Rob Wessman, teacher wellbeing coach Charlie Burley, Apps for Good's Natalie Moore, Turnitin Chief Product Officer Annie Chechitelli, and creativity explorer and Book of Ideas author Fredrik Haren.We cover:- Why leadership is a human act first, and how Patrick Cozier's calm framework has sustained his longevity in headship- How AI can become a genuine team member rather than a replacement, and what it means to help AI think more like a human- The case that AI upskills rather than de-skills learners, including research on a reported boost in higher order reasoning- Why staff wellbeing is about intention, not a pizza on a Friday, and the role of sleep, food and balance- How young people can be empowered to create with technology for good, not just consume it- The shift in academic integrity from AI detection towards clarity, and why a human has to stay in the loop- Whether schools really kill creativity, and what curiosity, culture and context have to do with itWhy you should listenIf you lead a school, work in edtech, teach, or care about where education is heading, this review gives you seven big conversations distilled into one. It is a chance to spot the patterns, decide which full episodes are worth your time, and rethink some of the assumptions about AI, wellbeing and creativity that get repeated without question.Chapters00:00 Welcome and why we do review episodes01:24 Ep 340: Patrick Cozier on calm, human leadership04:19 Ep 341: Kathryn Jablokow on helping AI think like a human08:35 Ep 342: Rob Wessman on AI upskilling, not de-skilling14:00 Ep 343: Charlie Burley on why wellbeing isn't pizza22:38 Ep 344: Natalie Moore on doing good with technology29:00 Ep 345: Annie Chechitelli on integrity beyond AI detection34:43 Ep 346: Fredrik Haren on creativity, curiosity and culture38:40 Uprising 2026, the new book and what's nextThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGet your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026Grab a copy of the brand new Pick 'n' Mix Education book