Paul is a school improvement advisor and a system leader. He has supported 50 schools in 4 years.

One of my personal issues with school improvement is that many schools approach it as a must do for external accountability. Not Paul. He inspires and ignites passion and enthusiasm, enabling headteachers to get it right for the students.

Paul is SIP who makes school improvement accessible. In this episode we speak about his recently published book “No silver bullets – day in, day out school improvement.”

‘There are no secrets to school improvement. There are no silver bullets and no magic answers. It is far less glamourous. It is a question of identifying numerous actions and applying effort ‘day, day out’ to improve them.’

Must listen!

Since 1999 the Founders of Rainbow Schools have visited centres in India which support disabled and orphaned children. Some of the centres were well run and resourced, others were not good at all. Other than providing food, shelter and clothing they were not meeting the needs of many and instead of encouraging independence, were making them even more dependent.

Many lacked the necessary knowledge and skills that were needed to meet the needs of special needs children.

Most kept special needs children and adults away from society, many not seeing or knowing what was outside their four walls.

Not ONE had any integration or inclusive education. Not ONE saw a need for a more HOLISTIC approach.

After 9 years of training teachers and parents, holding seminars, workshops, demonstrations on the use of key resources, it was clear that Northern India needed to see and experience what we in the West take for granted… A HOLISTIC, INCLUSIVE and fully INTEGRATED way of supporting the most vulnerable people in society.

It was then the idea of a RAINBOW SCHOOL was born.

This is a candid conversation not to be missed… you must tune in!

Liz Almond is an inspirational and multi award winning Spiritual Teacher, Business Coach/Mentor, Author, and Holistic Therapist. Liz had an accident in 1996 which was a catalyst for change. It led to her having two years off work before retraining to be a teacher and returning to a full time teaching role. Positivity and overcoming adversity have been the theme through her life and Liz has recovered her health dramatically. Having overcome several chronic health ailments naturally, when she started her business, she was confronted with a run of personal bereavements as well as peri-menopause leading her into depression and her business and finances floundered. Having learnt various holistic therapies, she applied the therapies she had learnt on herself to address her health and debt issues and to lift her depression to allow her to guide others to do the same. Liz is passionate about teachers being given the tools to manage their well being and to stay empowered and within the profession, rather than feeling the need to leave as they are so stressed and burned out. This is a candid conversation not to be missed!

A Heart-Shaped Decision is one that is made based on feelings rather than thoughts. It can often take a long time - the first Heart-Shaped Decision Graham made took him five years! How would you feel if your whole life was planned for you? If there was no-one in your life that you really wanted to be like? Perhaps you are being pushed in a direction that you really don't want to go in, and you feel there is no alternative, apart from to do the unthinkable.

Why should you make a Heart-Shaped Decision? Graham believes that until we make a Heart-Shaped Decision, we don't fully understand what direction our lives should be taking. Listen to this heart warming candid conversation – you’ll be glad you did!

Eileen has been a teacher for the past 9 years. She initially trained as a Secondary School Art & Design teacher, and within a few years found herself working within a Middle school, which inspired her love for working with Primary aged children, which is what she does now. Alongside teaching, Eileen has a business in education which focuses on “how can we make this learning fun?”

Her Facebook page, KS2 Lessons with Miss Cowles, is a fabulous free resource available to parents and pupils. In this candid conversation, she humbly shares with us how she gave up a well-established senior position, to start over. This candid conversation will encourage and inspire many… a must listen!

In this special episode of ETMN podcast, Steve Waters and I are speaking to Benjy Rickman, a Secondary school teacher, from Manchester. Benjy is a social media influencer through activity and youtube channel. Benjy is an RE teacher, who also channels his energies into promoting mental health for young people. Alongside being an extraordinary teacher, he uses his youtube channel to hold virtual assemblies in which he makes mental health, relevant and accessible to all young people. His motivator for this work is the tragic death of his 15 year old son, 18 months ago. In this episode we speak to him about his bereavement, how he copes and inspires simultaneously. Teaching after bearing such a personal tragedy can have all sorts of implications. Listen to this very moving candid conversation to understand Benjy’s trials and tribulations. This is a must listen!

Hannah Wilson is a dynamic leader who is passionate about diversity, inclusion and equality. She has a commitment to developing a diverse and flexible workforce, particularly by empowering under-represented groups to become school leaders. This is just a small part of the simply phenomenal work that she does and the difference that she has made to the education sector. This podcast is a candid conversation with this most inspiring ethical leader. Not to be missed!

Phil Sharrock

(Please note: There were some minor technical issues with this recording).Phil Sharrock, is another kindred spirit of mine. A former head teacher himself, with an approach which endorses that your people are your greatest asset. He has been described as “Inspirational” by Ofsted but I know, that is not important to him!

What’s important to him, is to live by his values. He is one of the kindest, most sincere and caring educational colleagues I have the pleasure of knowing. In this candid conversation we speak about his experiences of taking staff along with you in the school improvement journey.

Compassionate leadership is integral to staff wellbeing and we talk all about it, in this episode. Tune in!

Sarah Hall is a former SEN/D teacher of 12 years. She left teaching within school settings 17 years ago and set up her own business due to having her baby. However Sarah candidly speaks about her real reason for not returning was due to mental health difficulties.

Instead, Sarah set up her own business – Willows Sensory Service, which is a mixture of special educational needs with complementary therapy.

In this candid conversation we speak about alternative, complementary therapies and how helpful they can be in supporting the wellbeing of teachers. Many people see going to the spa as a treat, but you can create similar experiences at home on a regular basis which beats going to the spa! When you do this, you can benefit significantly physiologically, physically and emotionally and understand that it is not a treat but a much needed part of your daily routine.

Small tweaks in your day can result in huge gains with your wellbeing… a must listen!

You know that moment when you feel you’ve met a kindred spirit? That’s what my connection with Connie feels like. Connie is a Teacher in Ohio, USA. Her teaching methodology is deeply rooted in Mindfulness for the whole school community, students, teachers and parents. She shares some wonderful insights into how a mindful approach, using the CARE acronym can lead towards very enriching and uplifting benefits. There is also a short, three-minute exercise that listeners can participate in order to align with a state of calm.

“When you change just a little something, make small tweaks, become present, be aware, notice and be grateful… everything changes.”

We speak candidly about Mindfulness in this podcast and talk about how the science based evidence and research backs the effectiveness of this approach. Mindfulness is a way of life which has incredible benefits, learning them and applying them should be statutory!