Tea & Educake Podcast

Interest in mindfulness has boomed in recent years, and we're now seeing it increasingly embedded within schools. But what is it and how can it benefit our students (as well as ourselves)? In this episode, Lorraine Smith, a mindfulness teacher, helps us to explore these questions, whilst also offering suggestions for how we can utilise mindfulness within education settings. Enjoy!

Are you an aspiring senior leader looking to take the next step in your career? If so, this is the episode for you! From covering letters to interview tasks, Lucy Flower (@MrsLFlower) guides us through the application process for Assistant Headteacher positions. With heaps of tips and personal experience, Lucy's excellent advice will help you feel prepared and ready to stand out. Enjoy!  

Flexible working is a key part of the DfE's Teacher Recruitment & Retention Strategy; however, on the ground, it is still a rather novel idea. In this episode, Lindsay Patience, co-founder of Flexible Teacher Talent (@FlexTeachTalent), shares her views on why a greater shift towards flexible working is fundamental to attracting and retaining the best talent within education for the benefit of our students, ourselves and our schools. Enjoy!

Founder of #TinyVoiceTuesdayUnites, #TVTTagTeam, #TinyVoiceTalks and #BrewEdFindYourVoice, Toria Bono is passionate about helping teachers to find their voice. In this episode, she shares details of various platforms that aim to connect and encourage teachers. She also offers a number of top tips for how to safely use social media platforms as teaching professionals. Enjoy!

Are you about to embark on your initial teacher training? Does September mark the start of your NQT year? Are you moving into your second year of teaching? Do you want to work more efficiently? If 'yes' is the answer to any of these questions, this is the episode for you! Packed full of useful hints, tips and life hacks, Emma Turner answers questions from early career teachers that will help all of us work more efficiently in the new academic year. Enjoy!

Teaching can be an all-consuming vocation, which can make it difficult to find that special someone. However, fear not! The profession's very own cupid, Tom Rogers, is here to help. In this episode, Tom tells us about Edudate, the online speed dating service that he's set-up in a bid to form romantic connections between people working in education. As well as discussing why teachers may find it more difficult to find love, we celebrate the Edudate successes that have been seen so far. Enjoy!

In this episode, we speak to Renaldo Lawrence, former professional basketball player turned computing teacher. As eLearning Creator at a multi-academy trust, Renaldo has played a key role in the successful transition to online learning at home during the pandemic. Here we discuss technology in education, reviewing the benefits and drawbacks to pupils' learning, as well as further opportunities to explore. We also have a sneak peak into Renaldo's past life, and his sideline role as an author. Enjoy!

In 2016, Jak Martin contracted a condition that left him paralysed from the waist down. With 5% chance of ever walking again, the odds were well and truly stacked against him. However, with incredible grit, willpower and strength, Jak learnt to walk again, returning to school in time to take on his new role as Head of PE. In this episode, we explore his journey to recovery and the influence it has had on his role as a teacher, and as a leader. One to inspire teachers and non-teachers alike!

Welcome to the pilot episode of Tea & Educake! In this episode, we talk to Callum Wolff, Head of Year 9 at a mixed comprehensive school in Wiltshire. Having joined his school in September, Callum’s first year has been somewhat disturbed by the global coronavirus pandemic! Here we discuss pastoral care during the pandemic, touching on support being offered, the impact of the pandemic on students' mental health, and what we have learnt from this extraordinary experience. Enjoy!