September is upon us & the new school year has arrived (unless you're in a place that has already gone back...)

Here, we lay out our top tips from 20 years of experience teaching in primary schools that will help you smash September!

Sit back, relax, and let us know if we have missed anything out.

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We are back with another episode answering YOUR questions on all things education and teaching!

Accents, teacher gifts, after-school clubs, teaching abroad.... The topics are endless.

Get in touch with us if you have any submissions you'd like us to answer in the future.

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Join us for a dive into the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill that is currently making its way into law in the UK.

We discuss school uniform, teacher pay and a stripping back of academy freedoms.

Is it a good thing? A bad thing? A mix?

Let's find out together!

We will be covering homeschooling in the future, btw....

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In this episode, we answer your teacher questions - from our most controversial opinions about education, to how a TA should really be used in the classroom, our top tips for moving up with your class, and how pointless assessment can be. Expect a mix of honest takes, practical advice, and a few spicy confessions along the way.

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Starting your first year as a new teacher? It can feel exciting, overwhelming, and just a little bit terrifying. In this episode, we share our top tips for new teachers to help you survive (and actually enjoy) your first year in the classroom.

Plus, we share some honest stories from our own early years in teaching: the wins, the fails, and what we wish we’d known sooner.

Whether you’re about to start teaching or are in the thick of your first year, this is your practical, no-jargon guide to surviving and thriving as a new teacher.

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Why Aren’t Children Reading for Pleasure Anymore? 📚
Reading for fun is at an all-time low and the stats are sobering. In 2025, just one in three children said they enjoyed reading in their free time. That is a 36% drop since 2005. What is going on?

In this episode, we talk about what we have seen across our teaching careers, the barriers stopping children from picking up a book, and the cultural shift that is turning reading into “work” instead of leisure. From the fact that one in seven primary schools have no library (rising to one in four in disadvantaged areas) to the impact of screens, testing culture and a lack of representation in books, we explore the roots of the problem.

We also share what actually works, from free choice and shared reading to building a reading culture at home, and ask the big question: What will it take to turn this around?

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Yes. Hayden has an auto-focus square on his head. Enjoy it!

As always, like clockwork, when the summer holidays roll around, we are bombarded with opinions on how they are TOO LONG!

We talk about it. Are they too long? Is the cost of childcare too much? Is there a solution? Who is to blame? Is being bored bad?

We'd love to hear from you.

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This week, we chat about how in so many schools, creativity is disappearing in two major ways.

Firstly, the arts themselves are languishing. Huge drops in children taking subejcts at GCSE like drama and music. Why is this happening and why is it bad?

Secondly, in the classroom itself. Top-down strict rules for every lesson to look the same and fidelity to boring schemes is building a recpie for misery.

Get in touch with us through our socials.

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This week, Dylan clears out his teacher cupboard and uncovers some absolute treasures: an inflatable flamingo, old class photos, and three brilliant books every classroom should have – The House with Chicken Legs, The Book with No Pictures, and One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab.

But the big chat? That’s all about the brand new DfE Writing Framework, dropped this July. We give our honest reaction to the changes – the controversies, the good parts and our opinions on writing young

Then we’re joined by Jane Considine, who brings the positivity and explains why she believes this could be a big moment for writing in primary schools.

There’s laughter, debate, some hot takes, and a serious call for your thoughts.

💬 We want your feedback on this one – what do YOU think of the new framework?

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It's our last week as teachers... and it's all starting to feel very real.

In this episode, we look back on the moments that made us -the unforgettable classroom highs, the amazing people we met, and the exact point we knew we couldn’t keep going.

We’re asking ourselves the question we’ve been avoiding: have we made a huge mistake?

Honest, emotional, and (as always) a bit chaotic—this one's for every teacher who’s ever felt torn between staying and going.

Hayden also dives into his recent reaching of Sex Ed!

💬 Got a story or dilemma? Send it in for a future episode.

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