Rae and Lianne discuss the age-old question that plagues teachers everywhere: Should we use our holiday time to complete work tasks, or is it better to switch off completely? 

Join Toria as she speaks to Liz Stevenson, headteacher of an independent special school.  She has worked previously as a teacher, leader and school improvement support in both the primary and secondary sector.

Will Mercer talks to special guest design and tech specialist Richard Brown about building a D and T curriculum.

Teacher Seda Yaman joins me from Turkey to talk about fostering self-confidence and other ways to empower learners.

On The Weekly Review, panellists, Lucy Neuburger, John Gibbs and Brent Poland discuss hot topics in the week's news with host, Paul Hazzard.  Show production by Lianne Lax.

This week's stories:

Shows Reviewed:

• SEND Crisis & Parents & Teacher Conflicts: Education Tonight

Krupa and Nazya are joined by Isaac Akinde, a Business Teacher teaching in a secondary school. This refreshing and authentic conversation offers some key strategies on creating optimal classroom environments for neuro-diverse learners.

This conversation explores the research conducted by Dr. Nicky Wright on adolescent communication, focusing on parent-teen relationships and the use of technology, specifically head cameras, to observe interactions. The discussion highlights the challenges of studying adolescents, the importance of nonverbal communication, and the potential for using AI to analyze emotional expressions. The ultimate goal of the research is to support mental health in adolescents by improving communication between parents and teens. In this conversation, Dr. Nicky Wright discusses her research on parent-teen interactions, focusing on using games to enhance communication, the surprising amount of data collected, and the emotional dynamics between parents and adolescents. She highlights the importance of understanding gender differences in emotional expression and the impact of technology on communication. The discussion also discusses the misconceptions surrounding adolescent conflict and the need for effective communication strategies in educational settings. Dr. Wright emphasizes the potential for translating research findings into practical guidelines for parents and educators.

This week, Brent Poland (@BrentPoland1) and Adam Spence (@aspence81) explore the SEND crisis.

In part 2 they take a close look at parents and teacher conflict.

This week Chris (@Chris_W1987) dedicates his show to International Men's Day and he's joined by Brent Poland (@BrentPoland1) and Paul Hazzard (@Arkle123) to discuss key issues around men and teaching.

Together they explore the impact of teaching on men's well-being and look at some of the ways in which mental health can be improved.

When parents get involved with their child's school, whether from chatting to their child's teacher to volunteering for the PTA, it can boost attendance, improve behaviour and elevate academic success - proving that when parents engage, students thrive. Join Tom Rogers and a brilliant panel of guests as they discuss how and why parental engagement in schools matters - what difference does it really make?

Guests are; Pat Sowa ( Educational coach and trustee at Parentkind), Sian Lewis (Head of parental engagement at Parentkind) and Caroline Hayward (PTA community team at Parentkind). 

Parentkind are a national charity representing parent views and voice and championing parental participation in education and school life. By fostering strong school-parent partnerships, we can boost student attendance, improve behaviour, and enhance academic performance.

When parents actively participate, students thrive! Join the movement that's reshaping education for the better. Visit Parentkind.org to learn more about reaping the rewards of working in partnership with parents.