In this episode, Sharon and Sarah are joined by Danielle Crossland, a former secondary maths teacher whose story offers a refreshingly different perspective on leaving the classroom.

Danielle taught for ten years after starting her career in 2012, working in both high schools and sixth-form colleges. Teaching was something she was good at, something she enjoyed at times - but it was never her vocation. And crucially, she knew that early on.

In this honest and wide-ranging conversation, Danielle talks about recognising her limits, refusing to tie her identity or self-worth to a job, and making deliberate choices that put life, family and wellbeing first. She shares what it was really like to step away from teaching, navigate supply work on her own terms, and eventually build a successful bookkeeping practice supporting educators and education-led businesses.

Today, Danielle runs eduAccounts, supporting more than 25 clients - from sole-trader tutors to seven-figure tutoring agencies with large teams - offering bookkeeping and admin support that allows business owners to focus on growth rather than spreadsheets.

This episode explores boundaries, confidence, grief, supply teaching, money mindset, imposter syndrome, and what it looks like to build a career that genuinely fits your life - not the other way around.

A thoughtful, empowering listen for anyone questioning whether teaching is really meant to be “for life.”

Find Danielle here:
Website: eduAccounts | Expert Bookkeeping & Admin Support for Educators
LinkedIn: Danielle Crossland
Instagram: @eduaccounts_

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

Today, Sharon and Sarah sit down with someone many of you already know from the Life After Teaching community - David Fountain, the teacher-turned-educator who has made understanding the Teachers’ Pension Scheme his personal mission.

After 27 years in the classroom, teaching maths, science, IT and computer science, David reached a crossroads. Caring responsibilities, exhaustion and the constant reinvention of curricula pushed him to rethink his path. But leaving teaching wasn’t simple - not emotionally and certainly not financially.

In this conversation, David breaks down the journey that led him out of school and into a role he never expected: supporting teachers across the UK to understand the pension they’ve spent their careers paying into.

David isn’t a financial adviser - and he never pretends to be - but his clarity, integrity and generosity shine through every part of this conversation. Teachers trust him because he’s walked their path, made the mistakes, understood the system the hard way and is determined that others don’t lose out as he once did.

Whether you’re years from retiring, curious about opting out, or considering when to leave teaching, this is essential listening.

Find David here:
Website: dfountain.co.uk
Facebook group: Teacher Pension – Teacher to Teacher (UK)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOdIEXubpfIRkFvPZ57KITQ
JustGiving fundraising: https://www.justgiving.com/team/davidfountain

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

This week, Sharon and Sarah sit down with the brilliant Elaine Mackechnie, known to many as Maths with Mrs Mack - a tutor whose journey out of the classroom has inspired hundreds of teachers to rethink what’s possible.

After 26 years in education, spanning roles from Joint Head of MFL to Head of Year, Head of Key Stage and eventually 2nd in Maths, Elaine found herself pushed, pulled and reshaped by a system that never quite knew what to do with someone who could teach anything. What followed is a story of reinvention, grit, humour and the moment she realised she didn’t need permission to build the career she truly wanted.

In this episode, Elaine shares how she went from languages to maths, from burnout to business owner, and now helps non-specialist teachers become confident GCSE maths tutors through her growing platform:

 👉 Maths with Mrs Mack – https://info.mathswithmrsmack.co.uk/home-348504

It’s honest, uplifting and a reminder that the skills teachers carry run far deeper than a job title.

Happy birthday, Elaine - and thank you for celebrating it with us in true Pit Pony style.

If you’d like to support the Pit Pony Podcast and the wider Life After Teaching movement, you can do so here:
👉 GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/670442768

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

Part 2 of this re-released conversation follows David through the most painful stretch of his journey - and into the life-changing transition that brought him back to himself.

In this episode, Sharon and Sarah explore:

• The collapse of trust in leadership and the moment he was accused of lying
• How long-COVID, brain fog and exhaustion collided with a punitive support plan
• The emotional punch of being prescribed antidepressants - and the shame teachers so often carry
• The union rep who finally said out loud what David couldn’t
• The decision to resign, and the power that returned the second he did
• The eye-opening two weeks of supply work that highlighted just how wildly different UK schools really are
• The moment everything clicked: a student support role at Durham University that honoured everything he was good at
• How compassionate leadership healed what teaching had broken
• The “sliding doors moment” that changed his life — professionally, personally and emotionally

This episode remains one of the most moving, memorable Pit Pony conversations to date. David’s story is a reminder of what schools lose when they crush creativity, and what is possible when someone is finally allowed to thrive.

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

In this powerful two-part replay, Sharon and Sarah revisit one of the Pit Pony Podcast’s most talked-about episodes - the story of David Myers, a maths teacher whose experience captures both the brilliance and the brutality of modern teaching.

Part 1 traces David’s journey from a creative, psychology-driven teacher who thrived in supportive, visionary schools, to the moment everything changed. He shares:

• His early success at High Tunstall - where creativity, curiosity and student-centred thinking were genuinely welcomed
• The joy of teaching during lockdown, when technology finally allowed students to explore maths in meaningful, playful ways
• His research into problem-solving, cognition and confidence in mathematics
• The abrupt shift after COVID, when creativity was replaced by rigid templates, tick-box demands and pseudoscience masquerading as pedagogy
• The moment marking and monitoring overtook teaching
• The first signs that a supportive culture had become something far more dangerous

This episode lays the foundations of a story that so many teachers recognise - the erosion of autonomy, the misuse of ‘support’, and the human cost of a profession that doesn’t always allow teachers to be the professionals they are.

Reissued for 2025 because it remains one of the clearest examples of how schools lose extraordinary talent.

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

This week, Sharon and Sarah lift the curtain on the community that started it all — Life After Teaching: Exit the Classroom and Thrive, the Facebook group now home to more than 177,000 members.

They share what really goes on behind the scenes: how posts are moderated, why certain rules exist, and what it takes to keep such a vast and vulnerable space safe, supportive, and scam-free. From anonymous posting to the rise of MLMs, self-promotion, and the emotional weight carried by moderators, nothing’s off-limits in this honest and heartfelt episode.

You’ll hear:

• How the group protects teachers from predatory marketing
• Why some posts are declined — and what happens behind the scenes
• The balance between boundaries and compassion
• Plans to fund the Silenced by Support campaign
• Why the group has quietly saved lives

It’s a powerful insight into the unseen emotional labour behind one of the UK’s most supportive teacher communities — and a reminder of why the Pit Pony team do what they do.

Thanks to our sponsors:

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Contribute to the 'Silenced by Support' Campaign

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help:

• Education Support
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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

In this powerful update episode, Sarah is joined by campaign co-founder Nick Smart to share the latest progress on Silenced by Support - the national campaign fighting against the misuse of support plans in UK schools.

Together, they reflect on how it all began, what’s been achieved so far, and the next steps in taking the movement from the Facebook group into Parliament, the press, and beyond.

You’ll hear about:

• The origins of Silenced by Support and how the report was created
• The growing national database of testimonies and teacher experiences
• The letter to the Education Secretary and MPs
• Media coverage and ongoing discussions with broadcasters
• The vital next phase: fundraising, mobilisation, and writing to MPs

This episode is both sobering and motivating - a reminder of why the campaign exists and how collective voices can bring about change.

Join the campaign:
Visit The Silenced By Support Website Here
to read the full report, join the mailing list, and contact the team.

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

In this special episode, Sharon and Sarah hold space for one of the biggest topics in education - the mystery, the pressure and the fear around teacher resignation dates.

Why do teachers only get three windows a year to resign? What happens if you miss the May 31st deadline? And why does this system leave so many feeling trapped, anxious and powerless?

From the realities of the Burgundy Book to the emotional and financial toll of leaving a “job for life,” this conversation is honest, supportive and packed with insight. Sharon and Sarah share their own experiences, the tough love advice they give inside the Pit Pony community, and the practical steps teachers can take to reclaim control of their lives and careers.

They explore:

• What resignation windows actually mean
• The fear of missing the deadline - and what to do if you do
• How to plan financially and emotionally before you leave
• Why guilt, shame and loyalty often hold teachers back
• When it’s too soon (or too late) to resign

A grounded, empowering conversation for anyone standing at the edge of a big decision.

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

In this powerful new episode, Sharon and Sarah tackle one of the most difficult experiences any teacher can face: suspension from school.

They unpack what really happens when you’re suspended, why it is supposed to be a neutral act, and the reality of how it is often handled in schools. With honesty and compassion, they talk through the emotional toll, the fear, and the isolation, and offer practical guidance on what to do next.

From understanding ACAS guidance and TRA investigations to managing shame, union support, and how to write your statement using Sharon’s “Three Rs” (Respond, Reflect, Reassure), this episode is both grounding and empowering for anyone caught up in the process.

If you or someone you know has ever faced suspension, this conversation will bring clarity, comfort, and strength.

With thanks to our episode sponsors (Click to visit their websites):

Little Voices

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Contribute to the 'Silenced by Support' Campaign

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help:

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

After twelve years teaching in specialist and alternative education, Sarah Grocutt reached breaking point. What began as a career full of creativity, compassion, and purpose turned into exhaustion, fear, and guilt as she tried to balance motherhood with an unforgiving system.

In this candid conversation, Sarah opens up about her powerful decision to walk away from the classroom after an unsafe and unsustainable experience in a new provision. She shares what it took to rebuild her identity, rediscover confidence, and create a new life as an email strategist and copywriter.

Sharon Cawley and Sarah Dunwood explore motherhood, guilt, flexibility, and leadership in education – and what real support for teachers could look like. This is an episode about courage, clarity, and the moment you finally choose yourself.

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Loving the Pit Pony Podcast? We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running.

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If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help:

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real