Adam and Amy return for their first episode of 2024. They discuss why INSET days are normally rubbish, Ofsted's postponement of inspections and "Big Listen," as well as some top tips for Parents' Evening.

In our last episode before Christmas, Adam recounts a horrifying tale of being made to talk to a stranger on public transport, and Amy offers some nuance on the question of whether poorly behaved students should represent the school in sports fixtures. Adam and Amy also look at staff motivation and how we help motivate staff.

In this episode, Adam and Amy begin by reacting to the coroner's report into the death of Headteacher Ruth Perry and discuss what should happen next at Ofsted. Responding to a question on Threads, they also look at learning walks and how they can be best utilised by school leaders to drive improvement and meaningful change.

Samaritans are available 365 days a year. You can reach them on free call number 116 123, email them at [email protected] or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

Education Support runs a confidential helpline for education staff and teachers – call 08000 562 561.

In addition to the usual japes, in this episode Adam and Amy play "workload tennis", in which they have to alternately set out a concrete and actionable strategy which leaders could use to reduce their staff's workload.

In this episode, Adam and Amy discuss how to get all students *really* listening in class, and what to do when you are asked to not direct questions at certain students. They also delve into recent findings about wellbeing which are universally worrying and start sketching out the various issues around staff happiness in the workplace.

With long-standing Schools Minister Nick Gibb announcing that he will not be running for office again, join Adam and Amy as they rake over his policy record. Listen to the end for more concrete tips on difficult parental conversations, sparked by a question from a listener to last week's podcast.

In this episode, Adam and Amy look at how things have changed post-covid. Is attendance getting worse? Is behaviour getting worse? Are parents getting harder to deal with? And if the answer is yes, then why?

In this episode, Adam and Amy take a deep dive into Michael Wilshaw's recent comments at the education select committee, and relive the observation madness of the 2010's. They also discuss a teacher Adam's been working with and why having to remove a student from a lesson doesn't mean you've failed.