Shows
Unlearn Something43. How will the proposed changes to SEND provision affect UK schools?Welcome back to another episode of the Unlearn Something pod!Today, we share what's been happening in our classrooms, we try a new segment - Win or Bin' and we also discuss the UK government's changes to SEND provision in May/June 2025. There is a lot to take in and sadly, the consequences of underfunding and increasing hoop jumping for SEND pupils and their families are significant. This highlights the how systemic barriers continue to have an impact on the daily lives of young people. Join us for the round up!...2025-06-191h 38Unlearn Something42. The challenges of using ready to go schemes of work in schoolsHello,Welcome to the next episode of the Unlearn Something pod!Today we are discussing the pros and cons of ready to teach schemes of work in schools. Miss D shares her recent adaptations in Geography, History and English - using a de/colonial lens - and Miss S shares how she works with schemes in secondary DT teaching. Join us for this discussion of how we can critique these ready to go schemes and make sure that the POVs are balanced and historically accurate.If anyone wants t...2025-06-051h 19Unlearn Something41. AI and Educators - what are we using it for?Hello, Welcome back to the next episode of the UnlearnSomething podcast! Today we talk about the applications of AI in the day to day lives of teachers. Miss S and Miss D both admit that we are using it more to do certain jobs, but we pose the question - what is the future of AI in education? What do you think? Send us an email and let us know your thoughts. Send us a text If you have any comments or feedback to give us please email us on u...2025-05-221h 12Unlearn Something40. 'Adolescence' - A discussion about how schools should address misogyny and toxic masculinityWelcome back to the Unlearn Something pod, In today's episode we discuss a topic that has dominated social media and conversations all over the world: 'Adolescence' on Netflix. Teachers - from EYFS to FE - know the deal and that this has been happening over a long time. Teaching is harder than its ever been. The system is outdated and increasingly irrelevant, behaviour systems are punitive and draconian and student wellbeing is suffering. And that's just at school. What of the experience of our young people outside of school? Today's episode talk...2025-05-011h 17Unlearn Something39. Would you send your child to a PWI? Reflections on schools and privilegeWelcome back to the Unlearn Something Pod,Miss S and Miss D discuss predominantly white institutions (PWIs), what they represent and why they are still a thing? They are not just white spaces, or in an educational context independent or private schools, but culturally MOST state schools are PWIs. Join the conversation!Show NotesSaturday school links - https://saturday-club.org/Information from Runnymeade Trust on Racism in Schools - https://www.runnymedetrust.org/our-work/resourcesArticle about the experiences of Blac...2025-04-191h 28Unlearn Something38. 30 second attention spans: Reflections on student engagementHello everyone!Welcome to episode 38. Today, we are talking about what challenges teachers face with student attention spans and methods of communication changing as well. We shar our honest thoughts about the challenges of teaching who some might refer to as Gen Alpha, a lot of whom do not give a single 'eck about a single thing. Have kids always been this way? Is it the influence of the internet? The fall out from COVID? Join the conversation as we delve into this topic. Send us a text If you...2025-03-1943 minUnlearn Something37. Happy half term catch up with Miss S and Miss DHello everyone! We are back. It's been a while but we are back in the studio and we have a new episode for you. This time we are catching up on things that are happening in the classroom and out in schools. We are talking about half term rest, workload and INSET training and the differences between racism and anti- blackness. Show Notes BE Truth To Power fundraiser - donate here! https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/be-truth-to-power/More information about racism and antiblackness in schools - the report by B...2025-03-051h 07Unlearn Something36. A diary of a SENDCO - an interview with Miss EWelcome back to the Unlearn Something pod!This week, we are well into the school term and things are looking good. Many teachers would have made the leap into SENDCo positions starting September. She shares her wealth of knowledge, what motivates her to continue her work in the SEND/Inclusion space and what it means to be a successful SENDCo. A great SENDCo can be transformative for so many in the school community and today we have the pleasure of speaking to one of the most fervent advocates for children that I have ever...2024-10-171h 19Unlearn Something33. The Summer of Discontent.Welcome back to the UnlearnSomething Podcast and our first episode for the school year. In this episode, Miss S and Miss D reflect on the summer of discontent. We discuss the results of the general election, the appointment of Bridget Phillipson as the new Education Secretary and we give our thoughts on the anti-immigration riots and online disinformation.Send us a text If you have any comments or feedback to give us please email us on unlearnsomethingpod@gmail.com, and we will get back to you and (with your permission) read ou...2024-10-101h 05Unlearn Something34. Challenging Islamophobia in UK SchoolsHello!We are back with another episode of the Unlearn Something podcast. Today, we are tackling a big topic that every school has a responsibility to address- Islamophobia. The reality is that in many schools across London and the UK, the majority of our students are Muslim. The reason why this has come about is a different episode. Teachers who want to unlearn and tackle this topic can join two upcoming workshops that give teachers the knowledge and strategies to do so from prominent speakers and educators. CHANGING THE NARRATIVE: CHALLENGING ISLAMOPHOBIA...2024-09-1941 minUnlearn Something33: Mama - Teacher - TiredWe are back!Its been a great summer - full of good times, rest and relaxation - and Miss D and Miss S are back in the studio with some exciting new guests on the show and a some new topics to discuss. In today's episode, Miss D and Miss S are joined by Miss O for a discussion on how she juggles her career as a middle leader in a secondary school and her time as a new Mom. We will discuss how being a mother can influence your teaching style, strategies for...2024-09-121h 48Unlearn Something32. AITA? Teacher and Parent EditionIn this week's episode, Miss S and Miss D tackle some common scenarios that teachers need to navigate when communicating with parents. Fortunately, most of the time parent interactions are overwhelmingly positive but sometimes things can get a little tricky. Today's episode hope to shed some light on what we would do in different situations. This is one example of the invisible workload that teachers have, navigating the rollercoaster of parent communication!Send us a text If you have any comments or feedback to give us please email us on unlearnsomethingpod@gm...2024-07-041h 04Unlearn Something31. The UK General Election 2024: What are the Education Manifestos saying?Welcome back to the Unlearn Something pod!This week, we take a look into the education manifestos from each of the major parties and see what the plan is for this big education system in the UK. There are some plans to address some of the concerns coming out of the education sector but the OVERWHELMING majority seemed full of non statements, smoke and mirrors. Listen to the hear our thoughts! If you have anything to add, send us a message on Spotify or email us on the address below. Send us...2024-06-2739 minUnlearn Something30. Teacher Transfer Season: Job Interviews. Resignation Letters - what you need to knowHello! Miss S and Miss D are back and today we have an episode where we discuss the things that teachers have to remember during teacher transfer season. Often there is movement in schools - just like in any other workplace - but schools can sometimes have their own challenges. Who is going where? What does that mean for class allocations? Who is going for Head of Department roles? It's all happening! Wouldn't it be lovely if we could have the generous transfer monies paid to footballers? We can daydream. But seriously, preparing for job...2024-06-2041 minUnlearn Something29. The 2024 APA Conference on 'Policing & The Black Child: Reflections from Miss SHello everyone!It has been a while since we have been in the studio but Miss S and Miss D are back in full effect. We've had a rejuvenating half term and we are ready to rock the last half term of the academic year here in the UK. In this episode, Miss S shares her experiences and reflections from the recent 'Policing and The Black Child Conference', held on May 18th at the University of East London. A partnership between the Alliance of Police Accountability and the PIEL Centre, University of East London. The c...2024-06-131h 01Unlearn Something28. What is 'normal' for schools these days? Making sense of the day to day challenges of teaching**Trigger Warning **This episode contains discussions of stress, burnout and other difficult situations that sometimes face teachers. If this these topics are something that might be difficult or cause harm, please listen to a different episode of the Unlearn Something podcast.Today, Miss S and Miss D continue their discussion from the last episode about what we can expect as teachers in terms addressing day to day issues and challenges. What are we finding hard as teachers? What should be addressed by the teacher? What needs to be taken up by leadership team? We have...2024-04-1844 minUnlearn Something27. What happens when things goes wrong? Identifying challenges in the classroom** Trigger Warning **This episode includes discussions about challenging experiences in the classroom from a teacher's perspective. If this is something that might upset or cause harm, check out another episode of the Unlearn Something podcast!In this episode, Miss S and Miss D discuss some interactions during the school day that made us question ourselves. Let's face it, teaching in the current climate is a challenge and what are some of the things that make it even more challenging? Some of the things that teachers experience are WILD and in this episode we share some...2024-04-1348 min