Teachers Talk Radio

Teachers are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, both inside and outside the classroom. But where should the line be drawn between personal freedom and professional responsibility? The expectations set out in the Teachers' Standards include the requirement to maintain public trust and demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct. To what extent is this at conflict with a teacher’s right to enjoy a private life? Social media has blurred the boundaries between work and home and the growing impact of students having constant access to smartphones and the ability to record, share and scrutinise teachers' lives has changed in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago. Can teachers ever truly switch off, or has the digital age fundamentally changed what it means to be a professional working in education?

On the panel: Liz Webb, Rae Whitehouse and Maud Waret.

The concept of belonging to a group is a vital part of adolescent development. In this show, Darren looks at why young people are so desperate to belong somewhere, how this impacts behaviour and whether our efforts to create "school culture" to foster belonging actually work.

A BBC Panorama investigation has put the spotlight on the Athena Learning Trust after parents, pupils and former teachers raised concerns about its behaviour policies. The programme features allegations including strict toilet rules, silent music lessons, extensive use of reflection rooms and claims that some neurodiverse pupils were disproportionately affected. Athena says its schools are built on high expectations, that behaviour policies are applied with professional judgement, and that calm, disruption-free classrooms help all pupils to learn. So, did Athena actually go too far? Were these policies a necessary response to poor behaviour, or did they become unnecessarily rigid and punitive? Where should schools draw the line between maintaining discipline and responding to individual pupils’ needs? Join Tom Rogers and the panel as they debate one of the biggest education stories of the week.

The summer is finally upon us! Teachers are decompressing. Students are celebrating. Holiday companies have tripled their prices. Childcare arrangements become complicated for many families. The summer holidays continue to be a contentious issue, with many differing views within education, let alone outside of it. Join Jo Fox, Maud Waret and Liz Webb to share your opinions on the summer break - or tell us how you’ll be spending it!

In this week's show, Claudia Tumba and Martin Sketchley have a chat about teaching English in China, Japan and Korea.