Teachers Talk Radio

In the week where the saga of “Oreogate” hit our social media feeds, former Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith has entered the debate, calling for more “draconian” rules regarding packed lunches to ensure children are eating healthily. From September, stricter rules are coming into force regarding healthier food standards in schools, and Benedict’s Law mandates that all school staff are trained in allergies and anaphylaxis. But Dame Leith suggests that the only way to entirely ensure healthy food options is to ban packed lunches. But is this a reasonable proposition? What are the cost implications of such a measure? And is this an inclusive approach? To what extent has policing packed lunches gone too far? And… as new terms start across the UK, how important is the language that we use inside our classrooms in terms of setting expectations? An article in the TES specifies five phrases to ban from the classroom… are there any we can add?

Primary school teacher and senior leader Oliver Hembrough joins the Twilight Show to give his thoughts on what effective school leadership looks like. Where is the line between supporting and holding to account? Is training for school leaders sufficient? Are leadership vacancies attracting the best candidates? All this and more!

Join Michael Wright for his first show of the academic year, where he discusses his experiences from a recent sabbatical. He also shares lessons learned from his time away from the full-time grind, along with observations about his career thus far and the current state of education.

In this first episode, PSHE lead and educator Clare Price discusses the use of Meta Glasses and considers how this can be used to cover consent, disability, misogyny, marketing and influencers in the PSHE classroom. She considers the 2026 RSHE Statutory Guidance and tips on how this could be taught to young people. 

Articles referenced are:

Culture Debrief: Even Kylie Jenner Can't Get Me Onboard With 'Pervert' Glasses

Restaurants, pubs and theatres ban Meta’s ‘spy glasses’ over privacy fears | Meta | The Guardian

Smart glasses controversy sidelines the benefits for disabled people | Meta | The Guardian

Smart glasses: 'I was secretly filmed and trolled online' - BBC News

On this week's show, Darren explores the lliterature behind holiday rest and considers what we can do to protect our wellbeing in the first few weeks back to school. This is a companion show to "It's Like We Were Never Away" from January.