Teachers Talk Radio

In this show, Konstantinos is joined by Dr Frania Hall to discuss the value of teaching as scholarship in higher education. Together, they explore evaluation, pedagogic research, educational leadership, teaching-focused career pathways, and how universities can better recognise and celebrate teaching excellence. The conversation reflects on academic identity, innovation, professional recognition, and the vital contribution that teaching-focused academics make to the future of higher education.

Every educator has heard the phrase "outstanding lesson," but what does it actually mean? Is it about engagement, creativity, differentiation, technology, or something far deeper? In this solo episode of The Lunch Show, Famida Choudhary explores one of education's most debated questions: What truly makes a lesson outstanding? Drawing on over 15 years of classroom experience, assessment leadership, lesson observations, and educational research, Famida shares her personal recipe for success. From knowing your cohort through data and observation, to designing purposeful learning environments, selecting the right pedagogical approaches, fostering higher-order thinking, providing impactful feedback, and using AI responsibly, this show challenges the idea that outstanding teaching can be reduced to a checklist. Join us for a reflective and practical conversation that reminds us that outstanding lessons are not performances - they are carefully crafted learning experiences designed to help every child thrive.

Louise Marie meets with Marie Zarro to discuss how to introduce non-fiction texts to the primary classroom!

Yannick and Tony talk about how they have been managed and how they have managed others throughout their 25-year careers. They reflect on how their experiences of leadership have impacted them. Which leadership behaviours have made them feel valued and empowered and which have made them feel exposed and demoralised? How have they as leaders looked to balance the need to have impact with the need to support their team? Has leadership changed? Are leaders becoming more effective? Do we have enough good leaders in education? Is the need to be corporate and show improvement at odds with the need to support and develop teachers holistically? The hosts tackle this and many other questions as they delve into the big issues of educational management.

As new summer exam entry data lands following the government’s landmark curriculum and assessment review, we ask: are England’s secondary schools on the brink of major change, or are old patterns proving hard to break? Despite plans to scrap the EBacc performance measure, GCSE choices remain largely unchanged with languages still struggling, history steady, geography slipping and business booming. Meanwhile, maths continues its dominance at both GCSE and A-level, economics surges into the top five A-levels, and political studies sees record growth. A new 'Natural History' GCSE is planned and A Level music looks like it could cease to exist in many schools. Join Rae Whitehouse, JP, Lucy Trimnell and Liz Webb as they discuss.