The Headteacher Update Podcast

This episode looks at supporting pupils as they make the transition from primary to secondary school.

We chat with two secondary schools and two feeder primaries about common transition challenges and solutions.

We look at when transition work should begin, what the process looks like, engaging with parents, identifying pupils who may struggle, and supporting vulnerable pupils.

We discuss tried and tested ideas for transition interventions, activities and taster days.

Other topics include curriculum consistency, academic support, year 7 transition activities, open evenings, year 7 pupil ambassadors working with year 6 pupils, and the impact of Covid on transition.

This episode takes a practical look at how primary schools can support vulnerable pupils, including looked after children and those living with trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

We ask what form ACEs and trauma can take, what impact they have, and what being a trauma-informed school involves.

We consider therapeutic approaches and how to create calming classroom environments.

We discuss: making behaviour management more effective and less reactive; the common mistakes schools make and how can we avoid them; responding to emotionally based school-based avoidance; and helping vulnerable children to successfully manage their emotions at key times of the day.

What is the best way to teach pupils to read and how can teachers ensure every child leaves primary school a fluent reader?

This episode considers the components of effective whole-school reading (and literacy) strategies.

The podcast is packed with teaching tips and techniques as well as whole-school ideas to engage pupils and boost reading skills.

We discuss: early years & early reading work, reading aloud, improving fluency, using the school library, fostering reading for pleasure, the kinds of books that will spark a love of reading for life, the DfE's 2021 Reading Framework, common challenges, and engaging reluctant readers.

This episode considers what outstanding governance looks like in the primary school, how to be a great governor, and how school leaders and governors can work together effectively.

We ask how headteachers can foster strong, professional relationships with governors, and vice-versa.

We advise new headteachers how they might begin to build working relationships with governors, including questions to ask during your first meeting, and we advise governors how to build relationships with new heads.

We consider governor workload, how heads can handle 'difficult' governors, what we can do when the relationship breaks down, and what lessons Covid has taught us.

In part two, we chat to three colleagues working in primary schools about their safeguarding work, examples of best practice, and useful ideas.

They discuss current trends, effective safeguarding principles, and how to ensure a culture of “it could happen here”.

Themes include SEND, Covid, spotting the patterns, effective communication, empowering staff to question narratives, supporting volunteer staff, peer-on-peer abuse, online safety, attendance, domestic abuse, and referring to social care.

Part 1 featuring safeguarding expert Elizabeth Rose is still available via https://bit.ly/htu-podcastsafe

Themes include the consequences of Covid-19 for safeguarding, safety of children outside school, the growing trend of online safety challenges at primary level – including peer-on-peer incidents, social media, cyberbullying, online abuse & self-generated images, and online gaming.

Elizabeth advises on making successful referrals, applying thresholds of need, and information-sharing. Other topics include Early Help, parental communication, pupil voice, and staff training.

Don't miss part two of this podcast on February 16.

This episode asks what great school improvement practice and processes look like and how to ensure self-evaluation work in schools is effective.

We discuss the key tenets of school improvement, including change management, culture and ethos. We ask what a cycle of improvement should look like and how headteachers new in post might begin this work, including building relationships, winning hearts and minds, and listening to and involving all stakeholders.

We discuss common traits of effective improvement practice, key challenges or barriers (and how we might overcome them), and how we can ensure that improvement work is maintained.

This episode looks at how digital learning in schools is evolving in the wake of the pandemic and what it will look like in the months to come.

We discuss lessons learnt from Covid, how the pandemic experience has changed practice and use of technology – and where we go next.

We offer ideas for edtech practices that free-up teachers to teach, including pedagogy, homework, assessment, blended learning, flexible working and CPD. We look at what we can do to close the digital divide.

This podcast has been produced with Pearson and comes with a free guide to digital learning: https://bit.ly/htu-DL

This episode considers best practice for effective CPD programmes and performance management in schools, offering some really practical ideas, examples and advice.

Our expert panel reflect on their general tenets of good CPD, before discussing what an effective CPD programme or cycle looks like and giving examples from their respective schools.

Other themes include teachers leading their own CPD, research-driven CPD, how to ensure CPD is focused on pupil outcomes, getting buy-in from staff, evaluating the impact, including support staff, and more.

We consider professional, collegiate performance management and performance-related pay processes too.

In this episode we look at the principles of effective SEND practice, teaching and support in the primary school.

We discuss effective leadership of SEN, championing SEN in your school, communicating effectively with colleagues, and achieving consistency. We look at ensuring SEN is the responsibility of all school staff (not just the SENCO) and creating a culture of inclusion.

We ask how schools can maximise outcomes for SEN pupils given funding challenges and touch upon specific teaching strategies, parent/carer engagement, as well as using pupil profiles to support teaching staff with Education, Health and Care Plans.

This episode looks at the principles of effective Pupil Premium work in primary schools, offering practical advice, ideas and guidance.

We speak to three schools – in Portsmouth, London and Derby – about their innovations, approaches and their “golden nuggets” of practice.

The discussion touches upon Family Support Workers, learning mentors, pupil wellbeing, targeted academic support, encouraging talk, transitions, high expectations, parental engagement, and metacognition.

We discuss tracking progress, Pupil Premium reporting, how to ensure families take up their entitlement, and how to identify all disadvantaged children.

We ask what Pupil Premium has achieved and discuss the impact of Covid-19.

This episode looks at the principles of effective curriculum design, offering practical advice, ideas and guidance for primary school leaders.

As well as good practice, the discussion looks at curriculum design in light of Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework and its renewed focus on curriculum intent, implementation and impact. We discuss steps that school leaders can take to ensure an effective, relevant and coherent curriculum.

Other themes include ensuring the curriculum is relevant to your context, creating a vision, the hidden curriculum, achieving a broad and balanced curriculum, identifying end-points and threshold concepts, diversity and inclusion, supporting subject co-ordinators and more.

The reforms to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) come into effect in September. The government’s Development Matters non-statutory guidance has also been revised and 'rival' sector-created guidance entitled Birth to Five Matters has been published too.

This episode looks at the imminent reforms and how primary schools and early years settings can prepare. Themes include reducing teacher workload, the assessment cycle, and CPD and training.

We also consider general best practice for Reception/early years provision, touching upon themes of learning journals, parental/family engagement, useful resources, rough and tumble play, literacy, resources, and more.

This episode looks at how primary schools can support the good wellbeing of their staff and communities.

Our experts discuss how school leaders can develop a culture of wellbeing, including themes of workload, wellbeing initiatives, collaboration and teacher autonomy.

We discuss protective factors for staff, including mental health training, our sense of purpose and the links between pupil and staff wellbeing, overcoming imposter syndrome, self-care (especially as a headteacher), and how to say 'no'.

We signpost to resources to support schools and we round off by asking our guests what one change they would implement tomorrow to have immediate impact...

This episode dissects the secrets to great and effective teaching in the primary school classroom.

Host and former primary headteacher Helen Frostick and three expert guests look at some of the pedagogical elements that make for great lessons, the qualities that great teachers have and how we can support and develop our teachers to excel.

Topics and themes include supporting early career teachers in particular, mentoring/coaching, CPD, staff collaboration, developmental observations, using technology & developing edtech expertise, performance management, recruitment, engaging with educational research, growth mindset, metacognition and more.

The inaugural episode of the Headteacher Update Podcast looks at pupil wellbeing in the primary school. Our expert panel offer practical ideas & tips for supporting pupils during the summer term & beyond, including in the context of Covid-19.

We discuss key challenges & potential solutions and strategies, touching touch upon issues of staff wellbeing, managing the continuing Covid disruption in terms of pupil wellbeing, & supporting families.

We discuss wellbeing evaluations, how to teach mental health strategies including in PSHE, character curriculum approaches, attachment awareness, issues of SEN, attendance challenges, Ofsted inspection, mindfulness, the power of physical exercise & more.