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In This Together

In This Together

Written by: Becky Dawson
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In This Together, the place where we explore all things wellbeing in education. Join us as we dive into honest conversations, share practical strategies, and uncover the insights you need to foster a thriving environment for both staff , students and everyone in their lives. Get ready to feel inspired, supported, and ready to make a real difference in your community!


All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • The Action Hero Teacher With Karl Pupé | In This Together Ep 11

    The Action Hero Teacher With Karl Pupé | In This Together Ep 11
    Dec 17 2025

    Educational consultant and author Karl Pupé joins Becky Dawson to explore the secrets behind effective classroom leadership. Karl shares his journey from a "school terrorist" to an SEMH specialist, offering a masterclass in building trust and managing behavior through relationships. This episode dives deep into the "Action Hero" approach to teaching, prioritizing teacher wellbeing and human connection over rigid curriculum delivery

    Description
    • The "Maslow before Bloom" Philosophy: Why establishing a safe, caring relationship is the prerequisite for any academic learning
    • Trust Mountain: A breakdown of the four types of student behavior—Disruptor, Compliant, Reflective, and Engaged—and how to move students up the mountain
    • The Leadership Zone: Finding the balance between "Authority" and "Warmth" while avoiding the pitfalls of being a "Dictator," "Doormat," or "Yo-yo" teacher
    • Teacher Wellbeing as Co-regulation: Understanding how a teacher’s emotional state acts as the "bellwether" for the entire class
    • Whole-School Consistency: The importance of crystal-clear, simple rules that every staff member upholds to prevent students from "bending" the system
    Takeaways
    • Prioritize Connection: No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care; relationships are the "North Star" of behavior management
    • Read the Room: Use "two-minute check-ins" at the door to gauge student temperatures and catch potential issues before they escalate
    • The Student Triangle: Effective teachers understand the three pillars of a student's life: their personality, their home environment, and their school experience
    • Establish a Social Contract: Build a classroom culture from day one by making respect explicit and involving students in the "unwritten rules" of the room
    • Seek the "Trusted Adult": If you're struggling with a student, find the one person in school they trust (a coach, TA, or cleaner) and use that bridge to build your own rapport
    Sharing is Caring
    • Karl Pupé recommends visiting Young Minds for mental health resources and exploring the Boxall Profile to understand childhood attachment and practical psychology
    • To learn more about Karl’s "Action Hero" framework, visit actionheroteacher.com or follow his daily "bite-sized brilliance" on LinkedIn
    Chapters
    • 00:00 - Introduction - Meet Karl Pupé, author of The Action Hero Teacher
    • 01:17 - The Action Hero Origin - How a "school terrorist" became an educational consultant
    • 07:06 - Maslow Before Bloom - Debunking the myth that curriculum comes before relationships
    • 10:12 - Teacher Wellbeing & Co-regulation - Why you are the "emotional bellwether" of your class
    • 14:49 - The Burnout Crisis - Addressing why 40,000 teachers are leaving the profession
    • 17:37 - Trust Mountain - Identifying the four levels of classroom behavior
    • 22:56 - The Leadership Zone - Balancing authority and warmth in your teaching style.
    • 24:27 - Styles to Avoid - The Dictator, the Doormat, and the Yo-yo teacher
    • 27:18 - Whole-School Approach - Why "crystal clear" rules beat complex policies
    • 30:57 - Practical Psychology - Why behavior leadership is a learnable skill
    • 33:56 - The Two-Minute Check-in - A simple habit to build trust.
    • 37:05 - The Student Triangle - Seeing the whole child beyond the desk.
    • 43:04 - The Social Contract - Advice for new teachers on establishing culture

    47:33 - Sharing is Caring - Recommended resources for trauma-informed practice
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    49 mins
  • Mindfulness for Staff Wellbeing With Kamalagita Hughes | In This Together Ep 10

    Mindfulness for Staff Wellbeing With Kamalagita Hughes | In This Together Ep 10
    Dec 16 2025
    Mindfulness trainer and author of The Mindful Teacher's Handbook, Kamalagita Hughes joins Becky Dawson to focus on why mindfulness in education matters and how educators can step out of busyness and find peace. She offers the single most practical mindfulness technique—Pausing for Presence—that teachers can implement in a busy school day to immediately reduce stress and emotional overwhelm.The episode delves into the immense pressures facing educators today, arguing that mindfulness is a crucial tool for professional development, allowing staff to be a "bigger container" who respond rather than react to behaviour that challenges and create a calmer classroom atmosphere. The discussion emphasises that leadership must champion staff wellbeing and that cultivating a "way of being" is more impactful than simply "doing" another thing.TakeawaysImplement "Pausing for Presence": Learn and use a simple, single technique of stopping for a moment to step out of autopilot, helping to reduce stress and provide a mini-reset during the school day.Prioritise Staff Wellbeing for Impact: Understand that an educator’s regulated presence creates calmer, more focused atmospheres in the classroom, even if they never teach the skills to pupils.Shift from Reacting to Responding (Behaviour Management): Mindfulness helps teachers become a "bigger container," enabling them to respond with choice rather than a knee-jerk reaction to pupil behaviour, preventing low-level incidents from escalating.Mindful Transitions: Use transitions (like walking to the staff room or break times) as purposeful opportunities to reset and come back to centre, rather than just rushing to the next task.Whole-School Wellbeing Approach: Advocate for senior leadership backing and a slow, organic growth of mindfulness, as top-down rollouts do not work—leaders must first lead themselves by practicing what they advocate.Sharing is CaringKamalagita recommends that the most valuable thing an educator can do is "Pause for Presence," which is demonstrated at the end of the episode. Don't forget to follow us on your podcast platform and give us a rating and review to help more educators find these crucial conversations. Share your thoughts, comments, questions, or brilliant work by emailing the team at teamwellbeing@twinkl.co.uk.Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: Kamalagita Hughes on Mindfulness in Education.03:24 - The Practical Technique: The most practical mindfulness technique for a busy school day: Pausing for Presence.04:10 - Stepping Out of Autopilot: Why the pause is necessary to step out of the mechanical "doing" mode and into a mindful state.05:54 - The Power of Presence: Why genuine presence is what pupils and staff want most and how it solves problems.08:37 - Teaching Experience Influences Advice: How classroom experience informs the advice on behaviour management and creating a bigger container.09:40 - Respond vs. React: Becoming a "bigger container" to respond rather than knee-jerk react to student challenges.10:53 - Creating the Weather: The teacher's influence on the atmosphere and low-level behaviour escalation.12:27 - Professional Development & Regulation: The importance of teachers' self-regulation for creating calmer classroom relationships.14:32 - Whole-School Approach & Leadership: The need for senior leadership to champion staff wellbeing and lead themselves.17:06 - Organic Change: Growing mindfulness slowly and organically, avoiding top-down rollouts.18:49 - Being vs. Doing: Resetting the mindset to see mindfulness as cultivating a way of being rather than another thing to do.21:06 - Mindful Transitions: Using change in the school day as an opportunity to reset and move out of driven doing mode.23:25 - Noticing the World: Mindfulness as being fully aware and alive in the world, not just emptying the head.24:17 - Trauma-Informed Delivery: Why mindfulness is not for everyone and the need for a compassionate presence.25:02 - Pause for Presence Practice: A live guided practice to implement immediately.
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    31 mins
  • The Power of PSHE with Nicole Campbell | In This Together Ep 9

    The Power of PSHE with Nicole Campbell | In This Together Ep 9
    Dec 3 2025

    Senior PSHE Subject Lead Nicole Campbell joins Becky Dawson and Laiba Sheikh on In This Together to discuss "How can we make PSHE matter?" Nicole emphasizes a whole-school approach, student agency, and open communication for effective PSHE/RSE delivery. The episode addresses challenges like age-appropriate topics, sensitive subjects (consent, FGM), and the necessity of confident, supported teachers who value honesty and parent consultation. Nicole highlights the need to acknowledge external learning via technology for PSHE to have a transformational impact.

    Takeaways
    • Parental involvement and shared responsibility are vital for RSE/PSHE, requiring informed consultation.
    • Teaching consent must begin much earlier (nursery age) for effective prevention.
    • Balancing age-appropriateness is challenging; sensitive topics (like FGM) need careful pitching, while others (like pornography's dangers) demand early intervention due to accessibility.
    • Specialist PSHE/RSE teachers with passion and knowledge are crucial for better student outcomes.
    • A whole-school approach is necessary; PSHE must be prioritized and embedded interdisciplinary, not an "add-on."
    • Teachers uncomfortable with a topic should communicate this or, if they must teach it, be honest and adopt a learner seat approach with students.


    Sharing is Caring

    Nicole recommends embracing child-led social media campaigns and collaborative group projects as a teaching method. This gives young people agency and voice while reducing the pressure on teachers to lecture, especially on sensitive topics.


    Don't forget to follow us on your podcast platform and if you feel able to, give us a rating and review.

    Share your thoughts, comments, questions, or brilliant work by emailing the team at teamwellbeing@twinkle.co.uk.


    Chapters

    00:00 - Introduction - Nicole Campbell, PSHE Subject Lead

    00:49 - Age Restrictions - Discussing age restrictions on teaching RSE/PSHE topics and the role of parents.

    01:04 - Parent Communication - The need to work with parents and listen to their concerns.

    02:30 - Student Agency - Understanding where young people are at and giving them more agency over their learning.

    03:02 - Foundation of Knowledge - Why we need to understand students' existing knowledge in PSHE.

    04:10 - Trauma-Informed Delivery - The importance of teaching PSHE in a trauma-informed way.

    04:47 - Teaching Consent - Arguing that consent should be taught from a much earlier age.

    06:51 - Prevention vs. Cure - Is there more harm in teaching things later than earlier?.

    09:28 - Relevance Challenge - Adapting the curriculum and tackling relevance when teaching life lessons.

    11:23 - The Specialist Teacher - The importance and impact of having specialist PSHE/RSE teachers.

    13:18 - Interdisciplinary Approach - Embedding PSHE throughout the whole school curriculum.

    15:02 - Team Teaching - School and parents working together as a team to teach PSHE.

    17:13 - Personal Motivation - What motivates Nicole to teach PSHE and RSE.

    18:33 - Student-Led Curriculum - Making education more pupil-led and relevant to life.

    23:22 - Teacher Confidence - Advice for non-specialist teachers who feel uncomfortable or lack confidence in delivering PSHE.

    23:51 - The Learner Seat - Putting yourself in the learner seat and valuing honesty with students.

    26:47 - Primary vs. Secondary Impact - Comparing the time constraints and impact of teaching PSHE in primary versus secondary school.

    29:25 - Sharing is Caring - Recommending student-led social media campaigns.
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    33 mins
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