Teachers Talk Connect Preview ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠ - 14th March, Manchester

TDaPE North West Conference ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets:⁠ - 28th March, St Helens ⁠⁠

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-thinking-deeply-about-primary-education-conference-tickets-1661953891829?aff=oddtdtcreator

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⁠⁠⁠AI For Teachers⁠⁠⁠ newsletter

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 273: This week on Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, I’m joined by Dominic Bristow (Stylus) to explore the Gartner Hype Curve and what it can teach schools about decision-making in the age of AI.

We unpack why schools so often swing between inflated expectations and total disillusionment, why “AI” isn’t one thing but a stack of overlapping hype curves, and what that means for leaders trying to spend money and staff time wisely. Dominic shares why credentials and co-creation with educators matter, why “show your workings” should be a red-line expectation for any provider, and how to spot the difference between a serious product and a thin “wrapper” around a chatbot.

If you’re trying to avoid confusing excitement with impact, this one will give you a practical lens, and a better set of questions, before you commit.

Teachers Talk Connect Preview ⁠HERE⁠ - 14th March, Manchester

TDaPE North West Conference ⁠⁠⁠Tickets:⁠ - 28th March, St Helens ⁠

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-thinking-deeply-about-primary-education-conference-tickets-1661953891829?aff=oddtdtcreator

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⁠⁠AI For Teachers⁠⁠ newsletter

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 272: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, Kieran and Elliot return with February’s education stories worth your attention, plus the ones slipping under the radar. They unpack what “phone bans” are really trying to solve, dig into the government’s push for secondary-school “inclusion bases”, and flag a speech-and-language pilot that suggests far more need is being missed than many systems are set up to handle. They also share the best blog and Substack reads of the month, from mini whiteboards done properly to reading fluency, and finish with a quick TDaPE recap.

Teachers Talk Connect Preview HERE - 14th March, Manchester

TDaPE North West Conference ⁠⁠Tickets:⁠ - 28th March, St Helens

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-thinking-deeply-about-primary-education-conference-tickets-1661953891829?aff=oddtdtcreator

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

⁠AI For Teachers⁠ newsletter

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 271: This week is a crossover episode with Tom Rogers, host of Teachers Talk Radio, and it’s one that sits right in the tension at the heart of professional development.

We talk about teacher voice, and whether it’s genuinely missing in the places that shape what “good teaching” is supposed to look like. If you’ve ever thought, I’ve got something worth sharing, but I’m not sure I’m the sort of person who gets asked, this one is for you.

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

TDaPE North West Conference Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-thinking-deeply-about-primary-education-conference-tickets-1661953891829?aff=oddtdtcreator

AI For Teachers newsletter

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 270: What happens when high-impact maths tutoring meets agentic AI?

In this episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, Kieran is joined by Candida Crawford (Third Space Learning) to explore Skye, a “Third Space” AI maths tutor built to deliver one-to-one style spoken tutoring at scale.

Candida explains:

The problem Skye is designed to tackle.

Why Third Space moved from human-delivered tutoring to AI now and what schools actually get.

What “AI-powered” really means in this context.

And much more...

If you’re a primary leader, maths lead, or classroom teacher trying to separate real learning impact from “Wizard of Oz” AI, this is an episode designed for your questions.

Key topics: AI tutoring • maths misconceptions • verbal reasoning • scaffolding • ZPD • teacher monitoring • impact evidence • EdTech evaluation

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 269: January was a strong month for Thinking Deeply About Primary Education.
In this episode, I revisit the moments, ideas and questions from January 2026 that stayed with me longest.

This is not a clip reel for the sake of it. It’s a chance to slow down, connect threads across conversations, and surface the professional ideas that feel most live right now, from classroom practice to leadership, curriculum and professional development.

If you missed any January episodes, this is your way in.
If you listened to them all, this is a chance to hear them differently.

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 268: What if your most powerful coaching tool is already in your pocket?

In this episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, Kieran Mackle is joined by Jake Cowling and Will McLoughlin to explore self-coaching: recording your own lessons to improve classroom practice with precision—without spiralling into self-criticism or turning professional development into performance management.

You’ll hear how lesson video helps you spot the tiny things that quietly shape learning: the timing of an instruction, the clarity of an explanation, classroom distractions you’ve stopped noticing, and the exact moment attention drifts. Will shares three reasons video is such a high-leverage habit (spot imperfections, understand student experience, and build shareable models for colleagues), while Jake breaks down how to keep reflection rigorous, not vibes-based—by triaging the highest-impact changes first.

They also get practical: using shared frameworks (like the Great Teaching Toolkit, StepLab, WalkThrus, Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction, and Teach Like a Champion) to anchor feedback, how to share video safely, and how to keep this work low-stakes, peer-led, and supportive.

If you care about getting “a little bit better every day,” this episode gives you a clear route to start tomorrow—camera, clarity, and all.

Key topics: self-coaching, video reflection, instructional coaching, direct instruction, classroom routines, mini-whiteboards, choral response, deliberate practice, evidence-informed teaching, safeguarding, professional development culture.

This episode is brought to you in association with Learning by Questions. Find the report here: https://primary.lbq.org/hub/headteacher-guide-school-improvement-top-attainment

Episode 267: This week on Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, I’m joined by Andy Done, headteacher of Masefield Primary, to talk through his new report, School Done Smarter: A Blueprint for Headteachers.

We start with something that’ll probably feel familiar: that instinct to jump straight into “fixing” things. Andy makes the case for slowing down first and properly diagnosing what’s going on — listening to pupils, staff and families, and trying to get to the root cause rather than treating the symptoms. He shares a moment from his first week that stopped him in his tracks.

From there, we get into culture and consistency: why culture beats strategy, why alignment matters more than compliance, and what it looks like in practice when a staff team is genuinely moving in the same direction. Andy talks about things like the teaching and learning handbook, curriculum structures that reduce workload and decision fatigue, retrieval routines (including “Flashback Fridays”), and using technology in a pedagogy-first way — including how they’ve used Learning by Questions to support assessment and feedback without adding to the burden.

We also talk about how Masefield tries to keep the bigger picture joined up: outcomes, staff wellbeing and pupil experience aren’t separate projects. Thrive, structured play, oracy and community-building all sit alongside the academic work, and the point is that they reinforce each other.

If you’re leading in school (or thinking about it), there’s a lot here that’s practical — the kind of ideas you can pinch and adapt straight away.

For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe

For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via support@alta-education.com

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Story of Maths⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview

Episode 266: This week sees the launch of a new monthly format on Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, as Kieran is joined by Elliot Morgan to make sense of what’s been happening across education over the past month.

Rather than chasing headlines, this episode slows things down. We look first at the stories that genuinely feel like progress, including new SEND funding signals, a national professional development programme focused on inclusive practice, the announcement of the National Year of Reading, and early conversations about the role AI might play in exam marking. Alongside optimism, there’s scepticism too, particularly around scale, delivery, and whether headline funding ever truly reaches classrooms.

The conversation then turns to a story that deserves far more attention than it’s getting: the sharp rise in elective home education. With a 15% increase in a single year, we explore what this trend might be telling us about inclusion, belonging, mental health, and the relationship between families and schools in a post-Covid system.

There’s space for lighter moments too. The introduction of new segments includes a nod to a friend of the podcast appearing on national television, and the revival of long-form educational writing. Elliot and Kieran recommend the most thought-provoking blogs and newsletters of the month, spanning cognition, leadership, autonomy, EAL provision, and the overlooked craft of running parents’ evenings well.

The episode closes with a reflection on a busy month for #TDaPE itself, including the London conference, recent podcast episodes, and what stood out most from conversations with teachers, leaders, and speakers.

A slower episode. A wider lens. And a reminder that there is still a lot worth paying attention to in education.