Thinking Deeply about Primary Education
Kieran Mackle
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This podcast explores primary education through in-depth conversations with inspirational teachers. It offers practical insights and reflections for both newcomers to the profession and experienced school leaders. Additional references, links, and extended video episodes are available on the show's website.
Épisodes
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How Does Curriculum Become Classroom Practice? 12.09.2026 53minLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference EdinburghFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 309: If a school wants to improve its curriculum, where should leaders begin?In the final episode of our curriculum mini-series, we move from curriculum design and classroom practice to the strategic decisions that sit behind long-term improvement. A panel of school leaders joins us to explore how curriculum change is prioritised, supported and sustained.We discuss how leaders decide what to focus on rather than trying to change everything at once, what needs to be in place if curriculum work is going to reach the classroom, and why some changes may need to wait until stronger foundations have been established. The result is a conversation about curriculum improvement as a long-term process rather than a sequence of isolated initiatives. -
Where Should Schools Start With Curriculum? 05.09.2026 57minLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference EdinburghFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 308: A curriculum may be carefully designed, but what does it take for it to work in the hands of teachers?In the second episode of our curriculum mini-series, we shift from curriculum design to classroom practice. A panel of teachers joins us to explore what curriculum looks like from the perspective of those responsible for enacting it every day.We discuss the aspects of curriculum that make the greatest difference to teaching and learning, the knowledge and judgement teachers need in order to work with a curriculum well, and what happens when teachers need to adapt while still protecting the ambition and coherence of what has been designed. We also consider what allows curriculum change to become embedded rather than simply becoming the next initiative. -
What Makes a Curriculum Coherent? 29.08.2026 57minLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference EdinburghFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 307: What does it take to turn curriculum thinking into something coherent, teachable and genuinely useful in the classroom?In the first episode of our curriculum mini-series, Reid Smith joins us to explore the decisions that sit behind curriculum and resource design. We discuss where the process begins, how choices are made about content, sequencing and revisiting, and how curriculum designers think about the relationship between coherence and teacher adaptation.The conversation also considers what happens when curriculum thinking moves beyond documents and frameworks and has to become something that teachers can actually use with pupils. It is a discussion about the decisions behind the curriculum before we turn, later in the series, to what happens when that curriculum reaches schools and classrooms. -
Five ways to promote positive behaviour for learning 22.08.2026 58minLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference EdinburghFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 306: Good behaviour cannot depend on which teacher happens to be standing at the front of the room.In the final episode of the mini-series, Kieran is joined by Elliot Heade and Jack Pattison from St Peter’s Primary School in Cardiff. Together, they unpack five principles that have helped create calm, purposeful classrooms across the school.Elliot and Jack explain how routines are modelled and rehearsed, how corrections can remain calm and respectful, and why warmth and strictness are not opposites. They also discuss the professional learning, coaching and shared language needed to make strong behaviour for learning extend beyond individual classrooms.This episode shows what becomes possible when expectations are predictable, adults act consistently and every pupil is expected to participate. Good behaviour becomes more than the work of exceptional teachers. It becomes normal. -
When should teachers call for help? 15.08.2026 43minLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference EdinburghFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 305: Teachers should not feel abandoned when behaviour becomes unsafe, but neither should asking for support leave them feeling that they have surrendered responsibility for their classroom.In this episode, Kieran is joined by Shannen Doherty and headteacher Becky Leeves to explore the 3Ds: a simple shared language for deciding when additional support is needed. Shannen and Becky explain how the approach has reduced emotion and ambiguity, improved communication over school radios and helped leaders prioritise their response. Crucially, it has also protected teachers’ professional judgement. The 3Ds are not a rigid checklist or an automatic route to removing a pupil. They provide a common language through which staff can ask for another pair of hands without judgement.The conversation offers a thoughtful model for balancing teacher agency with collective responsibility, while keeping the dignity, safety and needs of pupils at the centre of every response. -
Behaviour is taught, not managed 08.08.2026 49minLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference EdinburghFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 304: What changes when schools stop treating behaviour as something to manage and begin teaching it as deliberately as any other part of the curriculum?Kieran is joined by Australian educator Brendan Lee to explore the close relationship between behaviour, attention, curriculum and instruction. Brendan explains why calm, focused classrooms are a prerequisite for learning and why teachers must assume nothing when establishing routines and expectations.The discussion moves from classroom entry routines and behaviour-specific praise to the antecedents and consequences that can create either positive or negative patterns of behaviour. Brendan also explains why routines need to be modelled, practised, revisited and strengthened over time, rather than introduced once and then assumed to be secure.This is a practical exploration of how teachers can create classrooms in which pupils know what success looks like, experience it regularly and become increasingly able to participate in learning. The central argument is clear: good behaviour does not appear by accident. It is taught. -
Why behaviour feels harder than ever 01.08.2026 44minLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference EdinburghFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 303: When teachers say that behaviour is getting worse, what do they actually mean?In the opening episode of this four-part mini-series, Kieran is joined by Charles Benkowitz to explore why behaviour has become such a pressing and emotionally charged issue for schools. They consider the subjectivity of challenging behaviour, the relationship between attention and learning, and the profound effect that difficult classrooms can have on teachers’ confidence, wellbeing and willingness to remain in the profession.The conversation also examines how much control teachers can reasonably expect to have, whether behaviour policies create clarity or merely shift responsibility, and why apparently minor disruption can become so draining over time.Rather than offering one simple explanation, this episode establishes the questions that run throughout the series. Has behaviour changed, or have our expectations changed? What belongs to the classroom teacher, what belongs to school leaders, and what can genuinely help when teaching begins to feel overwhelming? -
The Leadership Lessons You Learn the Hard Way 25.07.2026 1hLearn more about The Story of Maths and ACEL Pro - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterEpisode 302: What does a year in school leadership actually teach you?Adam Smith and Shannen Doherty return to reflect on the decisions, mistakes and moments that shaped their year. They discuss why leaders cannot solve every problem, what poor communication often reveals, when to hold your nerve and how to admit that a carefully constructed plan simply has not worked.Along the way, we explore behaviour, suspensions, school improvement, instructional coaching, pointless assessment systems and the ghosts of decisions that nobody remembers making but everybody is still expected to follow.An honest, funny and unusually practical conversation about becoming a better leader. -
The Difficult Questions About Teaching Reading 18.07.2026 35minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 301: What should teachers do when a child is still struggling to decode in Year 5? How much should reading intervention take priority over the wider curriculum? What can a reading age genuinely tell us, and when should teachers adapt a phonics programme rather than follow it exactly?In this episode, Christopher Such returns to answer some of the most difficult questions about teaching reading.We discuss phonics in mixed Year 1 and Year 2 classes, the compromises involved in supporting older struggling readers, the limits of reading ages, the meaning of fidelity and whether audiobooks can develop the language and knowledge needed for comprehension.A practical and thoughtful conversation about diagnosis, intervention and making better decisions for pupils who find reading difficult. -
CPA, Counting in Ones, the Problem with Quick Fixes and more... 11.07.2026 58minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 300: For the 300th episode of Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, Kieran is joined by Shannen Doherty and Tom Oakley to answer four questions submitted by listeners.Should schools share test scores with parents? How should teachers approach maths in a mixed-age Year 1 and Year 2 class? Which pieces of common primary maths advice may have done more harm than good? And what should a teacher actually do on Monday morning when a pupil still relies on counting in ones?The conversation explores the importance of context when reporting assessment information, why mixed-age teaching must begin with what pupils need to learn rather than their nominal year group, and how ideas such as concrete, pictorial and abstract learning can become damaging when reduced to slogans.It also develops into a broader discussion about teacher expertise, curriculum schemes, number sense and why schools are often much better at introducing change than sustaining it. -
Teaching, Mistakes and the Courage to Reflect with Baasit Siddiqui 08.07.2026 25minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 299: In this episode, I’m joined by Baasit Siddiqui for a conversation about reflection, mistakes and the human side of teaching.As the academic year draws to a close, many teachers will naturally begin looking back on what went well, what felt difficult, and what they might want to change next year. But reflection is not always the neat, professional process it is sometimes made out to be. It can be messy, emotional and, if we are not careful, overly critical.We discuss why reflection should begin with what went well, how teachers can learn from mistakes without becoming consumed by them, the importance of documenting our thinking, and why school cultures need to make it safe for teachers to ask for help.We also explore the importance of compromise, communication and humility, both in classrooms and in the wider profession.Whether you are ending the year exhausted, proud, uncertain or all three, this conversation is a useful reminder to stop, take stock and recognise the work you have done. -
Beyond Firefighting: Building Better SEND Provision 04.07.2026 51minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 298: What does it take to move from reactive SEND provision to something more strategic, coherent and sustainable?This week I am joined by Amy Batalli from The Kite Academy Trust for a fascinating conversation about the development of learning support assistants, the importance of aligned systems, and what it really means to build provision around pupils rather than around short-term fixes.We discuss the changing role of support staff, the challenges schools face around time, funding and increasing complexity, and the professional development structures needed if LSAs are to feel valued, effective and properly equipped. We also explore the relationship between inclusion, classroom belonging, intervention, leadership and implementation.This is a thoughtful and practical episode about doing the hard work properly: training people well, avoiding unnecessary fragmentation, keeping expectations high, and building systems that survive beyond any one individual.Whether you are a SENCO, trust leader, headteacher, teacher or LSA, there is plenty here to think deeply about. -
Bilingual education, effective teaching, meaningful PD and more... 01.07.2026 49minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 297: If you missed any June episodes, this is your way in. If you listened to them all, it might be another chance to hear them differently. Featuring wonderful guests on a range of pertinent topics from bilingual education to meaningful professional development and everything in between, this episode might just pique your interest... -
The Shiny Solution Trap: AI Tutors, Social Media Bans and How to Actually Support Vulnerable Pupils 27.06.2026 25minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 296: This week, I’m joined by Elliot Morgan for a return to our education news format, looking at the stories teachers should be paying attention to, the stories we might be sleeping on, and the writing worth reading.We discuss proposed restrictions on social media for under-16s, the government’s new enrichment benchmarks, the trial of AI tutors for disadvantaged pupils, and why schools should be wary of shiny solutions that promise to solve deep educational problems without addressing curriculum, assessment, teacher expertise and funding.We also recommend recent pieces on prior knowledge, SEND practice, and the danger of assuming that familiar interventions are effective simply because they are familiar.A short episode, but pound for pound, worth its weight in gold. -
Genuinely meaningful professional development (the conditions and components) 20.06.2026 56minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 295: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined once again by Matthew Best as we build on our exploration of the principles of effective teaching and learning to develop our understanding of truly meaningful PD. We discuss what genuinely meaningful PD looks like, how we can make the science of learning accessible to teachers and where Matthew goes for inspiration when developing his own craft. Whether you are new to the profession or an experienced senior leader, this one is for you. Let me know what you think in the comments... -
Journaling, online platforms, formative assessment and more...May 2026 on TDaPE 17.06.2026 22minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 294: If you missed any May episodes, this is your way in. If you listened to them all, it might be another chance to hear them differently. Featuring wonderful guests on a range of pertinent topics from journaling and online platforms to formative assessment and human education in an increasingly digital world, this episode might just pique your interest... -
The Principles of Effective Teaching and Learning with Matthew Best 13.06.2026 57minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and www.acel.proWhat if the lessons that look most exciting are not always the lessons where students learn the most?Episode 293: In this episode of Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I’m joined by Matthew Best, a P7 teacher, maths lead and senior leader, for a conversation about effective teaching, mathematics, curriculum reform and the opportunity created by TransformED.We explore why primary teaching has so often been pulled towards novelty, activity and engagement, and why this can distract from the harder, more important work of securing learning. Matthew makes the case for calm, predictable classrooms, explicit teaching, worked examples, careful questioning and responsive professional judgement.We also discuss workload, differentiation, inspection culture, curriculum design, the problem with proxies for learning, and why teachers need to be freed up to focus on what matters most: helping students know more, remember more and do more.This is a conversation about putting teaching and learning back at the centre of everything we do in schools. -
Vision Into Practice: How Shaftesbury Park Built a Bilingual Curriculum 06.06.2026 42minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and www.acel.proEpisode 292: In this episode of Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I’m joined by Bunmi Richards, Alastair Anderson and James Cousins from Shaftesbury Park Primary School to explore what bilingual education looks like in practice.Shaftesbury Park’s bilingual curriculum did not begin with a language programme. It began with the school’s values: a local school with a global perspective, serving a richly diverse community and committed to helping students develop cultural appreciation, confidence and a strong sense of identity.Across the conversation, we explore how the school’s French bilingual stream works from the early years through to the end of primary school, how oracy, immersion, phonics, topic-based teaching and cultural learning are carefully sequenced, and why the model depends on long-term commitment rather than short-term initiative thinking.We also discuss the practicalities: staffing, planning, parental communication, governance, workload, progression, misconceptions about bilingualism, and the challenge of what happens when students leave primary school with a level of French that many secondary schools are not yet equipped to build on.This is a fascinating conversation about curriculum, culture, implementation and ambition. Whether you are interested in language learning, school vision, curriculum design or the conditions that allow distinctive practice to thrive, there is plenty here to think about. -
April 2026: What Emerged Across the Conversations 03.06.2026 42minGet your tickets for the TDaPE Conference OnlineFor 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/subscribeAI For Teachers newsletterFor maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.proEpisode 291: April was another terrific month for Thinking Deeply about Primary Education. In this episode we revisit the moments, ideas and questions from April 2026 that made me think the most.This is not a reel clip for the sake of it. It's a chance to slow down, connect threads across conversations, and surface the professional ideas that resonated the most. From classroom practice to leadership, the role of artificial intelligence, metacognition and more. If you missed any April episodes, this is your way in. If you listened to them all, this a chance to hear them differently. -
For Neil and Shannen: A TDaPE Wedding Special 30.05.2026 1hThis week’s episode of Thinking Deeply about Primary Education is a very special one, as we celebrate the marriage of Neil Almond and Shannen Doherty.To mark the occasion, we’ve brought together messages from friends, reflections from across their time on the podcast, the first questions they ever answered on TDaPE, and the final questions they each answered before getting married.It is part celebration, part archive, part thank you to two brilliant people who have given so much to the show, the profession, and the wider education community.Congratulations, Neil and Shannen. This one’s for you.
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