In Scotland, the government states that all children will have the opportunity to experience a four-night residential trip at some point during their time at school. With at least two-thirds of our educational experts based in Scotland, we took this opportunity to examine the role of education outside the classroom. This week co-hosts Ross Borthwick and Isabel Rich are joined by Tom Mason, Head of Outdoor Learning, to discuss the value and impact of learning outside. Together, they look at...

Since the age of smart phones, navigating friendship, safety and self-esteem is ever more perilous and challenging for young people. Parents are seeing their children grow up in a world increasingly different from their own, while schools are having to adapt to a blurring of home life, school life and the online world. In Episode 1 of Season 3 of The Rest is Education, we ask what an education centred around the child and seen through the eyes of a child might look like. In this episode,...

In this week's episode, we discuss the mental health crisis affecting staff in schools and look at some of the best ways to help develop a supportive wellbeing culture in schools. David talks with Hilary Plant and John Ansell, both experts in their own fields and experienced at providing support for schools in this area. Hilary is a local authority governor at a North London primary school. In addition to being the vice chair, link governor for SEND and inclusion and wellbeing governor, she...

With increasing numbers of pupils boarding, both within the UK and overseas, Ross is joined by highly experienced boarding practitioners Vicky and James Eales. The trio discuss the reasons why, despite the stereotypes, boarding is on the rise*. *ISC Census 2023

In episode 5 of season 2, David and Ross are joined by Rebecca Kennedy de Lorenzini to discuss the question, 'Is history the best subject?' Our working title 'The best is history' riffs off the popular UK-based podcast The Rest is History, a far grander and more established purveyor of fine historical discussion than us: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rest-is-history/id1537788786 However, we think you'll agree, once you've listened to this 47-minute episode, that the historical...

In this assessment-focused episode, Ross interviews Julia Martin, the ISEB's effervescent CEO, on how the UK's oldest examination board is pioneering new forms of assessment after 120 years. The Independent Schools Examination Board, founded in 1903 and utilised by 340 schools worldwide, is leading the way with a raft of innovative assessments from the project-based iPQ to revolutionary creative writing analytical tools designed to assess comparative judgement. Join Ross and Julia as they...

In Episode 3 of Season 2, we address the pressing question of AI in education. David is joined in The Rest is Education (digital) studio by Holly Thomas and Barry Cooper. Barry is Principal of The Global College, an IB institution based in Madrid: https://theglobalcollege.com/ Holly Thomas is Head of IT and Digital Innovation at a prep school in North London. Organisations mentioned on the podcast include IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools): https://iaps.uk/ and IE Business School...

In this episode, Ross and David explore the British house system from its (probable) origin in the clans and dynasties of medieval Europe to the sorting hat and houses of Hogwarts. With a few diversions to Latin mottos and international schools, they discuss boarding houses, sports days and house chants. Outside of Harry Potter, houses are ultimately a place of pastoral care and cross-year friendships for pupils throughout the school.

Season 2 of The Rest is Education begins with a discussion about classics in education. David speaks to Anna Bell from the charity Classics for All, alongside author, musician and classics teacher Julia Gray, asking the question, 'Why should we teach classics?' In this episode, mention is made of the organisation and charity Classics for All, details for which can be found here: https://classicsforall.org.uk/ Julia refers to the apps Quizlet and Blooket, information about which can be found...

Ross and David welcome guest presenter Isabel Rich to discuss the value of homework in schools. We explore some of the research around homework and discuss our own experiences as teachers and parents. The poem read by David to begin isHomework! Oh Homework by Jack Prelutskyhttps://www.poemhunter.com/poem/homework-oh-homework-2/Books Discussed John Hattie - Visible Learning: The Sequel (2023) https://visible-learning.org/2023/01/visible-learning-the-sequel-2023/Dominic Salles - The Slightly...

Join co-host Ross Borthwick on this extraordinary episode as he interviews New Zealand tech pioneer and founder of revolutionary report-writing software Reportal.ai, Frazer Findlater. Frazer introduces us to the website that makes report writing a breeze and explains how artificial intelligence is helping teachers worldwide to write better reports. Hold onto your pods as this one is going to create some waves. Watch this space!www.reportal.ai

Staffroom chats, after work socials, friendly corridor greetings - all these interactions make life a bit better in the day-to-day life of a school. But on days when things are really tough, connecting with a colleague can be a lifesaver. Ross and David chat great colleagues on this Rest is Education special looking at the social life of schools.

This week, join Ross and David as they discuss what schools can and are doing to develop kind citizens. It features an interview with Alan Marshall, David's Dad, who undertook national service in the military in the early 1950s. The recording of this episode coincided with the 200th sovereign's parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst - the UK's military leadership college and whose maxim is 'Serve to lead' - as well as the launch of BBC Countryfile's 'Wild Britain' campaign, which...

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is a worldwide study by the OECD intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old school pupils' performance in maths, science and reading. This week, David interviews Lucy Crehan, qualified teacher, author and educational consultant. Her book Cleverlands (2016) combines educational research with an exploration of the world's top performing education systems, for which she travelled to help out in schools and live with...

This week, Aaron and David are joined by Isabel to discuss picture books and how they can be used to support children's learning from early childhood through school and beyond.

At just over 360 worldwide the Thinking Schools Network is growing but just what does it mean to be a Thinking School? Is it right for all schools and does an organisation need to join the network to be a 'Thinking School'? This week join David, Ross and special guest George Wienekus as they explore what it means to be a 'Thinking School'.

To kick off 2023, David and Ross interview a former colleague: New Zealander Thomas Primrose. Now the deputy head overseeing curriculum development in one of New Zealand's oldest schools, Thomas shares why it's an exciting time to be involved in education at both Hereworth and New Zealand as a whole.

For our final episode of the year, David interviews Shane Leaning, Head of Teaching Development at Nord Anglia, China. Shane is responsible for professional development at eleven bilingual schools across the region and oversees programmes such as the teacher training programme and the Becoming Bilingual course. In this episode, Shane takes listeners through the processes and features of professional development and discusses how his team implements big changes while also allowing for...

Teachers are lifelong learners. Like many professions, CPD sits at the heart of the career and is an essential aspect of personal growth and pupil impact. But what actually is effective CPD and how do schools cultivate this? Aaron, Ross and David explore this question in episode 7, looking at the current research and delving into their own (good and bad) experience of professional development to find the answers.

This week, Aaron attempts to persuade David to use the Qatar Football World Cup as a teaching opportunity. Tune in to find out whether he was successful and for some ideas as to how you could begin the conversation in your setting.

Following the interview in E04, Aaron, David and Ross discuss ways in which the Sustainable Development Goals can be taught in a variety of settings. As promised in the episode, here is a list of resources for...

With COP27 taking place this week, Ross invites fellow sustainable development enthusiasts Helen Sundaram and Eve Jardine-Young onto the pod to discuss the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Join us this week as we discuss how the 'global to-do list' is being taught in schools and what the future holds for this crucial subject. Helen founded The Kindness Bank in 2021 and works with schools to support their delivery of the SDGs in the classroom. She is campaigning to have the...

With the majority of new entrant teachers leaving the profession within five years, Aaron, Ross and David explore the reasons why and where teachers are remaining in the profession.

With teachers fleeing the profession like never before, Ross, Aaron and David discuss the factors driving this mounting problem. Is it pay, working conditions, lifestyle change, the aftermath of Covid-19 and how it changed the profession or the lure of working overseas? One thing is for sure, without staff retention, schools are thrown into a cycle of continual flux. Join us this week to identify the problems before looking at what is keeping some teachers in the profession beyond five years...