In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding director of Seen & Heard, a not-for-profit supporting the wellbeing of past and present pupils of the private school system - many of whom have experienced institutional neglect, emotional harm or abuse.
After two decades in global sales and marketing, Chris realised that his life had been shaped by powerful, unexamined forces: early separation, boarding school culture, unresolved childhood experiences, and profound personal grief. Through coaching, men’s groups, the Emotional Freedom Technique, and a life-changing spiritual awakening, he discovered a new sense of purpose rooted in authenticity, service, and compassion. This journey transformed his parenting, his perspective, and the work he now offers to others.
James shares the origins of the Rethinking Education Podcast, his work with the Learner Effectiveness Programme, slice teams, implementation science, and the Education Policy Alliance, and explores why so many top-down reforms fail to shift what actually happens in classrooms.
Together, they explore:
- The “myth of privilege” and why suffering in elite institutions is so often minimised
- How early separation and boarding school cultures shape adult hypervigilance, self-protection, and leadership
- The emotional and spiritual turning points that redirected Chris’s life
- How Seen & Heard supports former pupils, works with schools, and campaigns for safer legislation
- Why spoken language (oracy) is an overlooked equity issue
- Why the system keeps “locating the problem in the child”
- How learner-effectiveness, self-regulation, and holistic education can transform outcomes
- The cultural assumptions baked into British schooling and politics
- Why compassion-centred leadership matters now more than ever
This is a deeply human, hopeful conversation about trauma, awareness, systemic change, and learning to live - and lead - with compassion.
LINKS
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of past pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheard.org.uk
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of present pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheardschools.org.uk
- Chris’s coaching business where I support men and women through 1-2-1’s and groups – https://growthwave.uk
The Compassionate Leader Pathway Course - designed to help people lead with purpose, perform with clarity and live with integrity. https://compassionateleadersglobal.com
CREDITS
- The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
- Outro track: How it is and how it should be by Grit Control
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love.
If you’d like to support the podcast or convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod
All content for Rethinking Education is the property of Dr James Mannion and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding director of Seen & Heard, a not-for-profit supporting the wellbeing of past and present pupils of the private school system - many of whom have experienced institutional neglect, emotional harm or abuse.
After two decades in global sales and marketing, Chris realised that his life had been shaped by powerful, unexamined forces: early separation, boarding school culture, unresolved childhood experiences, and profound personal grief. Through coaching, men’s groups, the Emotional Freedom Technique, and a life-changing spiritual awakening, he discovered a new sense of purpose rooted in authenticity, service, and compassion. This journey transformed his parenting, his perspective, and the work he now offers to others.
James shares the origins of the Rethinking Education Podcast, his work with the Learner Effectiveness Programme, slice teams, implementation science, and the Education Policy Alliance, and explores why so many top-down reforms fail to shift what actually happens in classrooms.
Together, they explore:
- The “myth of privilege” and why suffering in elite institutions is so often minimised
- How early separation and boarding school cultures shape adult hypervigilance, self-protection, and leadership
- The emotional and spiritual turning points that redirected Chris’s life
- How Seen & Heard supports former pupils, works with schools, and campaigns for safer legislation
- Why spoken language (oracy) is an overlooked equity issue
- Why the system keeps “locating the problem in the child”
- How learner-effectiveness, self-regulation, and holistic education can transform outcomes
- The cultural assumptions baked into British schooling and politics
- Why compassion-centred leadership matters now more than ever
This is a deeply human, hopeful conversation about trauma, awareness, systemic change, and learning to live - and lead - with compassion.
LINKS
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of past pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheard.org.uk
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of present pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheardschools.org.uk
- Chris’s coaching business where I support men and women through 1-2-1’s and groups – https://growthwave.uk
The Compassionate Leader Pathway Course - designed to help people lead with purpose, perform with clarity and live with integrity. https://compassionateleadersglobal.com
CREDITS
- The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
- Outro track: How it is and how it should be by Grit Control
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love.
If you’d like to support the podcast or convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding director of Seen & Heard, a not-for-profit supporting the wellbeing of past and present pupils of the private school system - many of whom have experienced institutional neglect, emotional harm or abuse.
After two decades in global sales and marketing, Chris realised that his life had been shaped by powerful, unexamined forces: early separation, boarding school culture, unresolved childhood experiences, and profound personal grief. Through coaching, men’s groups, the Emotional Freedom Technique, and a life-changing spiritual awakening, he discovered a new sense of purpose rooted in authenticity, service, and compassion. This journey transformed his parenting, his perspective, and the work he now offers to others.
James shares the origins of the Rethinking Education Podcast, his work with the Learner Effectiveness Programme, slice teams, implementation science, and the Education Policy Alliance, and explores why so many top-down reforms fail to shift what actually happens in classrooms.
Together, they explore:
- The “myth of privilege” and why suffering in elite institutions is so often minimised
- How early separation and boarding school cultures shape adult hypervigilance, self-protection, and leadership
- The emotional and spiritual turning points that redirected Chris’s life
- How Seen & Heard supports former pupils, works with schools, and campaigns for safer legislation
- Why spoken language (oracy) is an overlooked equity issue
- Why the system keeps “locating the problem in the child”
- How learner-effectiveness, self-regulation, and holistic education can transform outcomes
- The cultural assumptions baked into British schooling and politics
- Why compassion-centred leadership matters now more than ever
This is a deeply human, hopeful conversation about trauma, awareness, systemic change, and learning to live - and lead - with compassion.
LINKS
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of past pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheard.org.uk
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of present pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheardschools.org.uk
- Chris’s coaching business where I support men and women through 1-2-1’s and groups – https://growthwave.uk
The Compassionate Leader Pathway Course - designed to help people lead with purpose, perform with clarity and live with integrity. https://compassionateleadersglobal.com
CREDITS
- The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
- Outro track: How it is and how it should be by Grit Control
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love.
If you’d like to support the podcast or convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod
Nick Covington and Kate McAllister on Restoring Humanity to Education
What does it mean to restore humanity to education?
In this rich and wide-ranging three-way conversation, James is joined by Kate McAllister – co-founder of The Human Hive and lead educator at The Hive in the Dominican Republic – and Nick Covington, co-founder of the Human Restoration Project in the US.
Together, we explore:
The dehumanising effects of traditional schooling models
What human-centred education looks like in practice – both inside and outside the mainstream
Self-regulation, executive function and building trust with students
The role of flow in learning, and why it's missing from most education policy discussions
The Third Coast Learning Collaborative – a US-wide, government-funded project using project-based learning, portfolio assessment, and student-led exhibition
The power of authentic audience and interdisciplinary learning
How progressive educators can embrace data to strengthen their case for change
The importance of courageous school leaders and communities of practice
We also talk about Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession, mangled chicken coops, flow states, poetry circles, grant funding, and catapults launching frisbees across middle school campuses.
Education doesn’t have to be this way. Across the world, a quiet revolution is taking place – one built on trust, flow, curiosity and care. This episode offers a glimpse of what’s possible when we restore humanity to learning.
LINKS
Follow Nick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-covington/
Follow Kate - https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskatemcallister/
Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/
Human Restoration Project - https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/
The Hive – Dominican Republic - https://www.thehiveadventure.com/
The Third Coast Learning Collaborative - https://www.thirdcoastlearning.org/
Ron Berger on 20 years of 'An ethic of excellence' - and ending the trad-prog debate! - https://www.rethinking-ed.org/ron-berger
Gallup Student Poll data on engagement, hope and belonging: https://msnpro1.gallup.com/report-generator/GSP/1.3/En-US?districtId=229403046&schoolId=229403048&cohortId=231774178
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
CONVEY YOUR APPRECIATION FOR THE POD :)
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
We’re back for Season 6! In this reflective episode, James and David catch up after the summer and explore the “big idea” that’s been emerging across recent blogs and conversations: there is more to human development than learning about subjects.
They discuss the need for schools to make space for personal growth, wellbeing, and learner effectiveness alongside subject learning – and why our current focus on a purely knowledge-rich curriculum isn’t enough to prepare young people for life beyond school.
Along the way, they talk about theatre, conferences, politics, art, and the Everybody Thriving unconference in Manchester.
⏱️ Highlights
Catching up after summer: Edinburgh Fringe, Fringe Review, and the Lost Lear play at the Traverse Theatre (00:01:00)
James’s trip to the EARLI Conference in Austria and the international focus on learner effectiveness (00:07:00)
Hundertwasser’s art and architecture in Vienna (00:09:00)
Reflections on feedback from recent Rethinking Education episodes (00:11:00)
The Supervision in Education Conference at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (00:12:00)
The Everybody Thriving unconference in Manchester (00:19:00)
Audrey Tang, the Taiwanese civic hacker and politician, and her ideas on digital democracy (Plurality, GovZero, Pol.is, and presidential hackathons) (00:24:00)
The Education Policy Alliance and “slice politics” – bridging the gap between grassroots innovation and executive power (00:28:00)
The “big idea”: more to human development than subjects – learner effectiveness, self-knowledge, wellbeing, and systems thinking (00:36:00)
Why subject knowledge alone isn’t working: phones, attention, and the post-literate world (00:44:00)
The Learning Skills Curriculum and Who Am I? project (00:47:00)
The Welsh Government’s Learner Effectiveness Programme (00:49:00)
The purpose of education: human development vs. transactional outcomes (00:57:00)
Future guests: Dave Whitaker and Rupert Wegerith (01:05:00)
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this episode, David and James sit down with Jaz Ampaw-Farr to talk about her powerful new book Because of You, This is Me: The stories we tell, the stories we change and the power of everyday heroes. We explore the big themes of the book, including:
The lies we’ve agreed to and how to rewrite them
Why we need a new vocabulary for education
And the everyday heroes who changed the ending for Jaz
Along the way we also touch on the importance of listening to voices of lived experience – a conversation that was sparked by Darren McGarvey’s work and led to some of Jaz’s most insightful reflections.
This episode is a rich mix of personal story, educational insight and practical wisdom.
Links and resources:
Jaz’s book: https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/because-of-you-this-is-me
Jaz’s TEDx talk ‘The power of everyday heroes’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3xoZXSW5yc
Jaz’s website: https://jazampawfarr.com/
Find out more about the Open School: https://www.theopenschool.uk/
Enjoyed the episode?
Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend or colleague. You can also support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/repod
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
In this wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation, we're joined by teacher and researcher Richard Bustin, author of the fascinating new book What Are We Teaching?
We delve deep into some of the biggest questions in curriculum and pedagogy today – from the concept of powerful knowledge to the ongoing tensions between progressivism and traditionalism in education. What does it mean to teach in a way that builds pupils' capabilities – not just their test scores? And how can we balance a knowledge-rich curriculum with professional teacher autonomy?
Richard brings a rare blend of classroom insight, research rigour, and philosophical curiosity to this conversation. We discuss:
What powerful knowledge is – and isn’t
How geography “went woke”
Whether the progressivism vs traditionalism debate is helpful or reductive
Why a focus on capabilities might offer a richer way forward
The risks of top-down curriculum mandates
And why teacher professionalism and trust matter more than ever
This is a rich and energising listen for anyone who cares deeply about what – and how – we teach.
Richard Bustin is a secondary geography teacher and doctoral researcher with a focus on curriculum studies, powerful knowledge, and geo-capabilities. His book What Are We Teaching? (2025) is a compelling invitation to examine the deeper messages embedded in our teaching and to reclaim the professional agency of teachers as curriculum-makers.
Links and resources:
Follow Richard https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-bustin-165b7019b/
What are we teaching? https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/what-are-we-teaching
Enjoyed the episode?
Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend or colleague. You can also support the podcast on Patreon: https://patreon.com/repod
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
In this powerful and practical conversation, Dr James Mannion and The Real David Cameron are joined by the inspirational Amjad Ali – teacher, leader, inclusion expert, founder of Try This Teaching and author of A Little Guide for Teachers: SEND in Schools – to explore what it would take to fix the SEND crisis.
With over 20 years of experience across a wide range of educational settings, Amjad brings a wealth of knowledge and deep compassion to the question of how we can better serve learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Together, we explore:
Why the SEND system is currently under such immense pressure
The barriers that children, families and teachers face every day
What inclusion really means – and how to move beyond tokenism
Practical ideas to create more equitable, compassionate classrooms
The mindset shifts needed at every level of the system
This is a must-listen episode for anyone who wants to make education more inclusive, sustainable, and humane – not just for SEND learners, but for everyone.
LINKS
Follow Amjad - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amjadalitrythisteaching/
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this joyful and thought-provoking episode, we’re joined by Tom Veck and Andy Hawkings from Rocktopus – the world’s greatest rock band for kids (and educators, as it turns out).
At the last Rethinking Education conference, Tom and Andy did something truly remarkable: in front of a live audience of 500 people, they wrote a brand new song on the spot. With lyrics provided by the audience and four chords chosen entirely at random, they created a tune that’s both hilarious and haunting – and just wait until you hear it. Fair warning: it’s an absolute earworm.
But this episode is more than a musical moment. Tom and Andy – both former teachers – use the lyrics of the song as a springboard for a fascinating conversation about the perks and peculiarities of the English education system. We explore the power of creativity, the limits of conformity, and what it might take to build a system that helps everyone to thrive.
Whether you’re a teacher, parent, policymaker or student, this one’s for you.
In this episode:
A live songwriting experiment with audience participation
Why music and creativity matter more than ever in education
Stories from the classroom – and why Tom and Andy left teaching
Reflections on control, compliance and how to do things differently
We have a narrow curriculum which squeezes out the arts - so let’s rethink education
There is a lack of imagination and not enough fun - so let’s rethink education
Children should be self directed showing us their way let them lead
Transferable skills should be the core of what we teach learn for life
So let’s trust
Let’s be brave
Let’s do what’s right and not what is required
Let’s have fun
Let’s explore
Let’s bring back the love forget the fear of being fired!
We're forced to rank the children as OFSTED ranks the schools - so let’s rethink education
We have a lack of agency - we're trapped inside the system - so let’s rethink education
A place of transformation that embraces community school is the heart
A place to dream a place to play a Place to think and love feeling free
So let’s trust
Let’s be brave
Let’s do what’s right and not what is required
Let’s have fun
Let’s explore
Let’s bring back the love forget the fear of being fired!
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this short episode of the Rethinking Education podcast, James Mannion speaks with Dr Kulvarn Atwal – a highly respected headteacher leading not one, but two schools: Highlands Primary and Uphall Primary in East London.
Kulvarn is the author of The Thinking School and The Thinking Teacher, and a long-time advocate of distributed leadership and research-informed practice. He shares insights into how his schools are developing cultures of continuous improvement through collaboration and genuine stakeholder engagement.
This conversation focuses on the idea of slice teams – diverse, representative groups of staff, students, and other members of the school community who lead change initiatives together. Slice teams are a central feature of James's new book, Making Change Stick: A Practical Guide to Implementing School Improvement.
Topics discussed include:
What slice teams are and how they work in practice
Why including pupils in these teams is so important
How this approach can lead to more sustainable, system-wide change
Whether you’re a school leader, a classroom teacher, or someone interested in education reform, this is a thought-provoking discussion on how we can rethink leadership and change in schools.
LINKS
Making Change Stick website - https://makingchangestick.co
Making Change Stick book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Change-Stick-Implementing-Improvement/dp/1398387487
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this powerful episode, we speak with two leading commentators on education and children’s rights – Warwick Mansell, independent investigative journalist and founder of Education Uncovered, and Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist and author of Changing Our Minds.
We dig into the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill currently making ita way through Parliament, and ask: who gets to decide what’s best for children?
Warwick examines how the academies system has paved the way for growing inequality, secrecy, and reduced local oversight, while Naomi outlines how the Bill could ramp up state control over home education.
From changes to local authorities to parental rights, this episode uncovers what’s at stake – and why we should all be paying attention.
LINKS
Follow Warwick - https://educationuncovered.co.uk
Follow Naomi - https://naomifisher.co.uk/
Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/
Follow David - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cameron-72061a15
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In today’s episode, I bring you a fascinating conversation with John Tomsett and Mary Myatt – two people who’ve done so much to shape thinking about curriculum and leadership in schools over recent years.
Mary Myatt is an education adviser, writer and speaker. She started out as an RE teacher and has written extensively about curriculum, leadership and school improvement – books like High Challenge, Low Threat, The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence and of course the original Huh.
John Tomsett taught in state schools for over three decades, including 18 years as a headteacher. He’s written widely about leadership and mental health in schools, including Love Over Fear, Mind Over Matter, and Putting Staff First. He’s also one of the leading figures in the evidence-informed education movement and former leader of Huntington Research School in York.
This conversation centres around their latest collaboration, AP Huh, which is part of their brilliant Huh series. The idea behind the Huh books is simple but powerful: to elevate the conversation around curriculum design by listening closely to the people doing the work – subject leaders, senior leaders, teachers, and in this case, those working in alternative provision.
The term Huh comes from the Egyptian god of endlessness, creativity and regeneration – and that spirit runs through everything they write. The Huh books are deeply rooted in the real world of schools, but they always look to what’s possible, what’s better – what could be.
Together, John and Mary bring a huge depth of experience, a deep moral commitment to young people, and a keen eye for what actually works. This was a really enjoyable conversation – and I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
LINKS
Buy AP Huh - https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/alternative-provision-huh
Follow John - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-tomsett-38ba74b3/
Follow Mary - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymyatt/
Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
Lewis Wedlock is an academic, mental health professional and masculinities educator from Bristol, England.
He has spent the last five years working with thousands of young men across the UK in secondary and higher education, engaging them in topics such as feminism, allyship, accountability, sexism, misogyny and VAWG.
He has designed and delivered several interventions for schools looking to transform their masculinity school cultures, and has worked with hundreds of educators to support them in the journey towards supporting and empowering young men within their school spaces.
His debut book “Masculinities in Schools” is due to be published by Sage in June.
LINKS
Lewis’s TEDx talk ‘The crisis of masculinity’ - https://www.ted.com/talks/lewis_wedlock_the_crisis_of_masculinity
Lewis’s book ‘Masculinities in school’ - https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/masculinities-in-schools/book291711
Lewis on bringing teachers on the journey towards anti-misogyny work in schools - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7313467595809046529/?originTrackingId=vFhKtaFiTryFt2v9NuWMIA%3D%3D
Lewis on safeguarding women and gender-fluid teachers in conversations relating to anti-misogyny work - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7312383310528143360/?originTrackingId=%2B%2FDoao0qRka%2BXELJ%2BeWPdw%3D%3D
Lewis on why we need to rethink showing Adolescence in schools - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7310952725276446720/?originTrackingId=qEDxB5LuRYqggVUxMjo%2F%2FA%3D%3D
Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this special episode, Dr James Mannion and The Real David Cameron take a look at the education systems in the four nations of the United Kingdom and ask: what can we learn from one another?
Graham Donaldson has been central to development in Scotland as chief inspector, advising government as well as leading on quality assurance. And remarkably he has also been central to the development of Curriculum for Wales in the role of chief adviser to the Welsh Government.
Tony Gallagher, from Queens University Belfast, has made a massive contribution to education in Northern Ireland and internationally. He is best known for his work on education in divided societies, a subject that, sadly, continues to be of vital importance.
Lena Carter is the headteacher of two schools in Scotland, Glassary and Tayvallich, in Argyll and Bute, a challenge that Lena embraces with real energy, passion and a tremendous commitment to meeting every pupil’s needs.
And Lucy Kirkham teaches geography at Bassaleg Comprehensive school near Newport in Wales. Lucy has a considerable track record in Environmental Education and has been a real driving force behind a series of conferences where young people can engage with the climate emergency on their terms.
LINKS
Follow Graham - https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-donaldson-b8a9ba43
Follow Lena - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-carter-27748a39/
Follow Lucy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-kirkham-9b8699279/
Follow Tony - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-gallagher-a845ab9/
Follow David - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cameron-72061a15/
Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mannion/
This episode features an astonishing conversation by two remarkable educators, Hywel Roberts and Tim Taylor. Tim kindly stepped in as a guest host for this episode, to explore some of the big ideas that underpin Hywel’s excellent book, Botheredness: Stories, stance, pedagogy.
LINKS
Buy Botheredness - https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/botheredness
Follow Hywel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hywel-roberts-67ba032b/
Follow Tim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-taylor-50358439/
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this episode - our first rodeo as co-hosts - we are joined by Dr Debra Kidd, the author of A Curriculum of Hope, and by Tina Farr and Clare Whyles, the headteacher and deputy head of St. Ebbe’s Primary School in Oxford. Tina, Clare and the St Ebbe’s team have done some incredible work in recent years bringing a curriculum of hope to life for their learners, and spreading a little joy and belonging along the way.
LINKS
St. Ebbe’s - https://st-ebbes.oxon.sch.uk/
Follow Tina - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-farr-8667952bb/
Follow Clare - https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-whyles-86845955/
Follow Debbie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-debra-kidd/
Buy A Curriculum of Hope - https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/a-curriculum-of-hope
Read the EPA report ‘Everybody Thriving’ - https://www.educationpa.org/publications
Outro track: ‘How it is and how it should be’ by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean. Drop us a line at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
Welcome to this episode in which we get to know our new cohost, The Real David Cameron!
David Cameron is an incredible educator, public speaker and human being whose work I have admired for many years now. He has been a teacher, a senior manager in schools and in local authorities, most recently as Director of Children’s Services for Stirling Council. He was President of the Association of Directors of Education Scotland and has been centrally involved in virtually every major development in Scottish education over the last 40 years. More recently he has been an independent speaker and consultant working across the UK and internationally.
LINKS
About David: https://therealdavidcameron.net/about
Buy Unfinished Business: https://amzn.to/49G5Uid
Buy Making Change Stick:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Change-Stick-Implementing-Improvement/dp/1398387487
Subscribe to James’s Substack newsletters (which alternate fortnightly)
Rethinking Education: https://drjamesmannion.substack.com
Making Change Stick: https://makingchangestick.substack.com
Repost about the book launch to be in with a change of winning prizes:
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rethinkingjames.bsky.social/post/3lffz7ygg722y
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7283574500909088768/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@drjamesmannion/post/DEqIRjlMHEv
X: https://x.com/RethinkingJames/status/1878060170397286715
Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this episode I’m speaking with Mick Waters and David Cameron, two of the editors of a wonderful new book Unfinished Business: The life and legacy of Sir Tim Brighouse - a tribute and a call to action. It’s a long title and rightly so - there’s a lot to say about Tim and about the ideas he pursued throughout his remarkable career.
Mick Waters is a former head teacher who works closely with teachers and leaders in schools, MATs and local authorities to support the development of teaching approaches and curriculum to ensure the best learning outcomes for children. For some years he was Director of Curriculum for England, based at the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA), and before that held the post of Chief Education Officer for the City of Manchester. He is also invited to work at a policy level with government in different parts of the world.
David Cameron has been a teacher, a senior manager in schools and in local authorities, most recently as Director of Children’s Services for Stirling Council. He was President of the Association of Directors of Education Scotland and has been centrally involved in virtually every major development in Scottish education over the last 40 years. More recently he has been an independent speaker and consultant working across the UK and internationally.
LINKS
Buy Unfinished Business: https://amzn.to/49G5Uid
Buy ‘About Our Schools’ https://amzn.to/4ivsKgF
Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
Clare Sealy currently works as the Head of Education Improvement for the states of Guernsey. Prior to this, she was the Headteacher of St Matthias Primary School in Tower Hamlets for 22 years. In 2018, the Times Education Supplement named her as one of the 10 most influential people in the world of education. In 2022, Clare was awarded an OBE for services to education.
Oracy – in case you’re unfamiliar with the term – was coined in 1965 to put spoken language firmly on the map, giving it equal status to written literacy and numeracy. Fast forward nearly 60 years, and we’re still having this conversation. Just last month, the Oracy Education Commission published a report suggesting that oracy should be recognised as the ‘fourth R’ – alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic. It’s a sentiment I wholeheartedly support.
These days, oracy is often thought of as having three dimensions: learning to talk, learning through talk, and learning about talk. If that idea intrigues you, the Oracy Cambridge website is full of thought-provoking blogs. Recently, the Oracy Cambridge team published a collective response to the Oracy Education Commission’s report, offering this updated definition: ‘Oracy is the ability to use the skills of speaking, listening, and non-verbal communication for a wide range of purposes.’
Oracy is very much in the spotlight at the moment, especially here in the UK. The Labour government has repeatedly signalled a renewed emphasis on spoken language and communication skills, and we’re already seeing this shift in schools and classrooms. I think it’s an incredibly welcome change – though, as with any policy, not everyone agrees. Clare and I get into some of these differing perspectives in this episode.
Clare and I also discuss a fascinating blog she wrote, titled ‘Talking floats on a sea of write’ – a clever inversion of James Britton’s famous statement that ‘writing floats on a sea of talk’. I found her ideas so compelling that I asked her to join me for this conversation – and, well, here we are!
LINKS
Clare’s article that prompted this discussion: https://hwrkmagazine.co.uk/talking-floats-on-a-sea-of-write/
Clare’s blog: https://primarytimery.com/
Clare on X: https://x.com/claresealy
Oracy Cambridge: https://oracycambridge.org/
Oracy Education COmmission report, We Need To Talk: https://oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/oec-report/
Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this episode, my guest is Sir Anthony Seldon – a figure who truly needs no introduction in education. However, for those less familiar with his remarkable contributions, here’s a bit of context. Anthony has held some of the most influential roles in education, most recently as headmaster of Epsom College. Before this, he served as vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham and was headmaster at Wellington College and Brighton College – among many other roles.
Beyond his leadership in education, Anthony is a widely published author and renowned biographer, especially of political figures. For over 40 years, he has written extensively about British prime ministers, an 'impossible office,' as he titled one of his books. His most recent book was the number one Sunday Times bestseller, Truss at 10: How Not to Be Prime Minister - a hair raising read if ever there was one. Anthony has written on education as well, including his thought-provoking The Fourth Education Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Liberate or Infantilise Humanity?
I recorded this conversation at Epsom College last year, prior to the latest change in government. Fittingly, this was also the day Sir Keir Starmer – then Leader of the Opposition – announced Labour’s intention to prioritise oracy in education, a topic we explore in depth.
Our conversation is wide-ranging and rich with insights: we discuss oracy, why spoken language skills often flourish more in private schools than in state schools, the essential role of agency in education and life, and the transformative impact of meditation – a daily practice that both Anthony and I find invaluable.
LINKS
Anthony on X: https://x.com/anthonyseldon
Truss at 10: https://linktr.ee/trussat10
Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
Welcome to the Rethinking Education podcast!
In this episode I spoke with Curtis James from Class Divide, campaign group which recently ran a successful campaign to change the school admissions code in Brighton and Hove.
But if anyone is looking at their local schools and thinking ‘School X has 15% of pupils eligible for free school meals, and School Y has over 60%. This doesn’t seem right. I wonder if there’s anything we can do to change that?” Well, there is - and in this episode, Curtis will explain how!
LINKS
Class Divide website: https://www.classdivide.co.uk/
Give us a (lovely!) review: https://www.tinyurl.com/raterepod
Outro track: How it is and how it should be, by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
“Let’s Rethinking Education” jingle: Rocktopus
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact.
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
Welcome to the first episode of Season 5 of the Rethinking Education podcast!
As you may be aware, Estonia has consistently been the highest performing European country in the PISA assessments in recent years. This episode features my recent conversation with Gunda Tire, Head of International Assessments (PISA & TALIS) at Estonian Education and Youth Board.
Gunda very generously gave me almost 2 hours of her time to take a whirlwind tour around the Estonian education system - early childhood, curriculum, assessment, inspection (or the lack of it) - behaviour, attendance, technology - you name it, we cover it. In many cases, you’ll see that Estonia does things quite differently to how we do things in the UK.
While you can’t just cut and paste education policies from one country to another and expect them to work effortlessly - there is plenty of food for thought here which I hope the Labour education team will give some serious thought to.
LINKS
Free lunches, brain breaks and happy teachers: why Estonia has the best schools in Europe: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/27/free-lunches-brain-breaks-and-happy-teachers-why-estonia-has-the-best-schools-in-europe
Gunda TIRE: "Estonians believe in education, and this belief has been essential for centuries": https://english.caucasianjournal.org/2020/02/gunda-tire-estonians-believe-in.html
Gunda Tire - What is Estonia doing right? Presentation about PISA results for Estonia. British Council Education Conference: https://vimeo.com/207516457
Give us a (lovely!) review: https://www.tinyurl.com/raterepod
Outro track: 'How it is and how it should be' by Grit Control: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ud69RIV1eOV9poMR7AORI
“Let’s Rethinking Education” jingle: https://www.rocktopusmusic.com/
DON'T BE A STRANGER
The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted by Dr James Mannion and produced by Sophie Dean. You can contact James at https://www.rethinking-ed.org/contact
SUPPORT THE RETHINKING ED PODCAST:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy James a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
In this rich crossover conversation, Chris Braitch and Dr James Mannion interview one another about trauma, healing, and the deep structural shifts needed in education.
Chris Braitch is a father of three whose mission is to move himself and others towards connection and compassion. He works as an emotional health coach, a leadership coach with Compassionate Leaders Global, and is the founding director of Seen & Heard, a not-for-profit supporting the wellbeing of past and present pupils of the private school system - many of whom have experienced institutional neglect, emotional harm or abuse.
After two decades in global sales and marketing, Chris realised that his life had been shaped by powerful, unexamined forces: early separation, boarding school culture, unresolved childhood experiences, and profound personal grief. Through coaching, men’s groups, the Emotional Freedom Technique, and a life-changing spiritual awakening, he discovered a new sense of purpose rooted in authenticity, service, and compassion. This journey transformed his parenting, his perspective, and the work he now offers to others.
James shares the origins of the Rethinking Education Podcast, his work with the Learner Effectiveness Programme, slice teams, implementation science, and the Education Policy Alliance, and explores why so many top-down reforms fail to shift what actually happens in classrooms.
Together, they explore:
- The “myth of privilege” and why suffering in elite institutions is so often minimised
- How early separation and boarding school cultures shape adult hypervigilance, self-protection, and leadership
- The emotional and spiritual turning points that redirected Chris’s life
- How Seen & Heard supports former pupils, works with schools, and campaigns for safer legislation
- Why spoken language (oracy) is an overlooked equity issue
- Why the system keeps “locating the problem in the child”
- How learner-effectiveness, self-regulation, and holistic education can transform outcomes
- The cultural assumptions baked into British schooling and politics
- Why compassion-centred leadership matters now more than ever
This is a deeply human, hopeful conversation about trauma, awareness, systemic change, and learning to live - and lead - with compassion.
LINKS
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of past pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheard.org.uk
- Chris’s not for profit supporting the wellbeing of present pupils of boarding and independent day schools and their families – https://seenheardschools.org.uk
- Chris’s coaching business where I support men and women through 1-2-1’s and groups – https://growthwave.uk
The Compassionate Leader Pathway Course - designed to help people lead with purpose, perform with clarity and live with integrity. https://compassionateleadersglobal.com
CREDITS
- The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.
- Outro track: How it is and how it should be by Grit Control
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
This podcast is a labour of love, with the emphasis on both the labour and the love.
If you’d like to support the podcast or convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/repod
