As 2025 draws to a close, James and David come together for a wide-ranging Christmas conversation that reflects on a turbulent year in education – and looks ahead to where hope, change, and renewal might yet be found.
Kicking off with a powerful metaphor drawn from winter sea swimming, the discussion explores why schools currently feel so ‘choppy’, from behaviour and attendance to widening inequality and system-level pressures. Along the way, we reflect on what really matters in education – relationships, belonging, and being known – and why these often get squeezed out by accountability and assessment.
The episode revisits key debates sparked by the Curriculum and Assessment Review, including the future of GCSEs, the limits of ‘manageable change’, and the uneasy separation of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy.
A detour into restorative justice, inspired by Punch and the story of Jacob Dunne, deepens the conversation about connection, responsibility, and what happens when people are truly seen. The parallels with schooling – and with how society treats its most vulnerable young people – are stark.
The episode closes on a hopeful note, spotlighting examples of schools doing brave, relational, and imaginative work within the current system, and outlining plans for the podcast in 2026: fewer trench wars, more light-shining on practice that actually helps children and young people thrive.
James also shares upcoming programmes and projects focused on oracy, behaviour, botheredness, and learning beyond subjects – all grounded in the belief that meaningful change is possible when we start with relationships and implementation.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why education feels ‘choppy’ – and what the winter swim metaphor reveals
- Behaviour, discipline, and the limits of coercive models
- Restorative justice, Punch, and the power of being known
- What the Curriculum and Assessment Review did – and didn’t – make possible
- GCSEs, adolescent development, and the problem of high-stakes exams at 16
- Why relationships matter more than systems – and what the evidence says
- Examples of hopeful practice already happening in schools
- What’s next for the podcast in 2026
Support #repod
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.
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 and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.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.
As 2025 draws to a close, James and David come together for a wide-ranging Christmas conversation that reflects on a turbulent year in education – and looks ahead to where hope, change, and renewal might yet be found.
Kicking off with a powerful metaphor drawn from winter sea swimming, the discussion explores why schools currently feel so ‘choppy’, from behaviour and attendance to widening inequality and system-level pressures. Along the way, we reflect on what really matters in education – relationships, belonging, and being known – and why these often get squeezed out by accountability and assessment.
The episode revisits key debates sparked by the Curriculum and Assessment Review, including the future of GCSEs, the limits of ‘manageable change’, and the uneasy separation of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy.
A detour into restorative justice, inspired by Punch and the story of Jacob Dunne, deepens the conversation about connection, responsibility, and what happens when people are truly seen. The parallels with schooling – and with how society treats its most vulnerable young people – are stark.
The episode closes on a hopeful note, spotlighting examples of schools doing brave, relational, and imaginative work within the current system, and outlining plans for the podcast in 2026: fewer trench wars, more light-shining on practice that actually helps children and young people thrive.
James also shares upcoming programmes and projects focused on oracy, behaviour, botheredness, and learning beyond subjects – all grounded in the belief that meaningful change is possible when we start with relationships and implementation.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why education feels ‘choppy’ – and what the winter swim metaphor reveals
- Behaviour, discipline, and the limits of coercive models
- Restorative justice, Punch, and the power of being known
- What the Curriculum and Assessment Review did – and didn’t – make possible
- GCSEs, adolescent development, and the problem of high-stakes exams at 16
- Why relationships matter more than systems – and what the evidence says
- Examples of hopeful practice already happening in schools
- What’s next for the podcast in 2026
Support #repod
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.
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 and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
What Are We Teaching? Powerful knowledge, capabilities, and teacher autonomy – with Richard Bustin
Rethinking Education
2 hours 1 minute 7 seconds
5 months ago
What Are We Teaching? Powerful knowledge, capabilities, and teacher autonomy – with Richard Bustin
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.
Rethinking Education
As 2025 draws to a close, James and David come together for a wide-ranging Christmas conversation that reflects on a turbulent year in education – and looks ahead to where hope, change, and renewal might yet be found.
Kicking off with a powerful metaphor drawn from winter sea swimming, the discussion explores why schools currently feel so ‘choppy’, from behaviour and attendance to widening inequality and system-level pressures. Along the way, we reflect on what really matters in education – relationships, belonging, and being known – and why these often get squeezed out by accountability and assessment.
The episode revisits key debates sparked by the Curriculum and Assessment Review, including the future of GCSEs, the limits of ‘manageable change’, and the uneasy separation of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy.
A detour into restorative justice, inspired by Punch and the story of Jacob Dunne, deepens the conversation about connection, responsibility, and what happens when people are truly seen. The parallels with schooling – and with how society treats its most vulnerable young people – are stark.
The episode closes on a hopeful note, spotlighting examples of schools doing brave, relational, and imaginative work within the current system, and outlining plans for the podcast in 2026: fewer trench wars, more light-shining on practice that actually helps children and young people thrive.
James also shares upcoming programmes and projects focused on oracy, behaviour, botheredness, and learning beyond subjects – all grounded in the belief that meaningful change is possible when we start with relationships and implementation.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why education feels ‘choppy’ – and what the winter swim metaphor reveals
- Behaviour, discipline, and the limits of coercive models
- Restorative justice, Punch, and the power of being known
- What the Curriculum and Assessment Review did – and didn’t – make possible
- GCSEs, adolescent development, and the problem of high-stakes exams at 16
- Why relationships matter more than systems – and what the evidence says
- Examples of hopeful practice already happening in schools
- What’s next for the podcast in 2026
Support #repod
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.
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 and convey your appreciation for these conversations, you can:
Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/repod
Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/repod
