Operation Education

Operation Education

Hosted by Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma. Concrete classroom strategies have the power to transform our teaching practice. Operation Education, a Bunsen Blue production, explores such strategies and connects them to the bigger picture of classroom culture, school leadership and the educational landscape.

Episodes

September 3, 2026 39 mins

You've never met a class before. They start to arrive at your door. Pritesh and Neena discuss precisely how they would get the class in and into a seating plan, and share mistakes they've experienced to avoid.

Seating a new class can be quite tricky because it is so out-of-routine. But it is perhaps the most important thing to get right, especially as it forms the first five minutes of a lesson with a new class. And we know how much...

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So many schools have a system where pupils can trade points they earn for rewards. Is this genuinely improving pupil culture and winning hearts? Or are there unintended consequences? Are there alternatives? Pritesh and Neena discuss!

Swap 5 points for a pen. Trade 10 points for a chocolate bar. 50 points might get you a voucher for a high street retailer, or a raffle for a bigger prize! We discuss the difference between reward point...

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How can we safeguard against pedagogical fads? Is 'engagement' pupils getting up, having experiences and teaching each other? Or does 'engagement' describe pupils enthralled through teacher exposition and questioning, and engaging in lots of practice? Pritesh and Neena explore.

Timestamps:

0:10 Seduced by Teaching Ideas
2:27 Blu Tack Lesson Reflections
5:08 Ofsted Panic and Teacher Talk
7:54 Activities Versus Content
12:2...

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August 13, 2026 27 mins

Silent debates, video lessons for bottom sets, poster lessons for cover, market place activities, posters around the room... Pritesh and Neena take a trip down memory lane, recalling classroom practices we were all seduced by earlier in our careers, but have abandoned now.

Timestamps:

0:04 Seduced by Fun Lessons
4:02 Macbeth Witches Activity
7:32 Silent Debate Setup
12:26 Photosynthesis By Experience
18:09 Posters and Pee...

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Whilst Pritesh exemplifies each element of a classroom exit routine this week, Neena leans into her alliteration addiction: 'pack up and praise'; 'authority and anticipation'; 'power of pause'. Somebody stop her, please.

Teachers often rush their exit routine. The bell goes. The teacher abruptly ends the lesson. Kids fly out of the door in a mad rush. Pritesh and Neena explore strategies to change the rush at the end of lessons into...

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The loudest pupils can often take up most of a teacher's attention. What can we do in the classroom to ensure that no pupils are overlooked, whilst maintaining a high bar? Pritesh and Neena explain their suggestions.

Timetstamps:

0:22 First Lesson Disaster
5:34 Optimising Seating Plans for Attention
11:26 Is it Mean to Separate Friends?
14:01 Tick Sheets in Action
18:41 How to Notice Quieter Pupils
19:59 Crowning the S...

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July 23, 2026 34 mins

How can teachers tackle passivity, apathy or unwillingness to participate in the classroom? How do you move a class culture from compliance to genuine buy-in? Pritesh and Neena break this down into 'winning hearts' and 'winning minds'.

As teachers, we all want hands flying up, enthusiastic contributions from ALL pupils, not just some, and we want pupils to buy-in to our schools. Whilst there are many elements to this, Pritesh and Ne...

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July 15, 2026 40 mins

Welcome to the very first episode of Operation Education, the brand new podcast discussing all things pedagogy, classroom culture, school leadership and the wider educational landscape.

In this week's episode:

It's not just what you say to your pupils but how you say it that matters. Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma discuss the power of voice in the classroom at getting attention. This leads to a discussion about teacher authority a...

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When and how did Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma come up with Operation Education? Who was the catalyst behind its launch? How many teachers and leaders will hit subscribe?

Sign up now to receive the weekly Operation Education Briefing:
One practice. One pitfall. One principle. Supporting teachers to sharpen their teaching and build extraordinary school culture.

bunsenblue.com/briefing

Hosts: Pritesh Raichura and Neena Sharma
...

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