Katharine Birbalsingh, founder of Britain's most talked-about school, reveals the leadership principles that transformed her vision into reality. From her converted office building in London, Michaela Community School has achieved the highest progress scores in England for three consecutive years, with results that rival the country's most elite institutions.

Katharine shares her unflinching approach to leadership - one built ...

Shane Leaning speaks with Paul Halford about his new book "My Educated Life: Lessons from Leading Schools." Paul explores why change in schools is fundamentally a subjective experience, explaining how even the most logical strategic plans can fail when they encounter the reality of people's personal lives and emotional responses. Using a football coaching analogy from his youth, he demonstrates how successful change requires leader...

Shane challenges the common assumption that all teachers must be primarily motivated by their love of children. Drawing from research and personal reflection at the Festival of Education, he explores the diverse motivations that actually drive educators - from technical craft enthusiasts to social justice warriors to stability seekers. Using the 2007 Watt and Richardson "FIT-Choice Scale" study, Shane identifies six different types...

In this episode, Shane Leaning sits down with John Taylor, Director of Learning, Teaching and Innovation at Cranleigh School and one of the principal architects of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). They explore how a small pilot programme exploring science ethics has evolved into a globally recognised qualification with over 50,000 students annually. John shares insights into project-based learning at scale, how universitie...

In this episode, Shane sits down with Drew Perkins, President Director of ThoughtStretcher Education and host of the ThoughtStretchers Education Podcast. Drew brings a refreshing perspective on how we can navigate the often polarised world of education discourse, from the direct instruction versus inquiry debate to the broader challenge of maintaining nuanced thinking in our schools.

Drew shares his approach to engaging in onl...

What if everything your school needed was right in front of you? In this special extended conversation, Shane sits down with his co-author Efraim Lerner for an unfiltered chat about their upcoming book "Change Starts Here" and why they believe schools need to rediscover confidence in their own communities.

Shane and Efraim dig into how schools have gradually outsourced their decision-making, creating dependency on quick fixes ...

Shane sits down with Nathan Burns, widely known as "Mr Metacognition," to tackle one of education's most discussed yet frequently misunderstood concepts. Nathan brings refreshing honesty to the conversation, immediately acknowledging that metacognition is complicated and that existing definitions don't do a particularly good job of explaining what it actually is. Far from being the latest educational fad, Nathan traces metacognitio...

What if the secret to transforming your school culture wasn't another initiative, but learning to tend to it like a terrarium? In this episode, Shane talks to Lori Cohen about her revolutionary ecological approach to wellbeing in schools. Rather than treating wellbeing as just another programme, Lori introduces a powerful terrarium metaphor that shows how all elements of school culture work together as an interconnected ecosystem.

&...

When 89% of a population plays games and two-thirds are under 35, that's not a problem to solve - it's a medium to embrace. Today we explore a fascinating partnership between Stanford University's Human Perception Lab and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince School, where gaming isn't just motivation - it's pedagogy. Dr. Khizer Khaderi (Stanford University) & Dr. Steffen Sommer (Misk Schools, Saudi Arabia) challenge everything we think ...

Shane Leaning sits down with Ruth Taylor from the Common Cause Foundation to explore the fascinating world of human values and what they mean for school leadership. Ruth shares insights from decades of social psychology research that challenges everything we think we know about motivation.

Key Topics Covered

The Schwartz Values Framework

• How 58 human values map onto our decision-making
• Why some values are complementary...

My guest today is Alicia Drummond, a BACP accredited therapist and creator of The Wellbeing Hub. This conversation dives deep into why self-awareness is the foundation of effective school leadership. We explore how your internal state directly impacts your school's culture, and Alicia shares practical tools for understanding your triggers, biases, and leadership patterns. From attachment styles to the OK Corral framework, this epis...

Shane looks at the disconnect between leadership theory and practice in educational leadership qualifications, sharing insights from his conversations with leaders who've completed these programs. He identifies five common failures in leadership development courses and offers practical alternatives that actually lead to growth.

Key Points

• 85% of leaders identified peer learning and community as the most valua...

In this episode, I speak with David Ingram, Founding Head of College at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi about:

• How his experience as a police constable in County Durham shaped his approach to education and student wellbeing
• The importance of establishing "trusted adults" for every student and how to systematically ensure this happens
• Building a comprehensive wellbeing framework that addresses academic, social, emotional, mental and ...

In this episode, Shane gets coached on leadership interview techniques by Orla Dempsey, an expert in helping teachers secure leadership positions. Throughout their conversation, Orla shares practical frameworks and strategies that help transform interview anxiety into confidence.

Key Topics Covered:

• The STAR technique for structuring powerful interview answers
• How shifting to past tense can showcase your real ...

My guest today is David Harkin, CEO and Founder of 8billionideas, which has impacted over 500,000 students in 26 countries. David is a two-time TEDx speaker, author of 'The Ripple Effect', and was ranked 8th globally by ISC Research for his contributions to the education sector in 2022. Before entering education, David was an IBM executive and was the youngest globally to receive their CEO award.

In our conversation, we explor...

In this special episode, Shane Leaning discusses his new best-selling book "Change Starts Here: What if Everything Your School Needed Was Right in Front of You?", co-authored with Efram Learner. Shane shares why they wrote the book, its core philosophy, and how it can help school leaders drive meaningful change by looking inward to their communities rather than constantly seeking external solutions.

Pre-order "Change Starts He...

A Call Across the Pond- Guest Appearance

Shane Leaning appears as a guest on another podcast.

Time zones don't matter when the conversation is this good! This bonus episode features Shane Leaning as a guest on "A Call Across the Pond: Transforming Relationships at School, at Home & Beyond" with Tara Gretton and Vicky Essebag.

Episode Highlights:

• Why most professional development doesn't lead to lasting...

In this episode, I speak with Christina Hidek, an expert in parent engagement, about the vital role of parent communities in schools. We explore the numerous benefits of empowered parent groups and how schools can build strong, collaborative relationships with parents.

Episode Highlights

• The wide-ranging benefits of engaged parent communities for schools, students, and parents.
• Uncovering hidden parent talents and skills to ...

When you announce a new initiative, do you ever get "that sigh" from your experienced teachers? You know the one - followed by "Isn't this just that thing we did back in 2005?" Today we're looking at the inevitable cycle of change in education and how to lead through it with integrity and purpose.

In this bite-sized leadership episode, Shane explores why education seems to move in cycles, with approaches and methodologies appear...