Headteacher Update Podcast: What does an inclusive primary school look like?
The Headteacher Update Podcast
Release Date: 01/07/2026
Headteacher Update Podcast: How to improve teaching in your primary school
The Headteacher Update Podcast
In this episode we discuss how we can improve the quality of teaching across the primary school, with practical advice and insights for school leaders. We begin by discussing the role of the curriculum in improving teaching quality, including the importance of inclusion and oracy. We focus too on the importance of planning teaching and learning – both short-term action planning and longer-term planning. Our panel also discusses effective approaches to teacher CPD, including coaching and mentoring and we consider why a people-focused, collegiate approach to the monitoring of...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: How to keep your teachers
The Headteacher Update Podcast
In the midst of a teacher retention crisis, this episode asks how primary schools can keep hold of their teaching staff, especially their early career teachers. With more than 114,000 teachers having quit teaching for reasons other than retirement in the last three years, our expert panel discuss general principles for creating a school environment that encourages teachers to want to stay. We talk about pay, equity of opportunity, creating belonging and psychological safety across our workforces, the vital role of CPD and support for career progression, and much more. We ask what effective...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: What does an inclusive primary school look like?
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode considers what an inclusive primary school looks like and how we can create a culture of inclusion that enables every pupil to thrive regardless of starting points. We interview two experienced educators and discuss how we can support all learners, no matter their background and barriers to learning. We talk about how to create the right ethos and culture of belonging and family in our schools, including and how we can overcome barriers to pupil wellbeing. We discuss how we can address equity and equality of opportunity and we hear a number of real-life examples of inclusive...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: SEND staffing in primary schools
The Headteacher Update Podcast
In this episode, we discuss how primary schools can maximise the impact of our staff team to deliver excellent SEND provision, with our panel offering a range of innovative ideas and approaches. Our three experienced guests begin their discussion with nine quick ideas and go on to develop these during the podcast, considering how the impact of our SEND staffing can be optimised to ensure we support our most vulnerable pupils. We ask how we can work within incredibly tight budgets to maximise the staffing of SEND – what approaches have been shown to be effective. We talk about ideas...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: Preparing for the new Ofsted school inspection framework
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode dissects the revised Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions that school leaders can take now to prepare and offering expert insights and tips. Our panel has extensive experience of Ofsted inspection, and they break down the key changes that schools should be focused on and how best we can respond. We highlight key aspects of the revised framework, including the implications of the new evaluation areas and grading points. We interrogate the new “secure fit” model of inspection and Ofsted’s new “expected standard”. We delve into the inclusion thread that runs...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: Dealing with parental complaints
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode offers advice for school leaders on how they can handle parental complaints, including de-escalation tips and dealing with vexatious complaints. With NAHT research showing a rise in parental complaints and vexatious complaints, this episode is packed full of useful tips and practical advice for school leaders. Our three experienced panellists describe what they are seeing on the ground in terms of rising complaints and discuss the reasons why more parents are complaining. We ask how we can best respond to complaints, including the steps we should take to take and how best to...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: Environmental work and carbon reduction in primary schools
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode looks at environmental work across the primary school, including how we can reduce our carbon emissions and integrate climate education into the curriculum. We look at where school leaders can begin when it comes to reducing carbon emissions across the primary school, including creating a Climate Action Plan and ideas for some quick wins. Our guests include experts from the National Education Nature Park and Let’s Go Zero as well as a primary school doing amazing work in this area. We look at how we can engage pupils in this work without worrying or scaring them about the...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: Effective school routines
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode looks at a range of routines, systems and protocols that can help you to create a calm and efficient primary school environment – with lots of practical ideas to adapt and adopt. Our panel of school leaders discuss a range of evidence-based ideas for useful school routines that help the school day to run smoothly – whether that be in the classroom, corridors or playground. We look specifically at consistent classroom routines across the school, including how to give teachers appropriate freedom and agency within a teaching and learning framework. We look at leadership...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: A headteacher’s guide to retirement planning
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This podcast discusses the retirement choices open to school leaders and headteachers, tips for effective pension planning as well as the implications of early and phased retirement options. We speak with two experts from Wesleyan Financial Services to discuss principles of effective retirement planning and what headteachers need to think about and plan for. We focus on the provisions within the Teachers’ Pension Scheme including how benefits are calculated under the 80th Final Salary, 60th Final Salary, and Career Average schemes. We explain the McCloud judgement and how it is likely to...
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Headteacher Update Podcast: A brilliant primary school library
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode offers advice, ideas and examples for effective library provision in the primary school, including tips for whole-school literacy support. We meet with two primary school professionals and an expert from the National Literacy Trust to get their view of what makes for excellent primary school library provision. We discuss how to create a thriving school library provision when space and budgets are limited – including advice for schools that do not have a dedicated library space. We also look particularly at how school library provisions can support literacy and reading...
info_outlineThis episode considers what an inclusive primary school looks like and how we can create a culture of inclusion that enables every pupil to thrive regardless of starting points.
We interview two experienced educators and discuss how we can support all learners, no matter their background and barriers to learning.
We talk about how to create the right ethos and culture of belonging and family in our schools, including and how we can overcome barriers to pupil wellbeing.
We discuss how we can address equity and equality of opportunity and we hear a number of real-life examples of inclusive practice.
The conversation also touches upon how to use external and additional expertise to deliver true inclusive practice.