Videos
![Top Tips For New Teachers: How To Thrive In The Classroom! [Ep 126]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6YbyPPmr1lo/maxresdefault.jpg "Top Tips For New Teachers: How To Thrive In The Classroom! [Ep 126]")
Aug. 19, 2025
Top Tips For New Teachers: How To Thrive In The Classroom! [Ep 126]
Starting your first year as a new teacher? It can feel exciting, overwhelming, and just a little bit terrifying. In this episode, we share our top tips for new teachers to help you survive (and actually enjoy) your first year in the classroom.
Plus, we share some honest stories from our own early y…
Aug. 17, 2025
Ep 126: Top Tips For New Teachers: How To Thrive In The Classroom
Starting your first year as a new teacher? It can feel exciting, overwhelming, and just a little bit terrifying. In this episode, we share our top tips for new teachers to help you survive (and actually enjoy) your first year in the classroom.
Plus, we share some honest stories from our own early…
![Why Aren't Children Reading For Pleasure? [Ep 125]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q5azrD8Xcow/maxresdefault.jpg "Why Aren't Children Reading For Pleasure? [Ep 125]")
Aug. 10, 2025
Why Aren't Children Reading For Pleasure? [Ep 125]
Why Aren’t Children Reading for Pleasure Anymore? 📚
Reading for fun is at an all-time low and the stats are sobering. In 2025, just one in three children said they enjoyed reading in their free time. That is a 36% drop since 2005. What is going on?
In this episode, we talk about what we have seen a…
![Should We Shorten The School Summer Holidays? [Ep124]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wA4b4VBUMSM/maxresdefault.jpg "Should We Shorten The School Summer Holidays? [Ep124]")
Aug. 3, 2025
Should We Shorten The School Summer Holidays? [Ep124]
Yes. Hayden has an auto-focus square on his head. Enjoy it!
As always, like clockwork, when the summer holidays roll around, we are bombarded with opinions on how they are TOO LONG!
We talk about it. Are they too long? Is the cost of childcare too much? Is there a solution? Who is to blame? Is b…
![Has Creativity Died In The Classroom? Boring Schemes, Micro-Management & Arts Funding Cuts! [Ep 123]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3TsiMWSVhiA/maxresdefault.jpg "Has Creativity Died In The Classroom? Boring Schemes, Micro-Management & Arts Funding Cuts! [Ep 123]")
July 28, 2025
Has Creativity Died In The Classroom? Boring Schemes, Micro-Management & Arts Funding Cuts! [Ep 123]
This week, we chat about how in so many schools, creativity is disappearing in two major ways.
Firstly, the arts themselves are languishing. Huge drops in children taking subejcts at GCSE like drama and music. Why is this happening and why is it bad?
Secondly, in the classroom itself. Top-down stri…
![The New Writing Framework: A Force For Good Or Bad? [Ep 122]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GnvJbvmhn2Y/maxresdefault.jpg "The New Writing Framework: A Force For Good Or Bad? [Ep 122]")
July 20, 2025
The New Writing Framework: A Force For Good Or Bad? [Ep 122]
This week, Dylan clears out his teacher cupboard and uncovers some absolute treasures: an inflatable flamingo, old class photos, and three brilliant books every classroom should have – The House with Chicken Legs, The Book with No Pictures, and One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab.
But the big chat? That’…
![Our Last Week Of Teaching: Have We Made A Mistake? [Ep 121]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uDfAqC42pa4/maxresdefault.jpg "Our Last Week Of Teaching: Have We Made A Mistake? [Ep 121]")
July 13, 2025
Our Last Week Of Teaching: Have We Made A Mistake? [Ep 121]
It's our last week as teachers... and it's all starting to feel very real.
In this episode, we look back on the moments that made us—the unforgettable classroom highs, the amazing people we met, and the exact point we knew we couldn’t keep going.
We’re asking ourselves the question we’ve been avo…
![Do Appraisals ACTUALLY Identify Good Teaching? [Ep 120]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bC08BePVERU/maxresdefault.jpg "Do Appraisals ACTUALLY Identify Good Teaching? [Ep 120]")
July 6, 2025
Do Appraisals ACTUALLY Identify Good Teaching? [Ep 120]
It’s the end of the school year, which can only mean one thing: performance appraisal season. But with targets that feel random, policies that haven’t caught up, and a system still obsessed with spreadsheets… we’re asking:
Do schools even value great teaching anymore – or just good data?
In this e…
![The Birth Rate Crisis: Teacher Redundancies, School Closures & Fewer Teacher Jobs! [Ep 119]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X8lAR-lffWU/maxresdefault.jpg "The Birth Rate Crisis: Teacher Redundancies, School Closures & Fewer Teacher Jobs! [Ep 119]")
June 29, 2025
The Birth Rate Crisis: Teacher Redundancies, School Closures & Fewer Teacher Jobs! [Ep 119]
This week, Dylan and Hayden dive into a topic that’s flying under the radar but changing the future of teaching forever.
UK birth rates have fallen to historic lows – and now schools are feeling the impact. From empty classrooms and school closures to teacher redundancies and disappearing job ads,…
![Life After Teaching: Can You Still Impact Education After Leaving? [Ep 118]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oroorfcSmK0/maxresdefault.jpg "Life After Teaching: Can You Still Impact Education After Leaving? [Ep 118]")
June 22, 2025
Life After Teaching: Can You Still Impact Education After Leaving? [Ep 118]
Last week, we shared the biggest news of our careers: we’re leaving teaching.
In this episode, we dive into what comes next. We're joined by Sophie Hayes, a former teacher and founder of StoryZoo - a brilliant initiative helping schools spark a love of reading. Sophie opens up about her own leap ou…
![We Are Quitting Teaching - Here's Why [Ep 117]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WsgOfUF4AOg/maxresdefault.jpg "We Are Quitting Teaching - Here's Why [Ep 117]")
June 15, 2025
We Are Quitting Teaching - Here's Why [Ep 117]
BIG NEWS - We are stepping away from teaching.
This has been a long-time coming & is a huge, difficult decision.
You can't do a weekly education podcast without being passionate about it, but as you've seen form previous episodes... There's a lot wrong with the system.
We dive into why we have take…
![Half-Term Holiday Prices, Toxic School Stories & TikTok Teacher Trolls! [Ep 116]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ei_vHpKf360/maxresdefault.jpg "Half-Term Holiday Prices, Toxic School Stories & TikTok Teacher Trolls! [Ep 116]")
June 8, 2025
Half-Term Holiday Prices, Toxic School Stories & TikTok Teacher Trolls! [Ep 116]
Hello Teach Sleep Repeaters!
This episode is an eclectic mix of laughs, rants and putting the world of education to rights.
We talk about why term-time holidays are so appealing for so many reasons, discuss some toxic story write-ins with a twist, and finish off by addressing some of the crazy teac…
![Writing Moderation, Report Writing & Using AI In Education [Ep 115]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kBBs90Gf8gw/maxresdefault.jpg "Writing Moderation, Report Writing & Using AI In Education [Ep 115]")
June 1, 2025
Writing Moderation, Report Writing & Using AI In Education [Ep 115]
In this episode, we dive into two hot topics every primary teacher is thinking about right now:
✏️ Writing Moderation
Is it fair? Is it consistent? Or is it the biggest postcode lottery in primary education? We share our own experiences of moderation, discuss how useful (or not) it really is, and …
![2025 SATs Deep Dive With Sophie B: Great Questions, Ridiculous Mark Schemes & Key Findings [Ep 114]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QhGlQ5ekLfo/maxresdefault.jpg "2025 SATs Deep Dive With Sophie B: Great Questions, Ridiculous Mark Schemes & Key Findings [Ep 114]")
May 25, 2025
2025 SATs Deep Dive With Sophie B: Great Questions, Ridiculous Mark Schemes & Key Findings [Ep 114]
This week, we’re joined by teacher, education writer and Learning by Questions legend Sophie Bartlett for a full-on SATs debrief! We take a deep dive into the 2025 Year 6 SATs papers – English, GPS, and Maths – and break down what really stood out.
We chat about:
Recurring question strands and sk…
![Why Is Behaviour So Tricky In The Summer? [Ep 113]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jkTCzFPhflE/sddefault.jpg "Why Is Behaviour So Tricky In The Summer? [Ep 113]")
May 18, 2025
Why Is Behaviour So Tricky In The Summer? [Ep 113]
In this episode of Teach Sleep Repeat, we dive headfirst into the absolute state of spelling in schools right now – and why teaching it (and English in general) feels harder than ever. We chat about the importance of reading, the pressure to teach perfectly, and how it’s all become a bit of a mess.…
![Top SATs Tips For Teachers & Should Faith Schools Still Exist? [Ep 112]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JbGTPwasmw8/maxresdefault.jpg "Top SATs Tips For Teachers & Should Faith Schools Still Exist? [Ep 112]")
May 11, 2025
Top SATs Tips For Teachers & Should Faith Schools Still Exist? [Ep 112]
It’s SATs week – and we’ve got thoughts. In this episode, Dylan and Hayden share their top tips for teachers to survive the chaos, keep kids calm, and not lose their minds during one of the busiest weeks of the primary calendar. We also talk about cheating......
Then, we switch gears for a big ques…
![Breaking Down The Broken UK Education System & Teacher Strikes! [Ep 111]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1l-VIzXGUu8/maxresdefault.jpg "Breaking Down The Broken UK Education System & Teacher Strikes! [Ep 111]")
May 4, 2025
Breaking Down The Broken UK Education System & Teacher Strikes! [Ep 111]
In this episode of Teach Sleep Repeat, Dylan and Hayden delve into the pressing issues facing the UK education system. They explore six critical areas where the system is faltering:
Autonomy and Agency: Examining the diminishing independence of educators in their teaching methods.
Teacher Qualif…
![10 Tips For Every Teacher To SMASH The Summer Term! [Ep 110]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g42EbhC_Cxc/maxresdefault.jpg "10 Tips For Every Teacher To SMASH The Summer Term! [Ep 110]")
April 27, 2025
10 Tips For Every Teacher To SMASH The Summer Term! [Ep 110]
The summer term is here — but are you surviving or thriving? In this episode of Teach Sleep Repeat, Dylan and Hayden share 10 practical tips to help teachers and school staff smash the summer term with less stress and more success. From managing end-of-year chaos to keeping pupils engaged when the …
![Teacher Behaviour HACKS & Do We Teach Reading Badly? [Ep 109]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sj74i6jxuSI/maxresdefault.jpg "Teacher Behaviour HACKS & Do We Teach Reading Badly? [Ep 109]")
April 21, 2025
Teacher Behaviour HACKS & Do We Teach Reading Badly? [Ep 109]
Welcome back valued education customer teacher school staff friends!
We asked online for your best behaviour hacks and you didn't disappoint, so we go through our favourites that you can implement right away.
Before that, we got a little bit carried away with a chat about reading and teaching test …
![The Most TOXIC School Stories Ever! [Ep 108]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z8ud85cmsPs/maxresdefault.jpg "The Most TOXIC School Stories Ever! [Ep 108]")
April 20, 2025
The Most TOXIC School Stories Ever! [Ep 108]
Flash back to episode 5 of this teacher podcast and the first episode that really struck a chord with many was our toxic schools podcast.
We asked listeners for their most TOXIC school stories ever and we received nearly 1000.
We trawled through them all and picked out the most shocking and have pu…