PODCAST · education
It’s Your Time You’re Wasting
by David Didau and Martin Robinson
It’s Your Time You’re Wasting
Episodes
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Hot Schools, Hot Heads, Send the Kids Home?
Why can't Britains schools cope when the temperature goes over 32c ?
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Milburn Review and its Effect on Schools
The Interim Report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/young-people-and-work-interim-report/young-people-and-work-interim-report Pic of Milburn used under permission: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
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Gemma Collins Visits the DfE. Teachers React Badly.
Is Gemma Collins visit to the Department for Education a sign of the decline in standards or a recognition that the long tail of underachievement in this country leaves far too many kids with a cynical view of school and are marked by that failure for the rest of their lives? Can V levels help...
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Phones, AI and the case for Tech scepticism
In this episode, David and Martin discuss phones, AI and the need for educational scepticism. They ask why schools are increasingly banning phones while being encouraged to embrace AI, and whether this contradiction reveals a deeper problem: education has allowed others to define the terms of...
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The Cult of Critical Thinking
Who needs critical thinking? We've got books to win in a competition! Listen in and find out how to win David's new book! https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/104117215X/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_2HSGGSTD9W7WTK75K5ES?linkCode=ml1&tag=thelearning07-21&linkId=8a1c9c357a01b11d4f9cae79c40bab00 Can you teach...
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Do We Still Care About Creativity?
PISA has decided how well a country's schools teach creativity. They then go on to calculate what impact that will have on each country's economic performance. How well did the countries of the UK do? Have a butcher's in our latest podcast.
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Diversity and Demand - What Books Should We Teach?
Should English Departments ditch their 'most popular' texts in order to leave room for books written by female authors? Can we really teach the best that has been thought and said if managers keep foisting texts on teachers that are short and accessible? We discuss this and more... The article…
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Panic in the Library. Should AI Ban School Books?
Chesterton's Fence - What do we lose when we use AI to make decisions for us?
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Tourette’s and the Limits of Inclusion
The recent Bafta controversy tests the limits of inclusion in public places. Just how tolerant are we? How does inclusion work in classrooms up and down the country? Some links mentioned: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnsonphoenix/p/no-sign-says-it?r=1rvl5x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web...
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Belonging in Schools: How Do We Do It?
Belonging is Ofsted’s latest preoccupation. In the 2025 framework it sits inside inclusion, now judged in its own right. Schools feel pressure to demonstrate how they notice and support pupils who meet friction in the system. Much policy treats belonging as an emotional climate. Warmth, smiles…
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What Makes a Top School? Facts and Misinformation.
In this episode we look at a cluster of articles, tweets and policy announcements, each tugging in a slightly different direction. On their own they’re fragments. Taken together they paint a picture of how schools try to make sense of contradictory signals about disadvantage, curriculum, SEND,...
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Curriculum Review: Ebacc to the Future
Curriculum Wars, Again The 2025 Curriculum & Assessment Review – progress or regression? This week, we wade into the newly published Curriculum and Assessment Review — the biggest rethink of England’s education system since 2014. Chaired by Becky Francis, the report promises a “world - class...
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Bridget Phillipson and the Curriculum Question
Breakfasts or Brains? Before we go into the notes, you can sponsor David and donate to cancer research here: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/davids-giving-page-28674978 Bridget Phillipson’s Labour Conference speech had all the feels: a moving supermarket anecdote about a “lost boy”...
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Should Kids Love Learning?
Should Kids Love Learning? • Should kids love learning? Is love even important? What actually matters? • Is this about engagement, motivation, wellbeing, stupidogenesis or something else? The Education Divide • Peter Hyman: the education divide that’s fuelling broader societal fractures. •...
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Should Students See Themselves in the Curriculum?
Becky Francis chair of the Curriculum Review stated at Research Ed National Conference that ‘The review will not dumb down content, or infuse with issues or campaigns.’ Yet the review ‘will (her italics) ensure that every young person can see themselves in the curriculum, and that it challenges...
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Charlie Kirk’s Murder: Lessons for Schools
Can we teach students how to disagree agreeably? What is the state of our nation (UK) and how does this impact our schools and colleges? Is our national/international situation so fraught and anxiety inducing that young people are over-anxious? Is this made worse by socail media and the us vs…
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Making Minds Not Just Filling Them
What is the point of school? Is it changing? Should we focus on academic education or vocational? Are either right for the age of AI? Does creativity and play have a part to play or are we just in the business of filling up memories with Shakespeare and Algebra? All this and more in this episode!...
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Schools, AI and Stupidity
Is AI dumbing us down? Are schools in danger of making kids 'stupider'? Should we make schools gymnasia of the mind? Will an education for leisure replace an education for work? All this and more in this episode! Some links to material discussed: Do our brains need knowledge in the age of AI?...
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Schools and the Personality Crisis
Conscientiousness is crashing, neuroticism is soaring, young people are far less agreeable and far more introverted - what have we done to our kids? David and Martin discuss this and more - is our on-screen and social media culture to blame? What can schools do, if anything? Does 'project based...
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Dead Poets Society: Lessons in Romanticism
Is Dead Poets Society a great film? Does it have any lessons for contemporary teaching? Is Romanticism a bad influence on schooling? ALSO: Why not sponsor David on his half marathon for Cancer Research? https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/davids-giving-page-28674978
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Are Kids Free to Choose?
Did you choose to watch this? If there is no free will who would ever discipline a child? It's not their fault! In this week's cornucopia of delights we look into Free Will and the implications of the science and the philosophy - do we have free will or not? We put Descartes before the Hume....
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Engagement Crisis in Schools?
Some links to articles mentioned: https://powerfulknowledge.substack.com/p/how-should-we-think-about-the-engagement https://schoolsweek.co.uk/curriculum-labour-is-on-the-right-path-but-its-a-tightrope/...
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Can Schools Solve the Mental Health Crisis?
In this episode, we take apart the myth that schools can paper over the cracks of a society in crisis with mindfulness sessions, gratitude journals and breathing techniques. We look at what the data really tells us: a fifth of children now meet the threshold for a probable mental disorder. Over a...
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Should Schools Teach Queer Theory?
According to the Times Newspaper, the English Department at Alleyn’s School in southeast London are in the process of diversifying their curriculum and are introducing students to the 'works of a drag queen and non-binary authors.' We're not sure that the Times approves… There is another question...
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Is Assessment Failing the Test?
Is our obsession with testing failing students?
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Oracy: Talking About Talk
Is Oracy a fad or part of the ongoing tradition of Western Education? Links to some of the things mentioned in this episode: https://oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/oec-report/ https://www.education-uk.org/documents/pdfs/2021-appg-oracy.pdf...
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School Uniform: Equity or Oppression?
What is the case for school uniforms? Would schools become chaotic places (more chaotic?) without them? Do they provide a ‘discipline distraction’ for some naughty pupils to hit out against? All this AND MORE in today's episode! Some links which are referred to:...
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Powerful Knowledge with Prof. Michael Young (REPLAY)
A replay of our February 2021 interview with Professor Michael Young. The original is still viewable on our YouTube Channel, it has been reproduced here for new viewers but also for our growing band of listeners on sound only platforms, where the original wasn’t available… until now! NB: This...
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It’s Artificial, but is it Intelligent?
Are you the maker or the tool? Is AI a threat to schooling or an extension to the accessibility of knowledge for humanity? (First there was writing, then the book, the library, printing, the internet and now AI...) Some references in the chat: The Ballad of Accounting, Sung by Ewan MacColl and...
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Are We an Island of Strangers?
Do schools contribute to whether we see ourselves as an Island of Strangers or not? Some links for your delectation: Our interview with ED Hirsch: https://youtu.be/H097vPnDpkI?si=erXALkeyInTYmRTY Our Interview with Michael Young: https://youtu.be/xi_AhfWjeis?si=oanbhXx4OC8vc_W8 EmanRTM:...
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Coaching or Ker-CHING!?
Is the current vogue for coaching in schools a fad or fundamental part of good CPD?
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Should Teachers Stick to the Script?
Scripted lessons vs Teacher Autonomy Sam Gibbs article: https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/general/teacher-autonomy-how-we-dumbed-down-teaching Greg Ashman Substack: https://fillingthepail.substack.com/p/on-scripted-lessons?r=18455&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true Curriculum...
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Ofsted Causing Concern
Do the proposed changes to Ofsted’s inspection regime go far enough? (spoiler - no) Some of the articles mentioned in this episode: https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/close-ofsted-consultation https://schoolsweek.co.uk/can-ofsted-listen-its-way-out-of-its-political-bind/...
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Unmet Needs - Is There an Overdiagnosis Crisis?
Autism, ADHD, and the burgeoning crisis in funding for schools. Are too many pupils being diagnosed with Special Needs? Some sources used in this episode: The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan (Review here:...
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Pedagogy vs Knowledge
What is more important in the teacher’s toolbox? Knowing how to teach or knowing what to teach?
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Is It Worth It?
In which we look at Sutton Trust data on private tuition, Cold Call - is it a good technique to use in lessons, and should schools show Adolescence to their pupils?
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What is group work and why does it matter?
Martin & David discuss the differences between 'group work' (a set of pedagogical strategies) and 'working in groups' to see whether 'never doing group work' is a tenable position for a headteacher to take.
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Covid Chaos! The year in schools and last minute government directives... Episode 17
John Tomsett, Jane Manzone, Al McConville and David Medway reflect on the year in state secondary schools, an inner London primary school and an independent boarding school. Different experiences emerge but so do stories of human resilience. John Tomsett also talks about his book on Angling....
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Things Fall Apart - Exams, Inset days and the Eton Teacher - Episode 16
Including interviews with Sam Freedman and Toby Young, discussing exams, free speech for teachers to express their own views as well as the need for a range of perspectives to be presented to pupils. Also Martin and David discuss whether Inset days are a good thing. Including some items for...
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Debate, Oracy and Free Speech - Episode 15
We discuss Eton - free speech for pupils and teachers, Mantle of the Expert, Oracy, and Debating, with the Baroness of Buckley, Claire Fox, Tim Taylor, Mary Myatt and the John Catt book of the week author - Sarah Davies
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Curriculum vs Data. Episode 14
What do parents want for their child's education, do they worry about curriculum and pedagogy? Ed Dorrell and Jonathan Simons have been finding out for their organisation 'Public First'. James Pembroke gives us his thoughts about Primary Schools and data including how to measure progress. Carl...
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Leadership - Trials and Tribulations, and Joys! - Episode 13
This week we have interviews with Barry Smith about leadership, Ros McMullen about Exams and her charitable venture 'Headrest' NB the web address for Headrest is https://www.headrestuk.co.uk (not the website referred to in the programme) and in the John Catt interview Tom Rees & Jennifer Barker...
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Progress & Tradition - Episode 12
#IYTYW This bumper edition explores the themes 'Progress and Tradition' - looking at rows with Conservative MPs and 'common-sense' in history teaching, and the challenges to schools on curriculum and behaviour policies following on from such movements as Black Lives Matter. A look at…
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Across the Divides - Episode 11
#IYTYW Can the poor catch up with the rich or have they lost too much education due to Covid? Pedro De Bruyckere gives us some answers. Martin Robinson looks at John Lydon's (Johnny Rotten's) rant on Good Morning Britain about voting for Trump - 'the thickos vs the left wing intelligentsia' and...
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Episode 10 - A look back
#IYTYW. A short look back at our first half term of interviews. news and views, a discussion about 'No More Exclusions' and a look into Covid safety in the classroom.
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Episode 4: Curriculum thinking
This week’s episode of It’s your time you’re wasting! with Principal of Oak Academy, Matt Mood, Andrew Doyle discussing Critical Race Theory and Zoe & Mark Enser talking about their book, Generative Learning in Action....
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Episode 2 - What if the numbers go up?
***********************Show starts @10:00*********************** In this second episode of 'It's Your Time You're Wasting', Martin and David welcome Tom Bennett for a chat about Tom's new book 'Running the Room' (https://amzn.to/3201KAr) and will discuss what going back to school is like from a...
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Episode 1 - The Return
In this first episode of 'It's Your Time you're Wasting' David and Martin discuss the return to school, a 'mutant algorithm' and an uncommon kerfuffle. We'll also find out what Martin has been reading.
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Curriculum Conversations: Athena versus the Machine
A 'webinar' in which David Didau asks Martin Robinson questions about the book 'Curriculum: Athena versus the Machine'....
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
It’s Your Time You’re Wasting
HOSTED BY
David Didau and Martin Robinson
CATEGORIES
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It’s Your Time You’re Wasting currently has 53 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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It’s Your Time You’re Wasting
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It’s Your Time You’re Wasting is created and hosted by David Didau and Martin Robinson.
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