The SLT Podcast (Serious Leaders Talking)

Why are good teachers leaving education?In this episode of the SLT Podcast, Ziggy sits down with Hugo Trace, a former Head of Humanities who left teaching and moved into digital marketing as the founder of his own company.Titled “The One Who Got Away: Why Good Teachers Leave,” this conversation explores the reality behind teacher retention, burnout, school culture, workload, pay, staffroom politics, and why some talented educators decide to build a new path outside the classroom.Hugo reflects honestly on what he loved about teaching, why working with young people was the best part of the job, and why the wider system eventually became too heavy to stay in. He also shares the transferable skills teachers often underestimate, including communication, versatility, relationship-building, storytelling, and leadership.This episode also looks at the future of work, AI in schools, personal branding, business, startups, and what teachers can do if they are thinking about transitioning out of education.💬 “Teachers can go and do anything afterwards.”📱 Join Our FREE WhatsApp Community→ ‎https://chat.whatsapp.com/LiTpC4FbUA2CqWHP1Mcrwz📲 Follow Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_slt_podcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@slt.podcastListen to us on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13hI6StbuMcYhX8LmYtt5S?si=73aaabe9fa394d43Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slt-podcast-serious-leaders-talking/id1778833145⸻⏰ Chapters:0:00 - Intro: The One Who Got Away0:30 - Why good teachers are leaving education1:00 - Are teachers respected but still replaceable?3:00 - Finding the right school and classroom fit4:30 - Why Hugo walked away from teaching6:00 - Loving the students but struggling with the system8:00 - Staffroom politics and teacher frustration10:00 - Do teachers feel undervalued?12:00 - Pay, workload, and the reality of teacher life14:00 - Is teacher retention a people problem or a system problem?17:00 - Why education feels behind the real world19:00 - AI, admin, and outdated school systems23:00 - Transferable skills teachers do not realise they have25:00 - Communication, versatility, and people skills28:00 - Storytelling and leadership beyond the classroom31:00 - Teachers who want to leave but feel scared33:00 - Building a business before leaving teaching35:00 - Personal branding and career transition37:00 - Would Hugo ever go back to teaching?39:00 - Final reflections and outro⸻📢 About SLT Podcast:Hosted by Rena Johnson — Deputy Head, Designated Teacher, SENDco & DSL — and Ziggy Moore — Assistant Headteacher & Founder of Moore Education — the SLT Podcast is a bi-weekly series featuring powerful conversations with leaders doing impactful work in education and youth development.Each guest joins us for two episodes: one exploring their story, and one answering real questions submitted by parents, teachers, leaders, and the wider community.#SLTPodcast #TeacherRetention #TeacherBurnout #EducationPodcast #TeacherLife #LeavingTeaching #CareerChange #DigitalMarketing #SchoolLeadership #SeriousLeadersTalking

Are you actually leading — or just managing pressure? In this episode of the SLT Podcast, Ziggy sits down with Adrian McLean, executive headteacher, TEDx speaker, consultant, governor, trustee, and advocate for more diverse leadership in education. Adrian shares his journey from PE teacher to executive headteacher, reflecting on ambition, imposter syndrome, leadership progression, values, character, and the difficult decisions that shape who we become as leaders. Together, they explore why education may not have a values problem — but a pressure problem. From behaviour, staffing, safeguarding, outcomes, inclusion, accountability, and school culture, this conversation challenges senior leaders to ask whether their values still hold when the pressure rises. The episode also unpacks how to challenge SLT when something does not feel right, why curiosity is often more effective than confrontation, and whether leaders can genuinely lead on race and inclusion without first confronting their own biases.💬 “Values are what we say is important to us. Virtues are how we act.”📱 Join Our FREE WhatsApp Community→ ‎https://chat.whatsapp.com/LiTpC4FbUA2CqWHP1Mcrwz📲 Follow Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_slt_podcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@slt.podcastListen to us on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13hI6StbuMcYhX8LmYtt5S?si=73aaabe9fa394d43Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slt-podcast-serious-leaders-talking/id1778833145⸻⏰ Chapters:0:00 - Intro: Adrian McLean introduces himself0:33 - Who is Adrian McLean? 1:13 - Mentoring, advocacy, and supporting Black men in education2:30 - Adrian’s journey from PE teacher to executive headteacher5:53 - Kicking the door open in leadership6:13 - Moving into SEMH, behaviour, attendance, and school improvement8:01 - Leaving roles that do not align with your values10:28 - The 10 Character Commandments of Leadership11:13 - Are you leading or just managing pressure?11:40 - Education does not have a values problem — it has a pressure problem13:50 - Values vs virtues: what leaders say vs what leaders do14:37 - How do you challenge SLT when something is not right?15:18 - Why curiosity works better than confrontation17:39 - When leaders say the right things but actions do not match19:42 - Integrity, courage, and accountability in leadership21:36 - Why pressure changes how some leaders behave22:05 - Can leaders lead on race and inclusion without doing the personal work?23:05 - Why bias must be confronted before inclusion work can succeed24:53 - A real classroom example of unconscious bias27:33 - What senior leaders should reflect on this term29:06 - Final thoughts and outro⸻📢 About SLT Podcast:Hosted by Rena Johnson — Deputy Head, Designated Teacher, SENDco & DSL — and Ziggy Moore — Assistant Headteacher & Founder of Moore Education — the SLT Podcast is a bi-weekly series featuring powerful conversations with leaders doing impactful work in education and youth development. Each guest joins us for two episodes: one exploring their story, and one answering real questions submitted by parents, teachers, leaders, and the wider community.#SLTPodcast #EducationLeadership #SchoolLeadership #AdrianMcLean #SeriousLeadersTalking #LeadershipInEducation #SeniorLeadership #BlackEducators #TeacherLeadership #SchoolCulture #InclusionInEducation

Can you be successful and still be a bad leader?In this episode of the SLT Podcast, Ziggy sits down with Adrian McLean for a powerful conversation on why leadership cannot be separated from character, identity, pressure, and personal values.Together, they explore what it really means to lead in education today — beyond strategy, systems, outcomes, and performance metrics. Adrian shares why some leaders may achieve results while still damaging staff, students, and school culture, and why true leadership is revealed most clearly under pressure.The conversation also unpacks the growing corporatization of schools, the impact of multi-academy trust structures, accountability pressures, SATs, exclusions, staff turnover, and the challenges faced by aspiring Black leaders trying to progress in education.Adrian also reflects on his own leadership journey, the rejection he faced while applying for headship roles, the importance of resilience, and why knowing who you are is essential before trying to lead others.💬 “You can be successful and not be a great leader.”📱 Join Our FREE WhatsApp Community→ ‎https://chat.whatsapp.com/LiTpC4FbUA2...📲 Follow Us:Instagram:   / the_slt_podcast  TikTok:   / slt.podcast  Listen to us on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13hI6St...Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...⸻⏰ Chapters0:00 - Intro: You can’t separate leadership from who you are1:25 - Adrian’s book: The Ten Character Commandments of Leadership1:45 - Can you be successful and still be a bad leader?3:53 - Why great teachers are promoted without leadership training5:28 - Metrics, pressure, and the problem with education leadership6:41 - How schools have become more corporate8:23 - Understanding multi-academy trust leadership structures11:46 - Pressure, SATs, and accountability in schools13:20 - Leadership under pressure reveals who you are14:54 - How pressure affects decisions about young people17:38 - The impact of leadership choices on school communities19:32 - Why the education system does not work for every child22:22 - The lack of Black leaders in senior education roles25:36 - Barriers facing Black male teachers and aspiring leaders28:25 - Navigating leadership progression and rejection31:11 - Adrian’s headship interview experience33:34 - Resilience, character, and learning from rejection35:48 - Finding the right school and leadership environment37:09 - Knowing who you are before leading others38:11 - Final reflections and outro⸻📢 About SLT PodcastHosted by Rena Johnson — Deputy Head, Designated Teacher, SENDco & DSL — and Ziggy Moore — Assistant Headteacher & Founder of Moore Education — the SLT Podcast is a bi-weekly series featuring powerful conversations with leaders doing impactful work in education and youth development.Each guest joins us for two episodes: one exploring their story, and one answering real questions submitted by parents and the community.#SLTPodcast #EducationLeadership #SchoolLeadership #AdrianMcLean #SeriousLeadersTalking #LeadershipInEducation #BlackEducators #TeacherLeadership #EducationPodcast

What do teachers really want to ask about safeguarding — but are often too scared to say out loud?In this Q&A episode of the SLT Podcast, Ziggy sits down with safeguarding expert AnneMarie Christian to answer the questions many teachers, teaching assistants, and school leaders quietly carry but may hesitate to ask.Together, they explore what staff should do when a safeguarding concern is reported but nothing seems to happen, why over-reporting is safer than silence, how to respond when you are worried you might be wrong, and how schools can build a culture where professional curiosity is normal — not uncomfortable.From low-level concerns and whistleblowing fears to behaviour, external services, and the pressure schools face when systems are stretched, this episode is an honest safeguarding conversation for anyone working with children and young people.💬 “This isn’t policy, this is honesty.”📱 Join Our FREE WhatsApp Community → ‎https://chat.whatsapp.com/LiTpC4FbUA2...📲 Follow Us: Instagram:   / the_slt_podcast   TikTok:   / slt.podcast   Listen to us on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13hI6St...Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...⸻📢 About SLT Podcast: Hosted by Rena Johnson (Deputy Head, Designated Teacher, SENDco & DSL) and Ziggy Moore (Assistant Headteacher & Founder of Moore Education), the SLT Podcast is a bi-weekly series featuring powerful conversations with leaders doing impactful work in education and youth development. Each guest joins us for two episodes—one exploring their story, and one answering real questions submitted by parents in the community.#SLTPodcast #YourTopicHere #PodcastQandA #RealTalk #SeriousLeadersTalking

📱 Join Our FREE WhatsApp Community → ‎https://chat.whatsapp.com/LiTpC4FbUA2CqWHP1Mcrwz📲 Follow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_slt_podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@slt.podcast Listen to us on the go:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13hI6StbuMcYhX8LmYtt5S?si=73aaabe9fa394d43Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slt-podcast-serious-leaders-talking/id1778833145📢 About SLT Podcast: Hosted by Rena Johnson (Deputy Head, Designated Teacher, SENDco & DSL) and Ziggy Moore (Assistant Headteacher & Founder of Moore Education), the SLT Podcast is a bi-weekly series featuring powerful conversations with leaders doing impactful work in education and youth development. Each guest joins us for two episodes—one exploring their story, and one answering real questions submitted by parents in the community.#SLTPodcast #YourTopicHere #PodcastQandA #RealTalk #SeriousLeadersTalking