The Renaissance Space Podcast

In this episode, our host Margaret Allen is joined by Gary Hillyard, Headteacher at The Carlton Academy - part of the Redhill Academy Trust. Gary has been in education for 22 years and led the secondary reading strategy across the 10 secondary schools in the trust for the last 8 years. We explore Gary's journey from bookseller to teacher and his deep commitment to developing a trust-wide culture of reading. He emphasises the importance of authentic reading experiences, emotional engagement, a...

In this episode, Margaret Allen is joined by bestselling author Jacqui Rose (better known to readers as 'J.P.') who shares her journey as an author - highlighting her Northern roots and adoption, which profoundly influenced her worldview and writing. They discuss her latest book "Birdie" inspired by her empathy for pit ponies she saw growing up - reflecting themes of loss, grief, and racism. J.P. shares her childhood love for reading and writing as a means of escapism and self-exploration. ...

In this episode, Margaret Allen sits down with Nick Hart, the Principal of Horizon English School in Dubai, to explore his journey from the UK to the UAE and the evolving dynamics of educational leadership. Nick shares insights into the importance of alignment, improvement, and transition during the start of the school year, emphasising the need for adaptability and relationship-building before pushing for change. He also discusses his approach to leadership in an established, high-performin...

Join us on Weaving a Space and a Place for Children as we sit down with Maxine Low, a visionary educator with 27 years of experience at the forefront of education. Maxine's journey from Nursery Nurse to Headteacher has been guided by two fundamental questions: What is the best way to learn, and consequently, what is the best way to teach? Throughout her career, Maxine has been a beacon of inspiration within her learning community, leading Sure Start centres, and Children Centres, and s...

Cathy has spent all her career in primary teaching starting work in central London. Having taught in several culturally diverse schools, Cathy moved to West Sussex and in 1990 became headteacher at Edward Bryant School in Bognor Regis. She trained and worked as an Ofsted Inspector and lead Edward Bryant to attain an ‘outstanding’ rating in 2010. Cathy has also worked in other schools in partnership with the local authority as a strategic headteacher before helping establish to Sch...

Join this conversation with Natalie Fountain, Regional Education Director for the WISE Academies Trust. This Multi-Academy Trust serves schools in the Northeast of England and comprises 13 primary schools, including one SEND primary school. Across the trust, there have been many great examples of rapid school improvement where senior leaders, staff, parents and local communities have worked collaboratively to inspire success and excellence. Discover how Natalie and the trust team have used di...

Join this conversation with Ben McGarry, Director of English for the OGAT primary academies, as he shares his experiences pitching and developing their trust-wide reading strategy and curriculum. This consistent approach across the academies allows them to pilot impactful and innovative activities which not only support student learning, but also build engagement in reading – and don’t just take their word for it, Ofsted thinks so too. An informative session for those building and refining re...

Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster and educator with a particular interest in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. Jeffrey taught English to 11- to 18-year-olds for 15 years and now provides training for schools, universities and businesses on race, identity, masculinity and education. He is also Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Institute for Education. Jeffrey’s published books are: Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials and ...

Bec Richardson is an experienced Primary School teacher at Irchester Primary School – part of Nene Valley Partnership Trust – 3 primary schools and one secondary. Her many roles include leading Key Stage 2 and reading across the school, and within her Trust leads on writing and presentation. At County level she is a lead moderator. Please subscribe to The Renaissance Space podcast on whichever platform you listen to. And, don't forget to leave a comment or start a conversa...

Alison Tarrant is the Chief Executive of the School Library Association and is Co-Chair of the Great School Libraries campaign. A school librarian before-hand, she set up a library in a new school, and was on the middle management team and held roles as Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator and a form tutor. She was on the Honour List for the SLA School Librarian of the Year in 2016. The School Library Association is a charity supporting everyone involved with school libraries, whether TAs,...

James chats with Jon and Lucy at HeadteacherChat for our Christmas special episode! Jon and Lucy give their thoughts on what's to come for senior leaders in 2023 and they announce their surprise addition to the Renaissance '10 Days of Christmas Calendar'! Don't forget to follow them on Twitter: @Headteacherchat Please subscribe to The Renaissance Space podcast on whichever platform you're listening to. And, don't forget to leave a comment or start a conversation about any episode on Twitte...

Michelle Thomas, Director of Education will share how the School of Research Science in Dubai continues to develop its reading culture. Her leadership and in depth knowledge of English teaching comes to the fore as she articulates how the reading culture, with a predominantly Emiratis intake, enables children to develop their reading skills. Confident in their assessment of the children's reading ability the School is able to plan lessons, intervention strategies and measure progress across a...