The Arch

Ep 14 - Thinking About Thinking: How Metacognition Transforms Learning, with Nathan Burns

In this episode I sat down with metacognitive thinking expert Nathan Burns. Over the 45 minute episode we covered the following questions: 1. Nathan, could you start by telling us a little about your journey into education and what first drew you to the field of metacognition? 2. Metacognition is a term many educators have heard, but not everyone feels confident explaining it. How would you define metacognition in simple terms, and could you share some concrete classroom examples to bring it to life? 3. Metacognition is often cited as one of the highest-impact strategies in education, particularly within the EEF Toolkit with an estimated impact of +8 months. Why do you think metacognition is so powerful, and what is it about this approach that leads to such strong outcomes? 4. What are some of the common misconceptions teachers and leaders have about metacognition — and where do schools sometimes go wrong when trying to implement it? 5. For classroom teachers across different phases, what are some practical strategies they can begin using immediately to embed metacognitive thinking into everyday teaching and learning? 6. Beyond individual classrooms, how can schools and leaders create the conditions for metacognition to become part of whole-school culture rather than a standalone initiative? 7. Finally, if teachers and leaders took one key idea away from our conversation today to reflect on in their own practice, what would you want it to be?

Ep 13 - AI in Action: Tools and Strategies for Schools, with Al Kinglsey MBE (part 2)

This is the 2nd part of a two part episode with Al Kinglsey MBE. In this part of the episode, we discuss: 1. People often say they ‘use ChatGPT’ or that they ‘just Google it,’ but the reality is that there’s a huge range of AI tools out there - a bit like people saying they have a Hoover when really they own a Dyson. How important is it for teachers and leaders to understand the different types of AI, and not just the ones that have become household names? 2. Why does prompting matter so much? And what makes a good prompt versus a weak one? * What simple structure should teachers use when talking to AI? 3. How are Schools and colleges using AI to become more efficient? * How are teachers using AI to reduce planning time? * How can it support differentiation and accessibility without just dumbing things down? * What about feedback and report writing? Where does it genuinely help? * What can senior leaders use it for day to day? * How can leaders use AI to streamline admin? * How can it be used to streamline information for governors? 4. What are the most impressive uses of AI you’ve seen in the classrooms of schools or colleges? * Examples that improved learning, not just novelty? * Where has it genuinely changed teaching practice? 5. Where are you seeing trusts use AI strategically to become more effective? * How can AI support school improvement, data analysis or communication? 6. Which categories of tools should educators explore first? * Are there a few platforms you’d recommend people trial? * What should teachers look for when evaluating new tools? * Free vs paid - what’s worth it? * What red flags should schools avoid? 7. I’ve got 3 quick fire questions for you to finish with: * One workflow tip every teacher should try? * One leadership move that makes a big difference? * One myth about AI in schools you’d love to kill off? 8. And finally, what excites you most about where this is heading?

Ep 12 - AI and the next ‘Internet Moment’ for schools, with Al Kingsley MBE (part 1)

This is a 2 part episode with Al Kinglsey MBE. - In this part of the episode we discuss: 1. People compare AI as we see it now, to the early days of the internet. Do you agree with that analogy? And if this really is like “day one of the internet”, what does the potential fast paced nature of technological progress in the next few years mean for schools and colleges? * What are the risks for schools that ignore this or move too slowly? * Conversely, what are the dangers of rushing in without thinking? 2. How do you strike that balance between curiosity and caution? * Schools don’t want to feel left behind, but equally they don’t want to be pushing boundaries towards dangerous and unknown territories. 3. What’s already here that educators haven’t clocked yet? 4. What are the biggest ethical questions education needs to wrestle with? * What does responsible adoption actually look like? 5. People struggle to grasp exponential change. How is AI a good example of that? * What’s something that felt impossible two years ago that’s now routine? * How quickly is it being baked into everyday software? 6. How does AI challenge what we currently mean by “independent work”? * What happens to homework, coursework and essays? * Does AI force us to rethink assessment models? 7. Could AI widen gaps or help close them? * What’s at stake for disadvantaged pupils? 8. If we fast-forward five years, what will classrooms actually look like? And what will teachers still be doing that machines can’t? * What skills will matter more than ever? * What becomes more important in teachers’ roles? * What do you think we’ll laugh about that currently scares us? * What should worry us? 9. What’s the one assumption about education that AI is about to break? * What excites you most right now? * What’s one question every school should be asking itself? 10. What prediction about AI would sound ridiculous now but might be normal in five years?

Ep 11 - Writing for Pleasure: Rekindling Joy Across the Curriculum, with Simon Blower

In this episode I sit down with Simon Blower (Co-founder of Pobble) and we discuss: 1. What first made you so passionate about writing? And what did you notice about pupils who did enjoy writing compared to those who didn’t? 2. We talk a lot about “reading for pleasure”, but what does “writing for pleasure” mean to you? And why does enjoyment matter so much in writing? 3. Why do so many pupils decide early on that they’re “not a writer”? and what mistakes do adults sometimes make when trying to motivate reluctant writers? 4. You often talk about experiences being the spark. Why are experiences such a powerful starting point? 5. How can subject teachers use their own disciplines as writing catalysts? 6. What differences do you see in attitudes to writing at different ages? And where do schools unintentionally squeeze the joy out as pupils get older? 7. Why does writing matter so much beyond exams? 8. What would you want every teacher, whatever their subject or phase, to rethink about writing

Ep 10 - Safeguarding in plain sight, with Marcus Dickinson

In this episode I sat down with Northern Arch Learning partnership's DSL Lead Marcus Dickinson and I asked: 1. What’s changed in safeguarding over the last five or six years since Covid? * What concerns are you seeing more often now than before the pandemic? * Are pupils coming to school with different needs? * How did lockdown change children’s digital worlds? * Are weekends and holidays now more complex digitally than before? 2. What makes school sometimes the only stable or safe place in a child’s life? * Why do routines and predictability matter so much for vulnerable children? * What is it about predictability that helps children feel safe? * How does uncertainty show up emotionally or behaviourally in school? * Why are some pupils far more sensitive to change than others? * What role does trauma or instability play here? 3. What is it about the run-up to holidays that can increase anxiety and vulnerability for some pupils? * We often see holidays as a positive thing — but why can that feel very different for some pupils? * What changes in behaviour might staff notice in the final weeks of term? * What’s happening beneath the surface for some children as a break approaches? * Are there other points in the year that raise safeguarding risk? (Christmas, long weekends, exam season, summer holidays, transitions between schools) 4. Why do events like the World Cup or Euros change family dynamics for some households? * How can alcohol, gambling or financial pressure escalate risk? * How do schools prepare for periods that historically bring greater safeguarding demands without alarming students? 5. What do you wish every listener truly understood or appreciated about the home pressures that some of our students live with? * How has your safeguarding work changed the way you understand pupils’ lives beyond school, and your role as a professional?