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 episode, Dylan and Hayden unpack:

• What appraisals are supposed to be vs. what they’ve become

• The 2024 rule change that schools are quietly ignoring (hint: appraisals shouldn't affect your pay anymore)

• Two shocking listener horror stories — including one about a school disco being used to block a teacher's progression

• Why stretch targets often just mean stretched teachers

• What a fair, supportive appraisal system could look like

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The hidden crisis closing schools, cutting jobs, and reshaping teaching

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, this episode uncovers how a quiet demographic shift is creating a very loud crisis in education.

🔍 We unpack:

• The huge drop in UK birth rate – and why it’s happening

• Why schools across the country are merging, shrinking, or closing altogether

• How fewer children means fewer teaching jobs - even if you're brilliant

• Why a fall in teacher vacancies isn’t always a good sign

• Our personal story

Whether you're a classroom teacher, a school leader, or just education-curious, this is a must-listen on where the system might be heading next.

📚 LINKS & SOURCES

• ONS 2024 Birth Rate Statistics: www.ons.gov.uk

• BBC Report on School Closures: bbc.co.uk/news/education

• NEU Press Release on Redundancies: neu.org.uk

• TES: “Why falling rolls could be the next big crisis” – tes.com

💬 Tell us your story!
Have you seen your school shrink, merge, or quietly lose staff? Drop us a message on Instagram or TikTok – or send in an anonymous story for a future episode.

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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 out of the classroom and how she turned her passion into a thriving business.

We also reflect on the emotional toll that teaching took on us - the constant pressure, the mental exhaustion, and the precious moments with our own children that we missed. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave, but it was one we had to make.

Try StoryZoo now & get hold of Sophie to book a free demo: https://storyzoo.org/

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