A riveting, well-informed and insightful chat with Kevin Edward Turner MBE, co-founder and co-artistic director of Company Chameleon, a highly regarded contemporary dance company based in Manchester. Kevin was a student of Frank's when he was a headteacher and re-connected in 2018 when Company Chameleon undertook dance workshops in some of the Coop's academies in Greater Manchester.

Kevin explains how his life was transformed and given purpose when the Northern Ballet Theatre Company provided a dance residence at the primary school he was attending. His obvious talent was seen immediately and fostered through the Trafford Dance Group, headed by the amazing Linda Coles. He created Company Chameleon in 2006 and it has grown from strength to strength. he's soon to accompany the dance company on a trip to Japan as part of the UK deputation for the World Expo. He is an inspiration.

But his life has been challenging especially when he faced serious mental health issues. The chat covers these and considers how important an active and vibrant arts curriculum is for all pupils and why this is sadly lacking in some schools. Stan reflects on a report published this week that makes clear how serious the drop in engagement is for students when they begin their secondary phase experience. We all offer some reasons for this. sadly, none of us were surprised by the findings.

Kevin then reflects on the many years he has engaged with young people at 42nd Street, a charity offering mental health support to young people aged 16-25 years. Yesterday was his final session with the young people. Their response and gratitude for his work were very moving. Kevin also considers the impact of free access to education that exists in Scotland and why this is a powerful force for economic and personal development.

Frank closes the chat with a reflection on the latest Sutton trust report that considers where social mobility is most successful. There appears to be a clear link between economic opportunities and the chances of achieving strong improvement in social mobility. He considers the lack of funding for FE and adult education and why the Early Years funding is important in that it supports parents/carers as well as the children.

It's a belting chat. We are incredibly proud to be able to chat for around 50 minutes with such inspiring guests. Please share the video with others. The messages about the arts, curriculum access and mental health are apposite.

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Just the two gents this week and they consider governance, leadership and the 'fit and proper' test for football, rugby league and MAT leadership. With Salford City Reds facing a winding-up order for non-payment of taxes Stan considers how they got into this position while Frank considers the journey of his beloved Southend Utd which faced similar difficulties recently. They consider the importance of honesty and transparency in leadership and Frank is quick to highlight the work of Prof Marianne Jennings and her book The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse'. By the way, she's agreed to join our chat, we just need to pin down a date.

Frank then reflects on the recent chats with Rebecca Hanson and Aelwyn Pugh and explains why they were so impactful. The chat then considers CEO salaries and the redundancies one high profile MAT is facing and why it feels wrong when senior leaders earn so much.

We hope you enjoy it.

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After a short break the Frank and Stan Chat returns with a familiar guest joining us again. Brian Lightman, the former leader of ASCL (for 6 years) and secondary Headteacher of two Welsh schools, author and education consultant returns to consider

- the role of Facebook in deciding on which school to select

- the dangers of the current Ofsted inspection proposals

- the role of the RISE teams and they intersect with existing school improvement programmes and strategies

- the lack of a clear vision for education, and

- balancing the budget.

The chat ends on a more positive note with better news on teacher recruitment and the possible push for more Drama teachers which may indicate a shift in focus coming through the Francis Curriculum Review.

A great way to start the summer series of chats. Enjoy.

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Every now our channel is contacted by an individual who asks to be a guest. Some of these requests are rejected mainly because the issue to be covered has already had an airing in a previous chat. When Rebecca Hanson contacted us we felt she was going to bring a fresh perspective on a current issue in schools and she didn't disappoint.

Rebecca works as a supply maths teacher in a number of inner city schools in the north of England. She also provides maths tuition for children who are struggling with maths and support for parents who are home educating. She previously spent years providing professional development for primary teachers and teaching assistants, before free sharing professional development and advice for teachers through her RebeccaTheMathsLady YouTube channel. She is also an experienced conference speaker, facilitator and workshop leader and has substantial experience in national-level education policy development and the press and live mainstream media.

The chat covers Rebecca's recent experience of teaching in socially diadvantaged communities and why she feels too many students find mathematics irrelevant and uninteresting. She is clear who is to blame.

It's a spiky chat but one many should watch/listen to.

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This special SPOTLIGHT edition of the Frank and Stan Chat considers the work of Alan Braven and Anthony Benedict who have a new book being published 31 March called 'Educating Everyone - An introduction to Relational Inclusion in schools'. The book recognises the struggle schools face around funding, behaviour, attendance, increasing rates of exclusions, lack of SEN support and adequate suitable places and teachers leaving the profession. It identifies the present time as a transitional point in history where two camps have formed: the Behaviourists and the Relationalists. It introduces the reader to the idea of Relational Inclusion, tracking the origins of its concept and exploring current thinking around the causation of some of the issues raised, including epigenetics, automatic negative thinking and the deficit narrative.

The chat enables the four colleagues to reflect on how their approaches to behaviour management, inclusion and relationships have changed over time and how they see the challenges now being faced by many children, young people, their families and those who teach.

A fascinating and highly topical chat that also includes a generous 30% book discount using the code FRANKSTAN30 if bought through the Routledge website.

Enjoy.

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This week the two gents are not joined by a guest. We find it hard to believe that some of our followers like it that way. We know, however, that our guests add so much to our weekly chats and we are grateful for their time and commitment. Anyway, today we cover two main issues

1. The recent documentary on the failings within Thames Water and what the lessons are for leadership in education and elsewhere

2. The Interim Francis Curriculum Review Report

The chat meanders a little but it is punchy and direct in terms of our views.

Also, Frank ends by plugging The Alternative Big Consultation survey he is running wioth Prof Colin Richards. The link is at the end of the chat, if you are on video. If you are downloading the chat as a podcast you can find the link at www.thealternativebiglisten.co.uk. It only takes 5 minutes

Enjoy

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