In this episode, Polly is joined by Beccie Hawes, CEO of Cadmus Inclusive and specialist SEN advisory teacher, to explore one of the most overlooked barriers to learning: working memory. Beccie shares insights from her new book on demystifying executive functioning and explains why assumptions about these skills can leave some learners struggling.

From identifying subtle classroom indicators to implementing simple but powerful “teaching tweaks,” Beccie offers practical strategies that lighten cognitive load and help every child thrive. Discover how routines, visuals and adaptive approaches can transform learning experiences - not just for pupils with working memory challenges, but for all learners.

Beccie's new book "Demystifying Executive Functioning: A Practical Classroom Guide and Toolkit" is available now, published by Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Find out more about Recall, our working memory assessment: https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/Recall2026

If you’d like to get in touch, please email us at: podcast@renaissance.com

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, and cross-curricular literacy to foster lifelong reading habits.

Sign up for our ‘What Kids Are Reading Report 2025’ report, featuring insights from over 6,700 schools and 1,200,000 students in the UK and Ireland using Renaissance Star Reading and Accelerated Reader data: https://uk.renaissance.com/resources/wkar-2025/

If you’d like to get in touch, please email us at: podcast@renaissance.com

In this episode, hosts Margaret Allen and Emma Dibden are joined by Dr Helen Ross - an independent educational research consultant, specialist assessor, and SEND expert. Together they delve into Helen's perspectives on reading, dyslexia, and education.

Helen discusses the challenges of teaching children to love reading, her personal experiences with dyslexia and the pressures of the education system - advocating for authentic teaching and having diverse pathways to success.

Helen chairs the Wiltshire Dyslexia Association and serves on the board of the US-based National Coalition of Independent Scholars. She has also consulted for the British Dyslexia Association, the UK Government’s Committee for Science and Technology, and Wiltshire Local Authority.

Her recent book "Literacy Learning Journeys: An Educator’s Guide to Dyslexia, Aged 0-18" sold out on Amazon within a day of publication, and continues to generate a buzz online.

If you’d like to get in touch, please email us at: podcast@renaissance.com