Hannah and Lucy return with their trademark mix of humour, honesty and sharp reflection.This week’s episode tackles:• The ASICS campaign for girls’ school sportswear 👟• The good, bad and ugly of Inset days 🗂• Why icebreakers should be binned ❌• Staff camaraderie, wellbeing and what really matters in teaching 💙 👟 Rethinking Uniforms: Comfort and ConfidenceThe episode opens with praise for ASICS’ new sportswear campaign designed specifically for girls.✨ Why it matters:• Properly fitting kit reduces self-consciousness and helps girls feel comfortable in school.• Teachers highlight the potential of sportswear as everyday uniform - practical, inclusive and supportive of physical activity.• Hannah and Lucy reflect on their long-standing frustrations with ill-fitting uniforms and argue this campaign feels like long overdue progress. 🗂 Inset Days: The Good, the Bad & the UglyInset days provoke strong reactions from teachers and the conversation ranges from personal stories to listener contributions.✅ What works well• Sessions with practical application, like coaching strategies or SEND-focused workshops that share real insights into student needs.• Opportunities for staff to bond over shared meals rather than forced activities.• Inset days that are planned before summer, so teachers return refreshed and already prepared.❌ What doesn’t work• Overloaded agendas on the very first day back.• Publicly displaying departmental performance data, which can demoralise staff.• Tokenistic “motivational” speakers or generic PowerPoint marathons.• Being asked to deep-clean the school or take part in contrived “fun” exercises.💡 Takeaway: The best Insets are useful, respectful of teachers’ time and rooted in collaboration. ❌ Icebreakers: Please, No More!Lucy makes her feelings crystal clear: “I hate icebreakers.”Examples that haunt staff:• Taping buckets to backs to collect compliments 🪣• Building spaghetti and marshmallow towers 🍝• Awkward “tell us something we don’t know” introductionsInstead, both argue for authentic relationship-building through shared meals, informal conversations and collaborative work - without the gimmicks. 💙 Camaraderie, Wellbeing & TrustAmid the frustrations, Hannah and Lucy stress the importance of staff solidarity:• Colleague support: Stories of staff covering lessons for one another so no one lost pay highlight the best of school culture.• Recognition for all staff: Receptionists, TAs and cleaners play vital roles in a school’s success and deserve acknowledgement.• Teaching as a team sport: Even though classrooms can feel isolating, collective effort is what sustains schools. 🎯 Final ThoughtsThe show closes with a few reflections:• Don’t waste teachers’ time - make Insets genuinely useful.• Bin the icebreakers and forced fun.• Celebrate staff collaboration and shared purpose.• Always keep children at the centre of decisions.🍷 And finally: after the first week back, every teacher has earned that well-deserved glass of wine!Follow us, we're worth it:🔗 Website🔗 Spotify🔗 Instagram🔗 Bluesky🔗 X (Twitter)#leadership #education #teacher #school #schoollife #inspiration #support #podcast #video #EducationPodcast, #InsetDays, #TeacherWellbeing, #SchoolRefusal, #UKTeachers, #IrishTeachers, #EducationMatters, #TeacherLife, #BackToSchool, #TeachingChallenges, #ClassroomStories, #TeacherSupport, #IcebreakersInSchools, #TeachingTraining, #ProfessionalDevelopmentTeachers, #NeurodiverseEducation, #StaffWellbeingSchools, #SchoolLeadership, #ClassroomEnvironment, #ASICSUniform, #GirlsSportswear, #EducationReformUK, #TeachersVoices, #EducationSystemChange

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