Heavy is the English Head
I have had a diverse career across primary, secondary and tertiary education. While I have focused on English and literacy predominantly, I have also worked in roles focused on student wellbeing, disability funding and supports, and school engagement and attainment. I’ve also worked in child and adolescent psychiatry and as a lecturer and researcher. Working across roles and sectors has caused me to think critically, creatively and reflectively about how we design and deliver educational experiences in our schools, particularly the systems, structures and processes that may allow us to have the most impact. I recently left my Head of English role at a public school. It was one of the most rewarding, stimulating, demanding and difficult roles I’ve had. I now work with systems, schools, leaders, and teachers to develop ambitious and rigorous practices in English and literacy. I’ve met so many incredible English and literacy leaders over the last couple of decades. I think it’s one of the toughest, most complex portfolios to hold, and I wanted to provide a platform for great leaders to share their work. This is a podcast about the nitty gritty of leadership in English and literacy. I will interview a range of guests with diverse perspectives, experiences and roles.
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Episodes
Wednesday May 21, 2025
Wednesday May 21, 2025
Alice Jury is a Learning Specialist at Canadian Lead Primary school in Ballarat. Alice has been teaching for 12 years, all of this time spent at Canadian Lead. Alice began her leadership journey in 2016 through the Primary Maths and Science Specialist initiative. Alice moved into the Learning Specialist role in 2019. Alice has taught across many year levels and has spent time out of the classroom running a rigorous Tutoring program. This year Alice shares a Year 1/ 2 classroom. She teaches for fourteen hours a week. In the other time Alice coordinates the Tutoring program and takes some Tier 3 groups. Alice leads whole school curriculum development and supports teachers through a coaching model to improve their pedagogy, curriculum knowledge and teaching practice. Alice’s passion is teaching and learning, the nitty gritty of curriculum and making the most of every school minute.
Show Notes
Adam Robbins - Middle Leadership Mastery
Brene Brown - Dare to Lead
Simon Sinek - Leaders Eat Last
Simon Sinek - Start with Why
Stuart Lock (Ed) - The researchED Guide to Leadership
Simon Sinek’s The Golden Circle
Education Endowment Foundation – A School’s Guide to Implementation
AERO – Insights into Implementation
Confucius: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."
Phonics Plus scope and sequence and lesson plans
Doug Lemov - Teach Like a Champion
John Hollingsworth and Sylvia Ybarra - Explicit Direct Instruction: The Power of the Well-Crafted Well-Taught Lesson
LETRS training
Bronwyn Ryrie Jones – Responsive Teaching
Lyn Stone - Spelling for Life
Peggy Lego Handwriting Program
Sounds-Write phonics programme
This episode was produced by Jonathan Raz.
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Chloe Painter is an experienced educator, school leader, and literacy specialist passionate about transforming teaching and learning through evidence-informed practice. She is currently Acting Deputy Principal at St Robert’s in Newtown and leads Chloe Painter Edu Services.
Chloe Painter: https://au.linkedin.com/in/chloe-painter-46950b23a
Alison Clarke: https://www.spelfabet.com.au/
Bron Ryrie Jones: https://bronwynryriejones.com/
Middle Leadership Mastery: A Toolkit for Subject and Pastoral Leaders (Adam Robbins)
The researchED Guide to Leadership: An Evidence-Informed Guide for Teachers (Stuart Lock – Editor)
Curriculum: Theory, Culture, and the Subject Specialisms: Principles and Practice (Ruth Ashbee)
Leadership Rules: What Leaders Need to Know and Do to Run Great Schools (Jo Facer)
Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools (Paul Bambrick-Santoyo)
Motivated Teaching (Peps Mccrea)
Phonics Plus: https://arc.educationapps.vic.gov.au/learning/sites/lesson-plans-guidance/1805/Phonics-Plus-scope-and-sequence
Building Culture: A Handbook to Harnessing Human Nature to Create Strong School Teams (Lekha Sharma)
Not Just Lucky (Jamila Rizvi)
EEF A School's Guide to Implementation: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/implementation
AERO Insights into Implementation: https://www.edresearch.edu.au/research/discussion-papers/insights-implementation
The Writing Revolution: https://www.thewritingrevolution.org/
The Parable of the River: https://landiscenter.lafayette.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/69/2015/01/SaveBabies.pdf
Serpentine Primary School and Stephanie Le Lievre (Principal): https://www.serpentineps.wa.edu.au/
Bentleigh West Primary School: https://www.bentleighwestps.vic.edu.au/
Mary Myatt on Differentiation: https://www.marymyatt.com/blog/death-by-differentiation
Think Forward Educators: https://thinkforwardeducators.org/
Teach Like a Champion 3.0: 63 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College (Doug Lemov)
This episode was produced by Jonathan Rav.