{"podcast":{"title":"Chalk & Talk","slug":"chalk-talk-6066907","podcast_index_feed_id":6066907,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/chalkandtalkpodcast/feed.xml","website_url":"https://chalkandtalkpodcast.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/15991035/Chalk_and_talk_logo.png","author":"Anna Stokke","episode_count":78,"summary":"Everyone wants to see children and young adults succeed in math, but it can be difficult to sort myths from facts in education. Join math professor, Anna Stokke, for conversations with leading educators about the importance of math, effective teaching methods, and debunking common myths about math and teaching. Chalk & Talk is a podcast for anyone interested in education, including educators, parents and students.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T20:17:13.151018+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chalk-talk-6066907"},"episode":{"title":"Inside one of England’s top-performing non-selective schools with Robert Peal (Ep 72)","slug":"inside-one-of-england-s-top-performing-non-selective-schools-with-robert-peal-ep-72","published_at":"2026-05-29T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chalk-talk-6066907/inside-one-of-england-s-top-performing-non-selective-schools-with-robert-peal-ep-72","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chalk-talk-6066907","url":"https://chalkandtalkpodcast.podbean.com/e/inside-one-of-england-s-top-performing-non-selective-schools-with-robert-peal-ep-72/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6n5nhvrpd5abgvh4/Chalk_and_Talk_EP_72_audio_64ja2.mp3","summary":"In this episode, Anna Stokke is joined by Robert Peal, joint head teacher of West London Free School, one of England’s highest-performing non-selective schools. Robert is also the author of Progressively Worse and co-author, with Nick Gibb, of Reforming Lessons: Why English Schools Have Improved Since 2010 and How This Was Achieved. Anna visited West London Free School recently and invited Robert to join the podcast to share what makes the school so successful. They discuss the school’s approach to behaviour, school culture, high expectations, and a knowledge-rich curriculum. They also talk about England’s school reforms and why ineffective educational fads have continued to resurface throughout history, despite weak evidence. Teachers, school leaders, and policymakers will find practical insights on how structure, high expectations, a knowledge-based curriculum, and effective teaching are the keys to improving student outcomes. This episode is available in video at www.youtube.com/@chalktalk-stokke TIMESTAMPS [00:00:22] Introduction [00:03:37] Inside West London Free School [00:07:21] Why Free Schools were established in England [00:12:33] Establishing behaviour expectations [00:17:04] House points and celebrating achievements [00:18:07] School sanctions [00:21:06] Silent corridors, and their role in the West London Free School [00:25:33] Parents’ response [00:29:10] Breakdown of the ‘House System’ [00:36:59] A knowledge-rich curriculum in practice [00:41:28] Training teachers on best teaching practices [00:46:35] Grouping students based on readiness [00:50:23] Formative assessments and summative assessments [00:54:53] Is socioeconomic background a good excuse for poor outcomes? [01:00:07] Final advice RELEVANT PREVIOUS EPISODES From decline to top rankings: How Engla…","meta_description":"In this episode, Anna Stokke is joined by Robert Peal, joint head teacher of West London Free School, one of England’s highest-performing non-selective sc…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3809,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/chalk-talk-6066907/episodes/inside-one-of-england-s-top-performing-non-selective-schools-with-robert-peal-ep-72/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chalk-talk-6066907/inside-one-of-england-s-top-performing-non-selective-schools-with-robert-peal-ep-72.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}