JoinIn

Juniper Education

JoinIn is Juniper Education’s podcast, hosted by CEO Sarah Barton, helping school and trust leaders navigate key developments in education. Each episode explores policies, challenges and innovations from SEND and attendance to leadership, data and AI; featuring expert insights and real-world experience. Designed for education professionals, JoinIn keeps you informed, connects critical issues and supports confident decision-making in a rapidly changing landscape.

Episodes

  1. 25 Sept

    Episode 03 | The Pursuit of Relentless Consistency: In Conversation with Ceri Jones CEO of Inspires Multi Academy Trust

    Hosted by Sarah Barton, CEO of Juniper Education, this episode of JoinIn features Ceri Jones, CEO of Inspires Multi-Academy Trust, for a candid conversation about leadership, culture, inclusion and the realities of turning around a trust. Ceri begins by reflecting on how he fell into teaching and the children who shaped his approach to education. He and Sarah discuss why the sector is losing talented people, what keeps great teachers and leaders in education, and the story behind Chipping Hill becoming the number one primary school in East Anglia. The conversation then turns to Ceri’s decision to take on a struggling multi-academy trust, including the reality he faced on day one: a significant deficit and the need for redundancies. He explains why culture had to come first, how trust and expectations were rebuilt, and what he learned about leading through difficult change. Sarah and Ceri also explore inclusion and the challenge of reaching communities and children who can be hardest for the system to serve. Ceri shares his perspective on what genuinely inclusive education looks like and how schools can create the conditions for more children to succeed. Drawing on his experience as an Ofsted inspector, Ceri also reflects on inspection, school improvement and what leaders can learn from seeing education from both sides of the process. The episode closes with a listener question and a quick-fire round covering leadership, education and the lessons Ceri has picked up along the way. Whether you’re a school leader, trust executive, governor, teacher or education professional, this episode offers an open and practical look at the realities of leading change in education. 00:00 Welcome and introductions 00:57 How Ceri fell into teaching and the children who shaped him 06:55 Why are we losing great people from education? 11:14 Chipping Hill: the number one primary in East Anglia 17:46 Taking on a struggling trust 22:56 Day one: a deficit and redundancies 26:26 Why start with culture 34:07 Inclusion and the hardest-to-reach communities 43:55 Life as an Ofsted inspector 52:49 Listener question, quick-fire round and closing thoughts

    Episode 03 | The Pursuit of Relentless Consistency: In Conversation with Ceri Jones CEO of Inspires Multi Academy Trust

  2. 27 Aug

    Episode 02 | Building Utopia: In Conversation with Broad Horizons Education Trust

    Hosted by Sarah Barton, CEO of Juniper Education, this episode of JoinIn features Owen Jenkins, CEO, and Samuel Thompson, CFO of Broad Horizons Education Trust, an 18-school, Norfolk-based trust spanning nurseries through to specialist residential SEMH academies.   We begin by exploring what it takes to build one organisation out of 18 schools, from the deliberate geography behind the trust's 2022 merger to the culture that binds it together: a shared "Utopia" vision and the guiding principle of continuous improvement with kindness.  Owen and Samuel reflect on how their CEO/CFO partnership has developed since 2023, and how financial discipline, attendance, inclusion and attainment sit at the heart of their FAIR framework.   We then zoom out to the wider MAT landscape, weighing the opportunities that scale brings against the challenges of relentless policy change, before turning to the government's white paper and what it means for trust growth, funding certainty and long-term planning. Owen and Samuel share their honest first reactions, the questions still left unanswered, and why implementation, not intention, will be the real test.   The conversation also digs into how schools can join a trust without losing their identity, how Broad Horizons balances shared systems with local autonomy, and a candid discussion of SEND, prompted by Owen's recent piece asking whether the DfE should become the Department for Children again, and what it means that one in five children now identify with some level of need.   We close with a quick-fire round covering leadership advice, financial misconceptions about MATs, and where AI fits into the future of education.   Whether you're a school leader, trust executive, school business professional, teacher or education specialist, this episode offers a candid, practical look at what it really takes to lead a growing multi-academy trust. Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Join In: Meet Broad Horizons Education Trust02:29 – The trust's vision and the CEO-CFO partnership07:23 – Financial discipline, sector challenges and rethinking workload17:06 – The Schools White Paper: Reactions and the case for MAT growth27:21 – Growth without losing identity: Shared systems vs local autonomy35:22 – SEND: Owen's Tes article and whether schools can solve it alone42:13 – Listener question and quickfire round46:11 – Closing thoughts and where to find Broad Horizons Trust

    Episode 02 | Building Utopia: In Conversation with Broad Horizons Education Trust

  3. 23 Jun

    Episode 01 | The DfE’s Vision for Schools: MIS Reform and the Impact of the White Paper

    Hosted by Sarah Barton, CEO of Juniper Education, and George Gardiner, Chief Technology Officer, the first episode of JoinIn explores two of the biggest developments currently shaping education. We begin by examining the government's proposed new framework for Management Information Systems (MIS), discussing what it could mean for schools, trusts, data ownership, interoperability and the future of joined-up technology. We then unpack the key themes from the Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper, including SEND reform, inclusion, attendance, belonging and workforce challenges. Along the way, Sarah and George explore why connected data, integrated systems and a more joined-up approach to school improvement could play a crucial role in helping education leaders navigate the years ahead. Whether you're a school leader, trust executive, school business professional, teacher or education specialist, this episode provides practical insight into the policy changes and strategic developments likely to shape the future of education. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:44 MIS Interoperability and connected systems 09:08 SEND and inclusion in the White Paper 18:06 Engagement, belonging and school improvement 34:09 Outro

    Episode 01 | The DfE’s Vision for Schools: MIS Reform and the Impact of the White Paper
  • 3 Episodes

About

JoinIn is Juniper Education’s podcast, hosted by CEO Sarah Barton, helping school and trust leaders navigate key developments in education. Each episode explores policies, challenges and innovations from SEND and attendance to leadership, data and AI; featuring expert insights and real-world experience. Designed for education professionals, JoinIn keeps you informed, connects critical issues and supports confident decision-making in a rapidly changing landscape.

Information

  • Creator
    Juniper Education
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Juniper Education
  • Show Website
    JoinIn