9 episodes

Step inside Mehreen Baig’s virtual staffroom to hear what the UK’s teachers really think. As the new term begins amid a global pandemic, we get the uncensored views of what it’s really like behind the school gates from the people who spend more time with our children than we do.

The Secret Life of Teachers BBC Radio 4

    • Podcasts
    • 4.1 • 149 Ratings

Step inside Mehreen Baig’s virtual staffroom to hear what the UK’s teachers really think. As the new term begins amid a global pandemic, we get the uncensored views of what it’s really like behind the school gates from the people who spend more time with our children than we do.

    8. Teachers Behaving Badly

    8. Teachers Behaving Badly

    In the final episode of the series, Mehreen Baig hears outrageous stories of teachers having sex in classrooms, taking drugs in the staff toilets and engaging in other forms of illicit behavior in schools. What happens when a teacher’s dating profile is discovered by the students? Is it ever right for a teacher to have a relationship with a student, even when they have left the school? And what happens when a teacher’s past social media posts come back to haunt them in the classroom?

    • 38 min
    7. Parents’ Evening

    7. Parents’ Evening

    Host Mehreen Baig is joined in the secret staffroom by three teachers to talk about coming face to face with sweary dads and badly behaved mums and breaking the news to them that their precious child may not be the angel they believe them to be. Would you want your parents’ evening to be conducted via Zoom? Are they still an essential part of the teaching - and parental - experience? Or are they just a waste of time?

    • 37 min
    6. School Trips

    6. School Trips

    Host Mehreen Baig is joined in her virtual staffroom by three teachers to discuss field trips, residentials visits and the joys - and horrors - of school trips. What are the benefits of taking students out of the classroom? How do teachers ensure everyone stays safe and well? And will these excursions become a thing of the past in the age of Covid-19?

    • 38 min
    5. Bad Behaviour

    5. Bad Behaviour

    Host Mehreen Baig is joined in the virtual staffroom by three teachers and hears their stories of bad behaviour in the classroom and how they manage it. From their worst experiences to the heartbreaking decisions they have had to make on the grounds of safety of other students. Mehreen asks: what is failing? Is it the education system or the home environment? And how can schools ensure that no child is left behind?

    • 37 min
    4. Student Mental Health

    4. Student Mental Health

    Host Mehreen Baig is joined in the virtual staffroom by three UK teachers to discuss the increase in mental health issues among students. She asks whether it's a recent development or if the problem has been present for years without much public acknowledgement. Are we likely to see an increase in cases as students process the events of the pandemic? And just what are the expectations on teachers as the lines between educator and counsellor become blurred?

    • 35 min
    3. The First Week Back

    3. The First Week Back

    Host Mehreen Baig is joined in the virtual staffroom by three UK teachers as they discuss the return to school after lockdown. As traditional concerns of children not having the correct equipment for lessons are replaced by fears of children sharing equipment, just how are our teachers managing the adjustment period for both the students and themselves? And is it even possible to convince hundreds of teenagers to follow one-way systems and social-distancing rules when they have not seen their friends for months?

    • 31 min

Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5
149 Ratings

149 Ratings

Pen+Paper ,

More please!

Really enjoyed this and would love to here more

Dddddddjggggg ,

Miss Marple…what an awful teacher, she should change career

Miss Marple…I can’t believe her comments, its actually disgusting and she shouldn’t be teaching children and influencing their futures as she cares so little

Em3boys ,

Anymore episodes?

As a mum to 3 boys I very much enjoyed listening to the podcasts. Are you planning on anymore? Would be especially interested in Y10 reluctant learners !

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