Balancing Parenthood and Teaching: Emma Sheppard on the Motherhood Penalty in Education, Mind the Gap, Ep.87 (S5,E3)

On this episode of Mind The Gap, Emma Turner welcomes Emma Sheppard, founder of the Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher (MTPT) Project. Together, they explore Sheppard's journey in founding the project, starting with her own experiences of motherhood and her passion for maintaining her professional identity as a teacher. The conversation dives into the challenges working parents face in balancing their professional and parental roles, with a specific focus on the motherhood penalty in education. Sheppard discusses how her organisation provides coaching and community support to educators navigating parenthood while advocating for systemic change to better support parents in the workforce. The Emmas touch on key issues like gender equity, leadership roles, and flexible working arrangements, and emphasises the importance of empowering teachers to thrive both personally and professionally.

Emma Sheppard is the Founder of The MTPT Project, the UK’s charity for parent-teachers. A former English Teacher and Lead Practitioner, she spent twelve years teaching and leading ITT provision in schools in Hertfordshire, South London and Vietnam. She completed her Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching with The Coaching Academy in 2022 and secured her ICF ACC in 2023. Emma has held various positions of responsibility, including pastoral and curriculum roles. She has acted as line manager for the school librarian and EAL department, delivered teaching and learning training on foci including memory, homework and curriculum updates, and has years of experience as professional co-ordinating mentor for Schools Direct, Teach First and PGCE trainee pathways. Find out more about Emma and MTPT at https://www.mtpt.org.uk/

Emma Turner FCCT is a school improvement advisor, education consultant, trainer and author. She has almost three decades of primary teaching, headship and leadership experience across the sector, working and leading in both MATs and LAs. She works nationally and internationally on school improvement including at single school level and at scale. She has a particular interest in research informed practice in the primary phase, early career development, and CPD design. Follow Emma on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This podcast is produced by Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/