Edufuturists

What if the one thing standing between a child and a lifetime of struggle is simply which adult happened to notice them today?Turning down a pro wrestling contract to study Shakespeare isn't the usual route into running a multi-academy trust but nothing about Stephen Steinhaus's journey has followed the usual route, and that's exactly why this conversation is so good. Stephen is co-founder and CEO of the Solihull AP Multi-Academy Trust, and on this episode he sits down with us to talk about what actually gets him up in the morning: a genuine, fired-up belief that permanent exclusion isn't inevitable, and that every single person in a school - from the cleaner to the CEO - has the power to change a child's trajectory. From Chicago Bears fandom to Falstaff, from a heritage archive project that changed his career to the hard truths about what happens to kids after they're permanently excluded, this one covers a lot of ground. And yes, there's a quick fire round at the end. Yes, he smashes it. We cover: - Stephen's route from American football and professional wrestling to Shakespeare scholarship and teaching - How a heritage archive project called "Other People's Children" reshaped his whole approach to education - The real statistics behind permanent exclusion in the UK and why they should make you angry - Why "alternative provision" should really just be called "provision" - The JFK/NASA mindset - why every role in a school, not just teachers, is a difference-maker - Rethinking behaviour policies: culture, language, and moving away from a punishment-first mindset- Practical starting points for anyone dealing with complex behaviour in mainstream, AP or special settingChapters 00:00 Highlights 01:33 Welcome to the podcast (and Ben's brand new overshirt) 02:50 Meet Stephen Steinhaus 03:55 From Chicago to Solihull: building an AP trust 08:03 Turning down a wrestling contract to study Shakespeare 18:15 How Shakespeare led to alternative provision 23:14 The "Other People's Children" project that changed everything 29:20 The truth about permanent exclusion 39:33 Every role matters: the JFK/NASA mindset 50:51 Rethinking behaviour: culture, language and leadership 59:09 Quick Fire QuestionsFind out more about StephenRead his Let’s tackle the SEND exclusion crisis one child at a time articleThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touch Grab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

What if the most important people in your school or college never set foot in a classroom?In this milestone 350th episode of the Edufuturists podcast, we sit down with Chris Loveday for a conversation years in the making - one that reframes who really drives an education organisation.Chris Loveday is Deputy Principal for Digital, Data and Funding at City of Portsmouth College, and the author of Operational Intelligence: The Power of Digital, Data and AI. His route into education leadership is anything but conventional - from leisure assistant on a school site, to running a 5,000-capacity music festival, to senior leadership in schools, sixth form and FE. That breadth is exactly what makes his thinking on systems, data and AI so distinctive.We cover:- Why "co-professionals" - the people who support learning beyond the classroom - are often the unsung backbone of education- The real value and untapped potential of Further Education in the UK- Why schools and colleges are "data rich but insight poor" and how to fix it- Using live data and AI to spot at-risk learners early and actually measure whether interventions work- Moving from "can we?" to "should we?" - guardrails, ethics and red-teaming AI in education- Building one of the UK's first student digital assistants - safely, at scale, for 5,000 students- Practical first steps: auditing legacy systems, writing a digital strategy, and getting an AI policy in place- Freeing humans up to be human by automating the mundaneWhether you're a teacher, school or college leader, EdTech professional, or someone working in operations, IT, data or finance, this episode will change how you think about the systems that hold education together and the people who run them.Chapters00:00 Highlights01:49 Welcome to Episode 35002:57 Meet Chris Loveday: an unconventional journey into education06:30 What is FE — and why it matters more than people realise11:29 Running a 5,000-capacity music festival13:23 Challenging convention and the power of rebel ideas16:28 Why he wrote Operational Intelligence — and why now18:44 Data rich, insight poor: the problem with education data23:30 Data with context: the story behind the numbers25:10 AI, natural language and at-risk early warning systems28:19 IT as a service: ego, vision and working in tandem38:25 From "can we?" to "should we?": ethics and guardrails42:14 Building one of the UK's first student digital assistants45:10 Solving the workforce crisis: freeing humans to be human49:55 Practical first steps you can take tomorrow53:07 Quickfire questionsThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.
Ben & Steve xFind out more about ChrisGet a copy of his latest book, Operational IntelligenceCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, Ben and Steve sit down with Shahneila Saeed for an extended version of a conversation that began at the Brilliant Festival. They dig into why play-based learning is rigorous pedagogy, how computing can be taught without a single computer, and what the games industry can teach the classroom about preparing young people for the world as it actually is.
Shahneila Saeed is Head of Education at Ukie, the trade association for the UK's video games industry, and the founder and director of the Digital Schoolhouse programme. A former IT and computing teacher, she is also the author of How to Raise a Tech Genius.
We cover:
Why play is serious pedagogy, not a break from real learning
How "Just Dance with the Algorithm" teaches programming concepts through dance
Teaching in-game AI with nothing more than a playground and some beach balls
The classroom with no computers that reshaped Shahneila's entire approach
Motivation, failure, and the problem with the GCSE "finish line"
Whether schools are really preparing children for the jobs that exist right now
What industry actually says about the skills graduates are missing
Game IP in the classroom, and how to use it without losing the pedagogy
Digital Schoolhouse as a bridge between the games industry and education
How parents can support computing and tech learning at home, including free resources
Whether you're a teacher, school leader, edtech professional, or a parent trying to make sense of your child's screen time, this conversation will change how you think about play, computing, and the gap between school and the real world. Expect practical, low-cost ideas you can use on Monday morning, free resources you can access today, and a sharp case for why engagement has to come before assessment.
Chapters:
00:00 Highlights
02:01 Welcome and the new Edufuturists book
03:42 From IT teacher to Ukie and Digital Schoolhouse
06:02 The classroom with no computers
10:36 Why play is serious pedagogy
12:56 Just Dance with the Algorithm
15:13 Teaching game AI with a game of dodgeball
16:24 Motivation, failure and the GCSE "finish line"
24:01 Computational thinking at home
27:44 Are we preparing kids for jobs that exist now?
28:34 What industry really says about graduate skills
32:08 What is Game IP and why it works in the classroom
36:14 Digital Schoolhouse as a bridge to industry
41:10 Parents, tech and the home conversation
46:14 Quick-fire questions
Thanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.
Ben & Steve x
Book  a Digital Schoolhouse workshop
Digital Schoolhouse free computing resources
Digital Schoolhouse Playful Computing Conference
Check out all about Edufuturists
Want to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGrab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

In this episode, Ben and Steve sit down with Professor Sara de Freitas for an extended conversation following their meeting at the Brilliant Festival in Liverpool. It's a wide-ranging discussion about immersive learning, the bloated curriculum, serious games, assessment reform, and why the UK's response to AI in education has been so fractured.Sara is one of the few people to have led at every level of education. She's an international researcher in digital technologies who set up three research labs, including the Serious Games Institute at Coventry University. She's served as Deputy Vice Chancellor in both Australia and the UK, ran the largest school in the UK during lockdown (including a separate provision for excluded children), and is currently a governor at the University of Sunderland. In June 2024 she founded Waypoint, building immersive, co-designed classroom tools with teachers and partners including the UK Space Agency.We cover:- Why universities pivoted seamlessly during COVID while primary schools struggled, and what that reveals about infrastructure and mindset- The "bloated curriculum" problem: too much content, not enough time for skills, creativity, and group work- Serious games and game-based learning, from Sara's 2010 study to today's evidence base- Why data alone never changes minds, and the hearts-and-minds work every transformation needs- The false binary of rigour versus fun, and why good teachers refuse to choose- The generational split that made boards, not teachers, the real blockers to innovation- Why the UK's AI in education response is so inconsistent, and the strange logic of "students can use AI but teachers can't"- Sara's blended pedagogic model (learn, explore, apply, reflect) and the case for cutting curriculum by a third- Connecting primary, secondary, FE, and HE on one safe, shared backbone- Three quick-fire questions to close, including what would change if schools were judged like restaurantsWhy listen? If you're a teacher, school leader, or anyone working in EdTech and wondering how to move past the AI panic and the curriculum overload toward something genuinely better, this conversation offers both the research and the realism. Sara has lived every side of this debate, and she makes the case that meaningful change comes not from one giant leap but from everyone taking one small step forward.Chapters00:00 00:00 Highlights01:25 Intro and World Cup sticker chaos03:42 Meet Professor Sara de Freitas04:12 A career across schools, universities, and two continents08:34 The sea change in emerging technology09:33 COVID, resilience, and the primary school infrastructure gap14:00 The bloated curriculum and the case for a research council16:04 Has university really changed?23:18 Serious games: the research journey25:39 The 2010 study and why evidence isn't enough27:56 The generational split and boards as blockers31:12 Rigour versus fun: a false dichotomy35:13 Hearts, minds, and play-based learning37:09 Why the UK's AI response is so fractured39:00 Blended learning done properly40:43 The optimal blend and rethinking assessment42:57 AI in education and the shutters coming down45:46 Quick-fire questions50:28 Wrap-upThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xRead the Research Report that Sara mentioned here
Order her latest book - Education in Computer Generated Environments (foreword by Sir Anthony Seldon) at Routledge or AmazonCheck out all about EdufuturistsWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touch:Get your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026Grab your copy of the new Pick 'n' Mix Education book

In this episode of the Edufuturists podcast, it's just Ben and Steve in the studio for The Big Review Part 15, looking back over seven recent conversations and pulling out the threads that connect them. From leadership and wellbeing to AI, integrity and creativity, this is a fast tour through the ideas that defined the last review period, with plenty of prompts to send you back to the full episodes.Ben Whitaker and Steve Hope co-host the Edufuturists podcast and are the authors of the new book Pick 'n' Mix Education (Crown House Publishing). In this review they revisit conversations with headteacher and Calm Leadership author Patrick Cozier, Manhattan University dean and engineering researcher Kathryn Jablokow, SchoolAI's Rob Wessman, teacher wellbeing coach Charlie Burley, Apps for Good's Natalie Moore, Turnitin Chief Product Officer Annie Chechitelli, and creativity explorer and Book of Ideas author Fredrik Haren.We cover:- Why leadership is a human act first, and how Patrick Cozier's calm framework has sustained his longevity in headship- How AI can become a genuine team member rather than a replacement, and what it means to help AI think more like a human- The case that AI upskills rather than de-skills learners, including research on a reported boost in higher order reasoning- Why staff wellbeing is about intention, not a pizza on a Friday, and the role of sleep, food and balance- How young people can be empowered to create with technology for good, not just consume it- The shift in academic integrity from AI detection towards clarity, and why a human has to stay in the loop- Whether schools really kill creativity, and what curiosity, culture and context have to do with itWhy you should listenIf you lead a school, work in edtech, teach, or care about where education is heading, this review gives you seven big conversations distilled into one. It is a chance to spot the patterns, decide which full episodes are worth your time, and rethink some of the assumptions about AI, wellbeing and creativity that get repeated without question.Chapters00:00 Welcome and why we do review episodes01:24 Ep 340: Patrick Cozier on calm, human leadership04:19 Ep 341: Kathryn Jablokow on helping AI think like a human08:35 Ep 342: Rob Wessman on AI upskilling, not de-skilling14:00 Ep 343: Charlie Burley on why wellbeing isn't pizza22:38 Ep 344: Natalie Moore on doing good with technology29:00 Ep 345: Annie Chechitelli on integrity beyond AI detection34:43 Ep 346: Fredrik Haren on creativity, curiosity and culture38:40 Uprising 2026, the new book and what's nextThanks so much for joining us again for another episode - we appreciate you.Ben & Steve xWant to sponsor future episodes or get involved with the Edufuturists work?Get in touchGet your tickets for Edufuturists Uprising 2026Grab a copy of the brand new Pick 'n' Mix Education book