Creating Value In Schools
How can we make schools more sustainable – in all senses of the word? How can school leaders promote a sustainable way of working? Make best use of our resources, in a way that’s good for people and the planet?
With fortnightly episodes, the Creating Value in School podcast is all about exploring these questions.
We interview guests and find out how they are contributing to making education settings more sustainable, for the benefit of learners, families and the community.
The podcast is hosted and produced by Liz Worthen.
Listen on:
| Apple Podcasts | Podbean |
| Spotify | YouTube |
Enjoy reading as well as listening? You’ll find edited versions and extracts from the podcast over on the blog.
Listening time: 37 minutes
‘Not only is it unsustainable, but it’s not delivering results.’ We bring together Benedicte Yue’s passion for inclusion with her financial expertise for a deep dive into the world of SEND.
What’s making the current system unsustainable? What are the barriers to a more inclusive system? What would a more equitable and effective approach look like? Who can we learn from? And what needs to change in terms of accountability for this to work?
‘We must transition from a narrow individual focus on accountability to a collaborative system.’
Benedicte Yue is Chief Financial Officer at River Learning Trust, bringing over 30 years’ experience in audit and finance to the role. Awarded CFO of the Year at the 2023 MAT Excellence Awards, she is a sector leader and champion for change.
More from Benedicte Yue:
More on SEND:
‘One of the things that I'm really aware of at the moment is so many school leaders are in this stage of it feels like it's one crisis after another. The perma-crisis. One more domino and another then another.’
Paul K Ainsworth shares how reading emergency planner Lucy Easthope’s book Come What May: Life-Changing Lessons for Coping with Crisis resonated with his experience of what happens when things go wrong in schools.
Drawing on Lucy Easthope’s lessons, Paul talks about the phases of recovery, the dangers of hopium, acknowledging that it takes time for things to get better, and the importance of seeking help.
‘But I genuinely believe it will get better. And I think that anything that we can do that rebuilds our reservoirs of hope is so important.’
Paul K Ainsworth is a school improvement champion. He has supported hundreds of schools on their improvement journey in his system leadership roles across four multi-academy trusts. Paul is the author of No Silver Bullets: Day In, Day Out School Improvement and writes on Substack as No Silver Bullets Man.
What does it mean to work sustainably or build a more sustainable organisation? Is it all about the environment? Drawing on contributions from podcast guests, host Liz Worthen questions what we mean when we talk about sustainability. What are the ingredients for a sustainable organisation and development? What does that look like for schools and education settings?
Host Liz Worthen gets together with school business leadership champions Helen Burge and Emma Gray to find out what they’ve been up to this term.
Questions arising include:
Both Emma Gray and Helen Burge were executive business leaders in trusts, and now support school business professionals through coaching, training and consultancy. Emma is a DfE accredited school resource management advisor, and Helen co-chairs the UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group. They are fans of risk management, internal scrutiny and operational excellence.
What enables people to keep calm and carry on in the overwhelming intensity of school life? What helps people keep going, avoid burnout, and stay focused on the things that matter?
We draw on lessons learned by previous podcast guests. What keeps them energised? What keeps them going?
How do we tackle the impact of poverty and disadvantage in our schools? Is education alone enough to combat inequality? What does it mean to be furiously curious about the causes of inequality and what can we do about it? Are you ready to be a graceful disruptor?
Host Liz Worthen talks to Sean Harris, aka That Poverty Guy, about why place matters, life in the Tees Valley, what it means to be a civil architect in practice, and the importance of listening. If he had the ear of the education secretary, what would he ask for?
Sean Harris is Director of People, Learning and Community Engagement (PLACE) at Tees Valley Education. He’s also an author, researcher, That Poverty Guy on Substack, and furiously curious about tackling inequality.
‘Make sure that children are there leading on these projects. Because if they're leading, then they're more likely to want to carry it on and encourage teachers, the community and their families to get involved too.’
Edd Moore talks about his experience of inspiring pupils with eco-projects in schools, integrating learning into the curriculum, and engaging families and communities in the process. Questions addressed include:
Edd Moore is an eco-schools champion. As a teacher he led his primary school to a number of awards, including the Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots Educational Institution of the Year. Edd is the author of 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Greener School, and combines providing eco-support to schools with his role as Head of Education at Green Schools Project.
‘So if school business professionals are engaged and supported to adapt, I truly believe that the role can become more impactful, more strategic, and better recognised.’
We chat with award-winning CFO Benedicte Yue about thriving in a tough funding climate. From making smarter financial decisions to empowering your team, harnessing tech, and driving real community impact, Benedicte shares practical strategies and big-picture inspiration for school leaders who want to do more than just survive.
‘All these operational functions are really enablers to achieve wider goals and we should never lose sight of the North Star.’
What’s the problem with free school meal funding? Where does your food come from, and where does it end up?
In this extract from our longer conversation, school business leaders Emma Gray and Helen Burge talk about why food is high on the school agenda, with challenges around:
Top tip: whatever you do, do not put your food waste in the general waste bin!
'Sometimes the smallest thing can be a game changer.' School business leadership champions Emma Gray and Helen Burge join Liz Worthen for SBLs Unbound: a candid conversation on what’s surprised, challenged and inspired in schools this year. From budget stress and staff turnover to sustainability and school meals, they share tips to help SBLs thrive, not just survive.
'If you're spending money to throw stuff away, that just seems crazy.'
Listening time: 32 minutes
Education and mental health consultant Nicola Harvey shares practical tools and powerful insights to help schools tackle burnout, boost wellbeing and build inclusive environments.
‘Booking a wellbeing day where staff get to choose a wellbeing activity is not going to solve the systemic issues when it comes to mental health and wellbeing, particularly for those individuals with protected characteristics.’