“You are paying for the service of us as professionals to give you honest professional advice, and honest professional advice is to listen to your child.”

Robert Millar has spent 15 years at Shrewsbury International School Bangkok Riverside, working his way from assistant principal to heading up of one of Southeast Asia's flagship British international schools. A Cambridge grad with a master's from Oxford, Rob spent 13 years in the UK state secondary sector before making the move to Thailand with his family in 2010. He's had a front row seat to Bangkok's international school growth from a handful of institutions to a thriving network of over 107 British schools, and building a team along the way where some teachers are now in their 23rd year.

Chatting to Henry Faber, Rob shares what surprised him most about moving from the UK state sector to fee-paying international education, and how he navigates the delicate balance between serving parents and advocating for students. He explains the cultural nuances of working with multi-generational Thai families, where grandparents often have as much influence on a child's future as their parents, and why encouraging students to find their own voice sometimes means helping them have difficult conversations at home. Rob also reveals his ambitious plans for a bespoke Thai language curriculum running all the way to Year 13, and makes the case for why technology in the classroom often gets in the way of genuine learning. It's a brilliant, charismatic conversation – don't miss out.

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“I have had the good fortune of people around me seeing things in me that perhaps I haven’t seen in myself.”

Jo Duncan has spent two decades in education, but her path to headship was shaped by people who saw something in her before she even saw it herself. A theology and English literature grad from St. Andrews, Jo started her teaching career at The Latymer School in North London before moving into her beloved girls' education at Benenden. She became a head at the tender age of 34 before taking the helm at Wycombe Abbey in 2019. Coming from a family of small business owners rather than educators, Jo brings a fresh perspective to leading one of the world's most prestigious and academically rigorous girls' boarding schools.

In conversation with Henry Faber, Jo shares how two conversations changed the course of her career, and why she nows makes it her mission to spot and nurture potential in her girls. She explains what makes Wycombe Abbey's approach to boarding different to others, including their mixed-aged dorms, where girls from different year groups share rooms, encouraging cross-year friendships. Jo weighs into the smartphone debate, the peculiar phenomenon of "sharenting" and why she believes boys' schools starting to take girls at 6th form does nobody any favours. With Wycombe's 130th anniversary approaching and new international hubs launching in Singapore and Bangkok, Jo reflects on where the independent sector is headed after a turbulent year or two.

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“We overestimate the dangers of the real world and underestimate the dangers of the online one – and without taking appropriate risks, we don’t grow.”

Next to join us on Heads & Tales is Gareth Parker-Jones, Head Master of Rugby School, the near 500-year-old institution and the birthplace of the eponymous sport when Web Ellis famously picked up the ball during a school football match back in 1823. Appointed in 2020, Gareth took the reins at one of the most famous schools in the country, and his conversation with Walter Kerr reflects on how tradition can coexist with reform.

As we peer behind the curtain of this historic school, Gareth discusses his commitment to character education, the need for curriculum breadth and the importance of resilient kids. He addresses the pressures facing the next generation, pushing back on lazy, reductive narratives about Gen Z, instead arguing that the safetyism imposed by adults is clipping the wings of childhood.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Character in the classroom: why debate and disagreement are pivotal to building both intellectual and emotional resilience.

• Bursaries: Rugby's decision to double down on means-tested bursaries, despite the financial pressures facing schools at the moment.

• Gen Z and safetyism: Gareth responds to his media headlines, explaining how adults' aversion to risk is reshaping childhood.

• Smartphone policy: why Rugby restricts phone access at 13 and the positive impact the ban has had.

• Curriculum shortcomings: his critique of recent government reforms around the IB and the case for a broader academic pathways post 16.

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“We value what we measure, but in education we haven’t always measured what we value.”

The first Heads & Tales episode of 2026 takes us into the office of Matthew Shanks FCCT, where a large poster can be seen reading "Work hard and be nice to people". They are words that could be dismissed as mere platitude, until you get to know Matthew and his style of leadership. As CEO of Education South West (ESW), former headteacher and serving Ofsted inspector, he lives and breathes all things education.

In conversation with Walter Kerr, Matthew draws on a remarkable 30 years plus in the sector to explore what leadership really looks like when the stakes are high and the system (and policy) is unforgiving. He discusses running a multi-academy trust across the southwest of England, the responsibility of supporting heads without smothering them and why his own bruising experience of inspection ultimately led him to become and inspector himself.

Matthew compellingly makes the case that we can't judge education in a linear fashion, making the case for measuring success at the age of 25 not 16, arguing that lives, confidence and contribution matter far more than flash-in-the-pan exams. Throughout, he returns to the same themes: principled leadership over perfection, tolerance of the shortcomings of others and the importance of kindness in roles that can otherwise have the opposite effect.

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“The future needs ‘hard tech and hard human’ – deep technical skill and deep human skill.”

Next to join us on Heads & Tales is Peter Hyman, whose story and career reads like a play of three acts. For the first of these acts, Peter was at the heart of the New Labour project as Tony Blair's speechwriter and senior strategist through the 1997 and 2001 elections – "Education, education, education" – how can anyone forget? His second act saw him make one of the most radical pivots in political history: he left Downing Street to become a teaching assistant in one of London's toughest schools. Though many thought the move to be reckless; Peter thought it absolutely necessary.

In conversation with Walter Kerr, Peter outlines the divide between political power and classroom reality: how students ran rings around him he first started, how the art of questioning reshaped his perception on teaching and how it all led to him helping to create new models altogether. He discusses his third act, founding School 21, a pioneering and novel school in Stratford, launching Voice 21 UK to put oracy in the limelight, his return to politics as Keir Starmer's senior advisor and his new Substack, Changing the Story.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• His leap from Downing Street to classroom: why Peter left the heart of government to become a teaching assistant and the scary moments in his early days.

• The birth of School 21 and Voice 21: how a drama teacher, a circle of chairs and an obsession with questioning techniques started a national oracy movement.

• What politicians get wrong about schools: why policy needs fewer think tanks and more frontline listening.

• Rows vs circles in the classroom: what the layout of a classroom reveals about hierarchy and student voice.

• Peter's blueprint for the future: he calls for young people to be equipped with the skills to navigate AI whilst enriching their creativity, collaboration and communication skills.

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“Some of the rules around tech became too liberal – and trying to rein that in is like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube.”

Our next guest on Heads & Tales needs little introduction. As Head Master of Eton College for the last decade, Simon Henderson is at the helm of one of the world's most recognisable, and scrutinised, schools. In a Heads & Tales first, Simon joined us in person in the studio, speaking to Walter Kerr about the reality of running a near 600-year-old institution whilst preparing teenage boys for a world changing faster than any generation before them. In another first, Simon isn't the first member of his family to appear on our podcast, following in the footsteps of his wife Ali Henderson who joined us this time last year. When he asked what advice she could offer ahead of recording the episode, he was told in no uncertain terms: "don't tell any jokes".

Simon traces the journey that brought him to the top of Eton's ladder, from his early days teaching in post-apartheid South Africa to early leadership experiences at Sherborne and Bradfield. He reflects on the shifts that he has overseen at Eton – a kinder culture, increased bursary provision and a viral policy on smartphone use at the school. His episode is the portrait of a leader intent on balancing heritage with modernisation, and leading an iconic school determined to broaden who it serves and what it stands for.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Balancing 600 years with the next ten: Simon's discusses the balancing act between tradition and modernity, protecting Eton's heritage whilst ensuring its curriculum is relevant to the world boys are stepping into.

• Expanding bursary provision: he details the school's massive annual bursary programme and why it's central to Eton's core mission.

• Smartphone policy and wellbeing: Simon shares why Eton tightened its rules on phones and its impact on social life, focus and mental health.

• The future of exams and skills: Simon reflects on the mismatch between traditional assessment and the skills required for a evolving workplace.

• His human approach to leadership: from safeguarding to culture change, he speaks candidly about his headship and why every decision ultimately comes down letting the talents of others come to the surface.

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“Parents have a really difficult role because they’re not going to be experts in guiding their children into careers that don’t event exist yet.”

Our next guest on Heads & Tales shakes up everything you previously knew about leading figures in education. With over 1m followers across her platforms, Jade Bowler – or UnJaded Jade to her audience – has built a global community around the culture of study, wellbeing and what she's coined as "casual magic". To boot, she is also the author of the bestselling book 'The Only Study Guide You'll Ever Need'; a revision bible for those in the throes of school exams. In a brilliant conversation with Walter Kerr, Jade reflects on her path from the archetypal straight-A student to now one of the most influential voices supporting the next generation of learners and workforce.

Jade was at the forefront of the 'StudyTube' movement: a corner of the internet that turned revision into a bonafide global youth culture. She discusses how that unexpected limelight shaped her both as a learner and a influencer, and how an unconventional degree from Minerva University (see our previous episode with founder Ben Nelson) opened her eyes to what what genuinely student-centred education can look like. With her trademark candour and go-getter attitude, Jade makes a rallying cry for schools to engage with Gen Z in a different way (authenticity not authority) and support with the challenge of today: the sense that students are preparing for a future that no one can quite define.

🎙️Episode highlights

• Jade dives into the science behind her renowned revision techniques: active recall, spaced repetition and "blurting", courtesy of her A level biology teacher.

• What Minerva taught her about global education, critical thinking and flipping the traditional classroom model on its head.

• Why authenticity always trumps authority for Gen Z and how school leaders can and should apply that now.

• She discusses her revolutionising 10-day silent retreat and suggests it could be a rite of passage for students...

• She leaves offering practical advice for parents of 16-year-olds navigating stress, uncertainty and non-existent career paths.

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In a wide-ranging conversation with Henry Faber, Robert reflects on the transformation that happens when young people are taught to form their own understanding of the things around them rather than memorise someone else's, as well as what it takes to lead a deliberately diverse school community in one of Europe's fastest-growing international markets. He is adamant that a school's community – not its facilities or exam results – is the real measure of its value and health.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• How an old school teacher quietly steered Robert towards UWC and why it changed his life.

• What makes OIS distinctive: international diversity, long-serving staff and a parent community who helped rebuild the school after a flood.

• Why the IB remains so relevant and how service learning helps to shape students far beyond the diploma.

• He shares his leadership ethos: emotional intelligence, shared responsibility and removing any ego.

• His controversial opinion: schools should stop publishing their exam results...

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“We can build bigger walls, but students will just build taller ladders.”

When Matt Horvat took the helm at the American School in London in 2023, he brought with him two decades of leadership experience from some of the most revered schools in the US, from The Overlake School near Seattle to the University of Chicago Lab School and NYC's Collegiate and Browning Schools. Armed too with degrees from both Upenn and Boston University, he now heads up one of London's most international school communities: an institution anchored in American ideals, but alive with a global perspective.

In this H&T episode, Matt reflects on what it means to lead an American school abroad, from cultural nuances to pushing a pedagogy built on curiosity, collaboration and critical thinking. He talks about the balancing act between academic rigour and human connection, and the role that character education can play in preparing young people for an AI-obsessed future. He also covers ASL's decision to go "phone-free from 8 to 3", as well as why schools should be judged by the kind of people they help shape, not just their exam results.

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Jenny unpacks what the data actually shows; from the startling number of teens stuck in what she calls "passenger mode" to the uncomfortable truth that many students feel totally anonymous in their own schools. She provides a clearer look at the pressures facing today's adolescents, the role of parents (even when they're being ignored...) and the subtle ways school systems are either amplifying or alleviating this disengagement. Her discussion with Henry Faber ranges from AI to classroom culture, and is always rooted in the same belief: young people need meaning, connection and genuine belief from the adults in their lives.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Jenny breaks down the four learning modes for teens and why the majority are stuck in 'passenger mode'.

• She explains how parents retain an enormous influence on their teen children, even when it doesn't feel like it.

• She reframes "problem children" as children with problems, making the case for curosity over condemnation.

• She challenges the general belief that technology is the root cause – smartphones exacerbate disengagement, but they didn't create it.

• Jenny highlights the risks of AI companions, cognitive offloading and emotionally manipulative tools designed by Silicon Valley companies that don't have a child's wellbeing at heart

• She discusses what's next for her: building a trusted platform for parents who feel overwhelmed by the constant noise and nuance of modern childhood.

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“AI will never in a squillion years be able to put its fingers into the soil. There’s something about planting, about watching something grow, that is intensely human. That’s what we need to protect – the ability to feel, to care, to create.”

Sir Anthony Seldon is a man of many guises – historian, reformer, political biographer and one of the most transformative headteachers of his generation. Having head up both Brighton College and Wellington College, Sir Anthony now leads Wellington College Education, overseeing the growing network of its schools across the globe. Quite remarkably, he is the author of over 45 books, most notably the definitive auotbiographies of the last seven Prime Ministers, with Anthony drawing back the curtain on the people behind the position. Above all, Anthony holds a profound conviction that education must serve us as humans as much as the intellect, something that he believes is constantly under threat.

In typically pensive style, Anthony reflects on a lifetime spent reimagining what schools can be and do, arguing for a shift away from the treadmill of exams to a model that values "head, hand and heart", where empathy, creativity and self-knowledge are as meaningful as good grades. He discusses AI's threat to our autonomy, the crisis of unhappiness amongst students and teachers and why governments are constantly behind the pace. It's vintage Seldon: eloquent, provocative and unafraid to discuss the failures of our system as much as celebrate it.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• He shares his unconventional interview tactics to eschew formalities and find out who people really are.

• He thinks that AI is both a tool and a threat, warning that we risk outsourcing our thinking and our creativity.

• He critiques our system that prizes results over wellbeing, describing a “crisis of joy” among both students and staff.

• He reflects on his work with Times Education Commission and why lasting reform must come from the profession and not government.

• He opens the door to 10 Downing Street and reveals the human side to those with the top job.

• He offers his advice to fellow teachers: "get out, connect, touch people's heart – don't retreat into cynicism".

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In his conversation with Henry Faber, Steve reflects on the power of "memorable moments" in a child's school life and how we're placing too much emphasis on participation, where often those that fly under the radar thrive the most. He discusses Brighton's growing boarding culture, the international expansion of the brand and how it can transform bursary provision more locally.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Steve reflects on the most rewarding part of his leadership: getting the whole school together to create joint memories and experiences.

• He shares the story of a colleague who suffered from MND and how it inspired the support from the whole school for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

• He discusses the role of architecture in shaping culture at the school, citing Winston Churchill - "We shape our buildings, and thereafter they shape us."

• He outlines the benefits of Brighton's international expansion, from shared teaching practices to helping to fund bursaries in the UK.

• His controversial opinion debunks the idea that students should participate more: introverts should be celebrated as much as extroverts.

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In his wide-ranging conversation with Henry Faber, Naheed reveals just how unique a place UWC Atlantic is, from stories of rescuing and now educating an Afghan refugee, to their disruptive ideas that he hopes will shape education framework in the future. The newly-launched Systems Transformation Pathway is a pioneering curriculum designed to prepare students to grapple with today's global challenges, from climate change to mass displacement. The school is a celebration and success story for diversity and inclusion, with royals and refugees sharing the same experiences and building a community together.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Naheed shares the extraordinary story of helping an Afghan student escape the Taliban and welcoming to study at the college.

• He discusses UWC Atlantic's deliberate diversity with students from 84 countries and a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

• He makes the case for the IB and how it sets the benchmark for pre-university education and prepares teenagers for a complex future.

• He reveals how innovation is at the very core of UWC Atlantic, from co-creating the IB to inventing the RIB rescue boat.

• Naheed calls for his peers to be courageous, saying that education must expand from being student-centred to broaden perspectives.

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In a brilliant conversation with Walter Kerr, BJ unpicks the genesis of his model, the story of how Instagram's founder turned a class project into a global juggernaut and why emotions, not repetition, is the secret ingredient to forming long-lasting habits. He talks parenting and screen time, offers practical tips to sustain habits and reveals how 20 minutes of piano practice and two glasses of electrolytes sets him up for the day.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• BJ explains the Fogg Behaviour Model, the coming together of motivation, ability and a prompt.

• He tells the story of how the idea for Instagram came from a final project in his Stanford class and why it was so successful.

• He shares why emotions, not repetition, create lasting habits – a once-controversial view in his field.

• BJ offers advice for parents trying to help their kids step back from social media and screen time.

• He describes his 'tiny habits' method and how to break big goals into small, sustainable actions.

• He offers parting advice for young people: explore widely and question tradition. That's where true innovation lies.

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Speaking to Oppidan co-founder Walter Kerr, Brett reflects on the early struggles of convincing unions, schools and even grads that Teach First could work, and the euphoric moment when it did. He opens up about what the organisation got right, the attainment gap that keeps him up at night and why teacher recruitments remains a constant challenge today. Now, as co-founder of tiney, Brett is tackling a lack of quality childcare for early years, saying that education policy should focus on three-year-olds as much as teenagers.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• After Walter pulls up an 'Education Secretary' top trump card, Brett recalls the landscape of the sector back in 2002: schools in crisis, poor GCSE grades and a desperate need for reform.

• He discusses early scepticism to Teach First from schools, unions and the new graduates themselves.

• He addresses to notion that Teach First is seen as a means to a corporate job, saying churn isn't failure but rather part of building a longer term movement.

• Brett reflects on Teach First's legacy in narrowing the attainment gap but how progress has stalled post-COVID.

• He discusses his new venture Tiney, and why childminding could solve both the shortage of early years educators and the needs of parents.

• His controversial opinion concerns university degrees, saying too many "aren't worth the paper they're printed on".

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During her conversation with Walter Kerr, Alison reflects on the fibre of Korean education: a system rooted in Confucian respect for learning, renowned for a strict academic focus and built on on an intense hagwon culture (after-school extra learning). She discusses her years in China, shares the highs and lows on shaping Dulwich's Korean identity and opens up about the most pressing things in her in-tray, from new school spaces to tackling perfectionism in her students.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Alison discusses Dulwich Seoul's success, climbing up the rankings both locally and globally for IB.

• She offers a glimpse of Alison the student: happiest on the football pitch, "too aggressive" for netball and heavily influenced by her inspiring teachers.

• She reflects on Korea's very particular education system; its Confucian roots, its fierce rigour and the competitive pressures.

• She unpicks the hagwon culture: the positives of extra learning and the negatives when it overwhelms a child's entire life.

• She takes us through new renovations and innovation hubs at the school, blank canvases that will shape how they prepare students for the future.

• Her controversial opinion is about perfectionism and how striving for a 45 at IB could lead to damaging consequences.

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In a wide-ranging discussion with Walter Kerr, Neil oozes a quiet authority and intricate knowledge of the global education sector in which he works. He discusses the brutal reality of building schools abroad: the frantic countdown to opening in Lagos, the perils of finding investors that value education over rushed profits, and the delicate art of balancing Rugby's 450-year-old brand with the culture and idiosyncrasies of a new country.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Neil gives us an update on the imminent launch of Rugby School in Lagos, Nigeria in September.

• He offers advice for other school groups looking to go global and why finding the right investors is vital to its success.

• Even though Rugby's "whole person" mantra is applicable anywhere, he stresses that being flexible is as important as core values in different cultures.

• Neil discusses the challenges of a growing a UK independent school brand abroad whilst the sector faces a myriad of challenges at home.

• He stresses the importance of local partnership, cultural reciprocity and managing what can be very fiddly local government regulation.

• He argues that UK schools abroad should work together and share successes in order to protect the wider brand and mission.

• He shares his advice for up and coming educators and why far too many are rushing up the leadership ladder.

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In her characteristically expressive way, Rachel dissects the perils of teenage life in our digital world, the virtues of of an all-girls education and the balancing act between tradition and innovation in a changing sector. She is a passion advocate for female voice as she echoes the school ethos to be "brave, not perfect", calling for young women to take risks and shape their own future.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• A huge riding fan, Rachel discusses how her instructor (and her mother) taught her to set high expectations.

• She looks back at her first at the helm of Benenden, calling it "a match made in heaven" and sets out her long-term ambition for the school.

• She discusses the pressures facing teenage girls these days, from perfectionism to social media, and how single-sex education creates a space for them to thrive.

• She is a passionate advocate for all-girls education, revealing the compelling data to show how girls go on to succeed, as well as debunking the myths and stereotypes.

• She doesn't hide behind her opinion that many schools are going co-ed for financial reasons rather than educational principles.

• And finally, she discusses Benenden's overseas ventures and the role of international expansion in the sector.

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In his chat with Henry Faber, Grant shares the high, lows and quirks of studying at a small mountain school as he aims to balance academic rigour with the opportunities to explore Verbier's copious outdoor offerings. As the school finds its feet after its recent merger, he reflects on the positives of joining Dukes Education, the growing appeal of European universities and why the word 'holistic' should be reclaimed from its stereotypes.

🎙️ Episode highlights

• Grant takes us through his career journey, from teaching biology up in the north of England to leading prestigious international schools in Dubai and Switzerland.

• He paints the picture of mountain school life: ski racing in snowstorms and trekking through the Alps.

• He flys the flag for small schools, able to offer the best balance between 1:1 attention and structured systems.

• Grant discusses the IB and how it neatly align's with VIS's ethos.

• He reflects on the complexities of their recent merger, from uniforms and culture to systems and granular detail.

• He explains how a recent disagreement with a parent made him reflect on what a 'holistic' education really is.

• He offers his advice for fellow teachers and aspiring leaders: be prepared to move, take the risk and embrace the unexpected.

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