In this episode, Georgina is joined by Kate Sayer, Education Specialist at the World Book Day charity and former primary teacher, whose career has centred on supporting children’s literacy through schools, arts organisations and family engagement.

Kate explores the charity’s six principles for reading for pleasure and why they matter so much in today’s classrooms. She discusses the role of teacher knowledge, the power of choice, how to build genuine reading cultures and the importance of positioning reading as something children want to do, not something they have to do.

Kate also shares early insights from her PhD research into how parents support their children’s reading, along with practical approaches schools can use to deepen relationships with families and their wider communities. Packed with thoughtful reflections and real‑world ideas, this episode offers valuable guidance for anyone committed to helping children read for fun.

Find out more about World Book Day 2026: https://www.worldbookday.com

Access our World Book Day quizzes and resources: https://www.takethequiz.co.uk/

If you’d like to get in touch, please email us at: podcast@renaissance.com

In this episode, Polly is joined by Beccie Hawes, CEO of Cadmus Inclusive and specialist SEN advisory teacher, to explore one of the most overlooked barriers to learning: working memory. Beccie shares insights from her new book on demystifying executive functioning and explains why assumptions about these skills can leave some learners struggling.

From identifying subtle classroom indicators to implementing simple but powerful “teaching tweaks,” Beccie offers practical strategies that lighten cognitive load and help every child thrive. Discover how routines, visuals and adaptive approaches can transform learning experiences - not just for pupils with working memory challenges, but for all learners.

Beccie's new book "Demystifying Executive Functioning: A Practical Classroom Guide and Toolkit" is available now, published by Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Find out more about Recall, our working memory assessment: https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/Recall2026

If you’d like to get in touch, please email us at: podcast@renaissance.com

In this episode, our host Margaret Allen is joined by Gary Hillyard, Headteacher at The Carlton Academy - part of the Redhill Academy Trust. Gary has been in education for 22 years and led the secondary reading strategy across the 10 secondary schools in the trust for the last 8 years.

We explore Gary's journey from bookseller to teacher and his deep commitment to developing a trust-wide culture of reading. He emphasises the importance of authentic reading experiences, emotional engagement, and cross-curricular literacy to foster lifelong reading habits.

Sign up for our ‘What Kids Are Reading Report 2025’ report, featuring insights from over 6,700 schools and 1,200,000 students in the UK and Ireland using Renaissance Star Reading and Accelerated Reader data: https://uk.renaissance.com/resources/wkar-2025/

If you’d like to get in touch, please email us at: podcast@renaissance.com