Nothing Without Us

In this episode, I’m speaking to Sajid Gulzar about growing up a first generation Muslim immigrant from Kashmir, in Birmingham UK. He talks about how his faith formed his identity as he grew up, what he does when protected characteristics seem to be at odds with one another, and how inspired he was by his father’s faith.Sajid Gulzar, OBE, is Principal of Kings’ School Al Barsha. He began his first headship in 2009 and was most recently the founding CEO of a multi-academy trust in the UK. He has inspected for Ofsted, worked internationally leading a teacher development project, and served as an advisor to the Department for Education. Follow him on X - https://twitter.com/sajid_gulzarSign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is edited and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This episode is the second in our regular series of discussions between me and Headteacher Andy Bowman. Andy has bravely volunteered to appear on the podcast every series, to talk through his responses to the issue that we are thinking about, in the context of his own school and the wider community. In this episode, we’re talking about how faith has shaped the schools and community he serves, and how he has navigated conflict over religious faith and beliefs in  his school.During a career spanning 25 years, Andy has taught in a range of primary schools, writing and leading training as an Advanced Skills Teacher before becoming a deputy head in 2010. He is now enjoying his second headship leading Southville Primary School, a 620-pupil split-site school a stone’s throw from Bristol city centre.Andy believes strongly in placing human connection and kindness at the heart of teaching, learning and leadership and promotes a values-driven approach to school development. Sign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is produced by Emily Crosby Media.

It has been a privilege to have the conversations I have been holding during this series about faith and religious identity, but those conversations have also made me realise that so few people feel safe talking about these topics. For the next two weeks, we are pausing to give ourselves the space to reflect on what we’ve heard so far, and to find ways to hold space for others within our community. This episode contains some of my reflections on the conversations we have heard so far, and a few dates that you might consider adding to your organisation’s calendar. It also contains some extracts from my conversations with Sufian Sadiq in Episode 3.Sufian Sadiq is Director of Talent and Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust. Find him on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sufian-sadiq-61b2b654 Sign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is edited by Big Tent Media and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

It has been a privilege to have the conversations I have been holding during this series about faith and religious identity, but those conversations have also made me realise that so few people feel safe talking about these topics. For the next two weeks, we are pausing to give ourselves the space to reflect on what we’ve heard so far, and to find ways to hold space for others within our community. This episode contains some of my reflections on the conversations we have heard so far, and a few dates that you might consider adding to your organisation’s calendar. It also contains some extracts from my conversations with Eylan Ezekiel in Episode 2.Eylan Ezekiel  is  Head of Hamilton Brookes - one of the most trusted voices in primary publishing. He is also an edtech consultant: supporting schools and organisations to create and shape exceptional educational experiences through content, platforms and services for learning.Eylan is  working on a set of new projects around Jewish diversity, including a podcast called Who Jew Think You Are? - which he hosts with Penny Rabiger.An experienced primary teacher, and Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, Eylan has taken his close understanding of pedagogy and practice to his work with educational publishers, edtech producers, NGOs, Third Sector and policy organisations – including Oxford University Press, Arts Council England, and Oxfam GB. Listen to Eylan  at the Who Jew You Think You Are? podcast,  and follow him on Linkedin or  BlueSky @eylanezekiel.bsky.social Sign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is edited by Big Tent Media and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

In this episode, I’m speaking to Sufian Sadiq about being a Muslim in Britain, his experience of Islamophobia, and his reaction to the current situation in the Middle East and how it is being handled in British society.Sufian Sadiq is Director of Talent and Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust. Find him on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sufian-sadiq-61b2b654Sign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is produced by Emily Crosby Media.

In this episode, I’m speaking to Eylan Ezekiel about his Jewish identities, how he has navigated talking about the Middle East, and anti-semitism in schools, and how he thinks school leaders can approach these issues with empathy and compassion.Eylan Ezekiel  is  Head of Hamilton Brookes - one of the most trusted voices in primary publishing. He is also an edtech consultant: supporting schools and organisations to create and shape exceptional educational experiences through content, platforms and services for learning.Eylan is  working on a set of new projects around Jewish diversity, including a podcast called Who Jew Think You Are? - which he hosts with Penny Rabiger.An experienced primary teacher, and Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, Eylan has taken his close understanding of pedagogy and practice to his work with educational publishers, edtech producers, NGOs, Third Sector and policy organisations – including Oxford University Press, Arts Council England, and Oxfam GB. Listen to Eylan  at the Who Jew You Think You Are? podcast,  and follow him on Linkedin or  BlueSky @eylanezekiel.bsky.socialSign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is produced by Emily Crosby Media.

In this solo episode, I'm going to be setting the scene for the mini series ahead. I had planned to talk in this season about the fact that perhaps we could, as educators have conversations in our schools about the Middle East. But as time has marched on, and we find ourselves witnessing everything that has unfolded, and continues to unfold in Gaza, I find myself without any sense-making tools, or at least limited ones. When I considered the season, I intended to interview some brilliant people who held faith identities, and to talk about the way that their faith identities intersected with the violence being played out in the Middle East, and intersected with their roles as educators. But understandably, it feels too raw and too difficult for some to articulate just now. I did have some great conversations in the season, and you will hear them in the few weeks ahead. But I guess I first wanted to talk about advocacy and allyship. Because if anything came out of the conversations that I had with guests on the podcast in this season, it was about the need for us to stand in allyship with people who don't necessarily hold the same identities as us. And so for that reason, I want to share with you something I wrote a few weeks back now and sent out to my newsletter, but it feels like a really relevant and useful way to lead into the season. Sign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is edited by Big Tent Media and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

Trigger warning - this episode contains discussion of baby loss and miscarriage.In this episode I talk to Emma Shepperd, Being Luminary Associate, about her research into the lived experience of teachers during their parenting journey. Emma also shares her best practice family policies for schools.Emma is the Founder of The MTPT Project, the UK’s charity for parent-teachers. A 2010 Teach First ambassador, Emma worked as an English Teacher, Lead Practitioner and ITT Lead in schools in Hertfordshire, Vietnam and London for twelve years before retraining as a coach. Emma now coaches and runs The MTPT Project full time. She is the UK’s expert in the motherhood penalty in education, and how this impacts wider issues such as retention, staff wellbeing and gender equality in our schools.Sign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdFollow Emma on X @emma_au_soleil or follow the MPTP project @mtptprojecthttps://www.mtpt.org.uk/Support for those dealing with baby loss can be found at https://www.tommys.org/baby-loss-support and https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/bereavement-support/Nothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is edited by Big Tent Media and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

In this episode, I’m joined by Leslie Medema, who along with her team, is currently working through the Being Luminary programme. We discuss her reflections on the issues of maternity and paternity, the particular and unusual circumstances of her school, and how she can synthesize the wide range of experiences within her school community to create a more human set of policies.In November 2011, Leslie Medema joined Green School and was responsible for spearheading the development and implementation of the High School program. Her role involved fusing project-based learning with a global skills and values-based curriculum. Additionally, Leslie was the Guidance Counselor and oversaw the post-graduation preparation programs and accreditation processes. After four years, she was appointed as the Head of Teaching and Learning (principal). In this role, Leslie led the entire Green School community (Pre-K through Grade 12) in the same process to develop specialized learning programs and manage day-to-day operations. She later took time away from Bali to support the establishment of new Green Schools in New Zealand and South Africa. In 2021, Leslie returned to Green School Bali as the Head of Campus.www.greenschool.orgSign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is edited by Big Tent Media and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This episode is the first of a regular series of discussions between me and Headteacher Andy Bowman. Andy has bravely volunteered to appear on the podcast every series, to talk through his responses to the issue that we are thinking about, in the context of his own school and the wider community. In this episode, you’ll get some background on Andy’s career and the school that he now leads, before we deep dive into how maternity, paternity, baby loss and other stages of life are handled and could be handled better by his team.During a career spanning 25 years, Andy has taught in a range of primary schools, writing and leading training as an Advanced Skills Teacher before becoming a deputy head in 2010. He is now enjoying his second headship leading Southville Primary School, a 620-pupil split-site school a stone’s throw from Bristol city centre.Andy believes strongly in placing human connection and kindness at the heart of teaching, learning and leadership and promotes a values-driven approach to school development. Sign up for our weekly email series, Strategy Sundays. Emails go out every Sunday, offering you the chance to get to grips with one tangible piece of change around equity in your organisation. You can sign up here https://beingluminary.myflodesk.com/mnl0u3o8gdNothing Without Us is presented by Angie Browne from Being Luminary. It is edited by Big Tent Media and produced by Emily Crosby Media.