Staff Matters caught up with Ruth Luzmore, Research Fellow and Lecturer at Southampton Education School (SES), about the launch of the School’s new podcast, Edu Insights.

Tell us a bit about yourself and some background to the project.

Before joining academia, I spent nearly 20 years as a headteacher and school leader in the state sector.  As a result, I often find myself sitting in that space of practice and research but enjoying having a foot in each. And that’s really what we are aiming to do with this podcast. To provide a space between research and practice – bringing together academic research with the lived experience of practitioners. The podcast features guests from within Southampton Education School (academic researchers, teacher training colleagues, visiting research seminar speakers & contacts) as well as local school leaders and national education figures.

Our target audience is both academics and practitioners – teachers, school leaders, policymakers, researchers, essentially anyone interested in contemporary education debates.

What are the main characteristics of the podcast?

In terms of tone, we want it to be accessible, conversational and good humoured but also intellectually challenging. Education is increasingly expected to be “evidence-based” so the podcast examines not just what the evidence says, but how we interpret, contest, and use it. It’s designed to be listened to on your commute, during lunch breaks, or while doing the washing up!

We want to try to address some of the silos and allow for some push back on some of the dominant narratives that exist in education and research. And give a space to look at different methodological approaches, maybe break down some of the ‘ivory tower’ view that some practitioners might have of education research through transparency and humility.

The podcast deliberately extends beyond the university Southampton, connecting with the wider education community through our recently established Education Research Practice Network (ERPN) at Southampton.

What subjects have you examined?

Topics covered so far include teacher agency, Ofsted, and issues around inclusion with more episodes recorded and planned. The remit is deliberately wide-ranging.

Who else is involved in the production of the podcast?

My colleagues in SES, Ali Walker, who is a Digital Media Developer, has built a professional-grade podcast studio from scratch within the School alongside Professor Jon Schulz.

This reflects our more general commitment in SES to quality and public engagement. The professional sound quality enables listeners to engage on the go – putting something out we can be proud of and is something that visiting folk feel good about being in.

Ali’s role is genuinely collegial and collaborative, providing both technical expertise and editorial feedback that shapes the conversational flow. Working with Ali is very much a partnership. Ali’s feedback shapes not just the technical quality but the conversational flow.

The studio enables experimentation. We’re currently experimenting with different formats including video podcasts. Watch and listen to this space!

Can interested colleagues get involved?

Definitely! I am also interested in hearing from colleagues across the university working in areas related to education (psychology, sociology, health sciences, data science, etc.) who want to reach practitioner audiences. Please do get in touch – we do want this to be useful and engaging for practitioners beyond the work of SES.

Find out more on our Spotify page.

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