LO: To Know Whether The Birth Rate Crisis Is Down To People's Crazy Icks

Lee and Adam are back for Episode 259, Season 10 Episode 2, as everyone settles into the first full week of the new academic year. They kick things off by reflecting on their special screening of Bad Apples in Manchester, where more than 70 teachers and school staff joined them for the film, popcorn and a post screening Q&A. Lee also shares his rather surreal trip to Twickenham, where he found himself putting Prem rugby players through their paces with some school themed questions.

The pair then dive into some of the worst INSET and staff training stories ever sent into the podcast. Lee and Adam ask what actually makes CPD useful and why so much wellbeing training completely misses the point. This week's blind ranking throws Lee and Adam straight back into the playgrounds of the 1990s. There are also some absolutely brutal pupil burns and one of the more questionable classroom Google searches we've ever heard. The conversation then turns to relationship "icks" and the best advice teachers have ever received, the pair share genuinely useful teacher tips around relationships, workload, work life balance, behaviour and some simple classroom hacks that might actually make the year a little easier.

Finally, the first full week back appears to have already taken its toll as listeners share their finest examples of "teacher tired". The episode finishes on a much more wholesome note with a brilliant story about a teacher helping a nervous pupil find her confidence, reminding us all why those special teacher moments make the chaos worthwhile.

​📬 Want your story or question featured on the pod? Submit it here:

👉 forms.gle/sWCUVURZjtn6GeN16

Here’s where you can catch the show 👇

🎭 October 2026

25th October - Norwich, Epic Studios 🏰

26th October - London, Soho Walthamstow 🎤

27th October - Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre 🌳

28th October - Eastbourne, Devonshire Park 🌊

29th October - Colchester, Charter Hall 🏺