If the ultimate goal of education is to help students thrive, why do we spend so little time talking about the psychological safety of the adults leading them?

In this episode of The Kitchen Table, we sit down with Laura McPhee, Director of Education for University Schools Trust and a passionate advocate for social justice in education. With twenty years of experience and a proven track record of leading transformational change across London, Laura joins us to explore the profound impact of psychological safety in our schools. We dive into why true leadership requires vulnerability, how our early lived experiences shape the way we lead, and why creating a culture of belonging is the ultimate driver for both staff well-being and student success.

What You’ll Discover

- The Power of Psychological Safety: Why creating an environment where staff can speak up, make mistakes, and challenge the status quo is the ultimate lever for school improvement.

- The Blueprint of Our Leadership: How our early childhood experiences and attachment styles silently shape the way we handle conflict, delegate, and connect with our teams.

- The Importance of Cognitive Diversity: Why moving away from "culture fit" and actively building teams that think differently is the missing piece in modern education.

We spend so much time chasing superficial metrics and traditional markers of success that we forget the human element at the core of it all. Laura’s honesty about her own journey from a disengaged student to a leader who had to learn that vulnerability isn't a weakness - is a breath of fresh air in a sector that often rewards control over connection.

It’s not about lowering our standards or avoiding accountability, but rather about realising that high performance can only truly exist when people feel safe enough to take interpersonal risks. Whether it's rotating the chair in a staff meeting or simply taking the time to understand a colleague's lived experience, the goal is to build spaces where everyone genuinely feels they matter.

Connect with Phil Banks

thebelongingcollective.blog.

Connect with Mohamed Abdallah

Substack.

Connect with Danielle Lewis-Egonu

Substack.

The Kitchen Table are grateful to our sponsors Magma Maths, Zen Educate, St Christophers Trust, Cygnus Academies Trust, The Reach Foundation and it is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Connection, attachment and belonging - the real foundations of great education.

In this episode of The Kitchen Table, we are joined by Lisa May Thornley, SEND & Safeguarding Advisor at Zen Educate. A qualified teacher, SENCo, and Drama Therapist with extensive experience supporting vulnerable children and families, Lisa shares her journey and powerful insights on why relationships and purpose matter more than ever in schools.

What You’ll Discover

- Work, Career or Calling: Honest reflections on how viewing your role as a calling transforms your approach to education and life.

- Practical Relational Tools: The power of the Karpman Triangle (thought, feeling, behaviour), embodiment, projection and role, and how these frameworks help children regulate emotions and overcome challenges like emotional-based school avoidance.

- Attachment, Belonging & Social Agency: Why love and connection are the guiding principles for schools, and how giving children voice, safety and choice builds resilience and purpose.

What really stood out is Lisa’s unwavering belief that everything in education comes back to feeling seen, safe, and heard. Whether drawing from her drama therapy roots, her work in prisons and with vulnerable families, or her training at Zen Educate, she shows how relational approaches and simple, practical tools can transform school culture, staff wellbeing, and children’s lives far beyond the classroom.

Connect with Phil Banks

thebelongingcollective.blog.

Connect with Mohamed Abdallah

Substack.

Connect with Danielle Lewis-Egonu

Substack.

The Kitchen Table are grateful to our sponsors Magma Maths, Zen Educate, St Christophers Trust, Cygnus Academies Trust, The Reach Foundation and it is produced by Urban Podcasts.

In this episode of The Kitchen Table, we sit down with Kamal Ahmed - journalist, editor, and now a senior leader at Fortune to explore his journey as the son of a Sudanese father and English mother.

Kamal reflects on his book The Life and Times of a Very British Man, sharing honest stories from his childhood in West London, navigating race, class, difference, and the quiet (and not-so-quiet) experiences of feeling “other.”

What You’ll Discover

- Growing Up Between Cultures: Kamal’s experiences of difference in 1970s/80s Britain, from two-tone music and Soul II Soul to the slow realisation of prejudice and othering.

- The Power of Critical Thinking and Partnership: Why giving young people the tools to navigate complex information, social media, and identity matters more than ever.

- Belonging, Education & The Next Generation: Reflections on how schools, conversations, and intergenerational sympathy can help the next generation feel they matter.

What really stayed with us is Kamal’s honesty about his own prejudices and mistakes as a young person, alongside his deep optimism about Britishness as a rich mix of backgrounds. His call for partnership across generations rather than simply “making way” feels especially powerful.

Connect with Phil Banks

thebelongingcollective.blog.

Connect with Mohamed Abdallah

Substack.

Connect with Danielle Lewis-Egonu

Substack.

The Kitchen Table are grateful to our sponsors Magma Maths, Zen Educate, St Christophers Trust, Cygnus Academies Trust, The Reach Foundation and it is produced by Urban Podcasts.