Beyond the Status Quo

About Beyond the Status Quo

Beyond the Status Quo is the podcast for purpose-driven changemakers in education and beyond. Our listeners see that the world is changing and how we think, lead and learn must change too. They are leaders ready to question inherited systems, because the world is shifting but many leadership models haven't caught up: we're still rewarding control over connection, certainty over nuance and status over substance. Brave, values-lead leadership isn't just possible. it's already happening at every level of society. And it's exactly what the world needs. On this podcast, we bring together cross-sector voices who go beneath the surface, who shine a light through the cracks and show us what's possible when we lead beyond the status quo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Kathryn Gorman & Tamara Zaple Rolfs

Category

business · business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Sept 2025

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   Dame Alison Peacock- Keep Questioning: Evidence Agency and the Teaching Profession

   Summary: In this episode of Beyond the Status Quo, Tamara and Kathryn speak with Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, and a teacher across primary, secondary and special schools. From the professional body at the heart of teaching comes a clear case for thinking differently: in a changing world, professionalism means continually learning, questioning and adapting to your own context, rather than waiting to be told the right way to do it. Alison traces her first challenge to the status quo back to a sixth-form library she was asked to run but not trusted to borrow from, and a first teaching post where she refused to cap a class at a D. Takeaways: Professionalism means questioning: learning, adapting to your context and testing what works is part of the job. Change lands when people own it and can see how it serves a shared vision; imposed change without a clear why tips full plates over. Evidence is something to think with, not obey. Rigour and experimentation belong together, and evidence itself changes over time. Beware “lethal mutations”: lifting one surface detail from research loses the idea underneath it. Often it isn’t hard-to-reach parents but hard-to-enter schools, and accountability that doesn’t reward relationships squeezes them out. Broadening pathways to success isn’t dumbing down: the current system doesn’t work for every child, and their experience of school matters. You may be the person a child most wants to see when you walk into the room, so keep on keeping on. Links: Chartered College of Teaching | Website (https://chartered.college/) Connect with Kathryn and Tamara on LinkedIn: Tamara Zaple Rolfs FCCT | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-zaple-rolfs-my-delta/) Kathryn | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynxclarion) Sign up to receive our newsletters: Newsletter | My Delta (https://www.my-delta.co.uk/newsletter) Newsletter | Clarion Education (http://eepurl.com/jdVnpA) Rate and review the podcast: If you found this episode of Beyond the Status Quo informative, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you’re kind enough to leave a review, please do let Kathryn or Tamara know so that they can say thank you. You can reach us at: tamara@my-delta.co.uk (mailto:tamara@my-delta.co.uk) kathryn@clarioneducation.co.uk (mailto:kathryn@clarioneducation.co.uk) Enjoyed this episode? Hit subscribe on your favourite podcast app to be notified each time a new episode of Beyond the Status Quo is released. We are a proud member of the Education Leaders podcast network. For more great education shows, head to www.educationleaders.co/network (https://www.educationleaders.co/network) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Ed Kirwan- Empathy: Connection that Inspires Learning

   Summary: In this episode of Beyond the Status Quo, Tamara and Kathryn speak with Ed Kirwan, founder of Empathy Week and Empathy Studios, which use film to build the skill of empathy in schools around the world. Ed traces his own first challenge to the status quo back to a Year 11 class he refused to write off, and follows a through-line from that classroom to his work today. His argument: trust is built on connection, connection is built on understanding, and empathy is the skill underneath both, the thing that turns belonging and human flourishing from aspiration into something schools can actually build. Takeaways: Trust is built on connection, and connection is built on understanding, the chain running underneath everything Ed does. Film works as a catalyst for empathy: it creates a shared emotional moment that direct conversation on its own rarely reaches. Belonging has to be built through repeated, trusted connection over time, not simply declared as a school value. The more contact people have across different backgrounds, the less room bias has to take hold. Ed’s advice: think like an entrepreneur, try small things, measure what happens, and ask forgiveness rather than permission. Ed treats empathy as a skill, built deliberately through specific, repeatable methods, the same way any other skill is learned. Optimism is part of the job: educators are role models, and hope has to be modelled, not just felt. Links: Empathy Week | Website (https://www.empathyweek.org/) Ed Kirwan | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-kirwan/) Why Empathy Is Good for Business, and How to Improve It | World Economic Forum (https://www.weforum.org/stories/emerging-technologies/companies-can-learn-empathy-heres-why-they-should/) Connect with Kathryn and Tamara on LinkedIn: Tamara Zaple Rolfs FCCT | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-zaple-rolfs-my-delta/) Kathryn | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynxclarion) Sign up to receive our newsletters: Newsletter | My Delta (https://www.my-delta.co.uk/newsletter) Rate and review the podcast If you found this episode of Beyond the Status Quo informative, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If you’re kind enough to leave a review, please do let Kathryn or Tamara know so that they can say thank you. You can reach us at: tamara@my-delta.co.uk (mailto:tamara@my-delta.co.uk) kathryn@clarioneducation.co.uk (mailto:kathryn@clarioneducation.co.uk) Enjoyed this episode? Hit subscribe on your favourite podcast app to be notified each time a new episode of Beyond the Status Quo is released. We are a proud member of the Education Leaders podcast network. For more great education shows, head to www.educationleaders.co/network (https://www.educationleaders.co/network) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Tiffany Beck OBE- Relationships as Infrastructure

   Summary: In this episode of Beyond the Status Quo, Tamara and Kathryn speak with Tiffany Beck, Head of Education at PLMR and co-founder and chair of trustees of Maritime Academy Trust. Tiff makes the case that governance and communication are built on the same foundation: relationships treated as infrastructure, not afterthoughts. She traces this back to a school in the US, where raising a welfare concern about a classmate was met with "pray it will be fine," through to building a board culture based on trust rather than catching people out, and school systems designed around listening and connection before problems arise. Her closing advice: find the humour, even in hard times. Takeaways: Being told to "just pray it will be fine" as a teenager was Tiff's first experience of questioning the status quo, and it shaped her career. The best governance question a board can ask a leader: what do you need from us to succeed? Tiff's approach to mistakes: step back, take perspective, and "fail up" rather than assign blame. Relationships work best as infrastructure: built deliberately, ahead of time, rather than summoned in a crisis. Home visits before the school year starts and a community ambassador in every school are two ways Maritime builds trust before it's tested. England's 250,000 school governors and trustees are the country's largest volunteer workforce, and need far more investment. Humour and positivity build real resilience, even in the hardest, most heartbreaking corners of school life. Links: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanybeck/) Tiffany Beck (https://plmr.co.uk/team-members/tiffany-beck/) PLMR (https://plmr.co.uk/team-members/tiffany-beck/) Maritime Academy Trust (https://www.maritimeacademytrust.org/) If you're enjoying these conversations, we'd love your help to amplify the ideas and voices we're bringing to the table. ✅ Like and share this post with your network ✅ Follow, rate and review the podcast wherever you listen ✅ Share your reflections, challenges and questions ✅ Tell us who you'd like to hear from next https://forms.gle/TTbDTcDrASraFkKMA (https://forms.gle/TTbDTcDrASraFkKMA) Thank you for listening, engaging and helping us explore what lies beyond the status quo. It means the 🌍 to us. We are a proud member of the Education Leaders podcast network. For more great education shows, head to www.educationleaders.co/network (https://www.educationleaders.co/network) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.