Big Brain Channel

In this episode of Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcasts), host Steve Davis is joined by Tim Bullard, CEO of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) (aitsl.edu.au), to explore the state of the teaching profession across Australia. With more than half a million registered teachers, Tim shares how the latest Australian Teacher Workforce Survey is helping policymakers, educators, and communities und...

In this episode of Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcast), host Steve Davis is joined by Richard (Richie) Furber, Principal Consultant at the Motivation Foundation (motivationfoundation.com.au) and leader of the soon-to-launch Motivation Education Career School in Perth. Together, they explore how innovative education models are connecting learning with real-world industry opportunities.

Richie shares how Motivatio...

Associate Professor Lisa McKay-Brown from Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne (education.unimelb.edu.au) joins host Steve Davis on Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcast) for a practical, compassionate look at school avoidance. This audio episode explores why attendance challenges are rarely a simple choice, and how schools can respond with care, clarity, and data-informed action. As Associate Dean of Diversit...

In this episode of Around the School Table (www.xuno.com.au/podcast), host Steve Davis is joined by Kirsten Ellis, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University (www.monash.edu/it) to explore how her creation, TapeBlocks (www.tapeblock.com), is reshaping STEM learning for students of all abilities. These vibrant, foam-based circuit blocks help children build electronic circuits using simple ...

Deputy Principal - Education Support, Brent Passchier joins Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcasts) to unpack a practical blueprint for inclusive education at Atwell College (atwellcollege.wa.edu.au) in Western Australia. From sensory rooms and hydrotherapy to music programmes and smart use of technology, he explains how schools can widen access without always adding more staff.

The conversation begins with a mindset shift. ...

Senior Leader at XUNO Suite (xuno.com.au) and driving force behind the Student Maps platform, Anthony Sacker, joins Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcasts) to unpack how DIBELS can move from raw scores to real classroom action. In this interview, we explore how smart visualisations and simple workflows help teachers identify risk early and respond with confidence.

From pronunciation myths to progress monitoring, Anthony expl...

Rebecca Woolnough, Area Manager, Oceania at SMART Technologies (http://smarttech.com/en-au) joins Around the School Table (https://xuno.com.au/podcast) to unpack how right-fit edtech lifts learning, not workload. From “divisolation” to Universal Design for Learning, her lens is practical and hopeful. Crucially, she argues for outcomes before hardware. Consequently, schools avoid shiny-bauble mistakes and wasted spe...

CEO and Founder Anna Vermooten joins Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcasts) to share how Parents Battle of the Bands (parentsbattleofthebands.com) grew from a St Kilda idea into a movement. This audio-only conversation captures the energy of community music. It also reveals how parent bands can strengthen connections between families and schools. From the first rehearsal room jokes to a packed Prince Bandroom, Anna tra...

In this episode of Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcast), host Steve Davis welcomes Danni Mattiazzo, assistant principal at Larrakeyah Primary School (larrakeyahprimary.com.au) in Darwin. Recently recognised with the Australian Education Award for Best Use of Technology, Danni Mattiazzo shares how her leadership has guided the development of IntelliLearn, a locally built platform that blends artificial intelligence wit...

In this episode of Around the School Table (xuno.com.au/podcasts), host Steve Davis is joined by Ryan Ma, assistant principal of Saltwater P–9 College, one of Australia’s fastest-growing schools. Since opening its gates in 2019 with 490 students, Saltwater has expanded to more than 2,200 learners in just six years. With families representing over 29 nationalities and 81 languages, the school is a living snapshot of mode...

In this episode of Around the School Table (https://xuno.com.au/podcasts/), host Steve Davis is joined by Darcy Nolan, lower secondary subschool leader at Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School’s Bullengerook campus (https://wordpress.smrss.vic.edu.au/). The school is the setting for the acclaimed ABC documentary This is Going to Be Big, (https://iview.abc.net.au/show/this-is-going-to-be-big) which follows a group ...

In this episode of Around the School Table, host Steve Davis is joined by Jason Mustin, assistant principal at Good Shepherd Lutheran College in Palmerston, Northern Territory. Drawing from 17 years in education and an early career in medical science, Jason Mustin brings a unique blend of analytical insight and heartfelt leadership to the table.

From navigating national education policy through a Territory lens to building genuine ...

In this episode of Around the School Table, Ben Sacco offers a fresh perspective on classroom behaviour. Drawing from his book ‘Disruption in Schools: Understand me before you mark me!’, he challenges traditional approaches to student discipline and reframes disruption as a signal, not simply a setback. With a decade of experience in education, policy, and innovation, he blends research and real-world strategies for tod...

Cameron Peverett may have stumbled into special education, but his leadership journey has been anything but accidental. In this episode of Around the School Table, host Steve Davis is joined by Cameron Peverett, principal at Lake Colac School and current president of the Principal Association of Specialist Schools (PASS). From humble beginnings and unexpected opportunities to pioneering best-practice leadership, Cameron shares a re...

In this episode, Kristy Miller and Suzanne Litchfield share their journey founding Turrun Primary School on a greenfield site. In this episode of Around the School Table, host Steve Davis explores how they built a school identity rooted in local Indigenous language and meaning. From day one, Principal Kristy Miller and Assistant Principal Suzanne Litchfield focused on core values—respect, care, kindness and personal best&mdas...

In this episode of Around the School Table, host Steve Davis speaks with Kendall Lange and Wendy Tregenza from North Mandurah Primary School in Western Australia. Kendall Lange, the principal, and Wendy Tregenza, leader of the school’s Specialised Learning Programs for Autism (SLP-A), share real-world strategies for supporting autistic students and fostering inclusive school communities.

Kendall Lange and Wendy Tregenza explo...

In this episode of Around the School Table, host Steve Davis talks with Paul James, ICT Manager at St Ignatius College in Geelong—a school where technology is no longer confined to the IT office but woven through every aspect of school life. From cybersecurity to AI-driven classroom tools, James is helping reshape how schools operate, protect, and innovate.

As the person responsible for all things with an electric current&mda...

In this episode of Around the School Table, host Steve Davis speaks with Anthony Rowe, principal of Huntingdale Primary School in Melbourne — a pioneering bilingual school where students navigate their learning in both English and Japanese from their very first day. With half the curriculum delivered in Japanese, including subjects like mathematics—the school challenges traditional education models and is achieving rema...

In this episode of Around the School Table, host Steve Davis talks with Craig Ainsworth from Westport Public School about how a modest chess program in a low socio-economic school achieved elite educational outcomes over 18 years. Far from just a lunchtime club, Craig’s program developed students’ physical control, emotional intelligence, intellectual stamina, and creative thinking—all through the game of chess. A...