Heavy is the English Head

Heavy is the English Head

Emina McLean

Episodes 10
Avg. Duration 1h 39m
Activity Sporadic
Since Apr 2025
Latest Episode Dec 2025

Publishing Details

Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
40%
Hosting
feed.podbean.com

About This Podcast

I have had a diverse career across primary, secondary and tertiary education. While I have focused on English and literacy predominantly, I have also worked in roles focused on student wellbeing, disability funding and supports, and school engagement and attainment. I’ve also worked in child and adolescent psychiatry and as a lecturer and researcher. Working across roles and sectors has caused me to think critically, creatively and reflectively about how we design and deliver educational experiences in our schools, particularly the systems, structures and processes that may allow us to have the most impact.

I recently left my Head of English role at a public school. It was one of the most rewarding, stimulating, demanding and difficult roles I’ve had. I now work with systems, schools, leaders, and teachers to develop ambitious and rigorous practices in English and literacy. I’ve met so many incredible English and literacy leaders over the last couple of decades. I think it’s one of the toughest, most complex portfolios to hold, and I wanted to provide a platform for great leaders to share their work. This is a podcast about the nitty gritty of leadership in English and literacy. I will interview a range of guests with diverse perspectives, experiences and roles.

Explore Statistics

Recent Episodes

Episode 10: Skye Staude

Dec 01, 2025 1h 35m

Skye Staude is a dedicated educator and leader, with over a decade of experience driving instructional improvement across independent, government, and Catholic school sectors. As Principal at…

Episode 9: Dr Briony Schroor

Oct 14, 2025 1h 22m

Dr Briony Schroor is the Domain Leader for English at Nossal High School, Victoria’s first fully academically selective coeducational government high school, and one of only four academically…

Episode 8: Xanthi Rice & Terri Hibbert

Oct 07, 2025 1h 53m

Xanthi Rice has been a teacher for more than 20 years, with extensive experience in classroom practice, leadership, and system-level support. She worked with the Wimmera South West School Improvement…

Episode 7: Stephanie Le Lievre

Sep 23, 2025 1h 30m

Stephanie Le Lievre is Principal of Serpentine Primary School in Western Australia. She’s also a Commonwealth Bank Schools Plus Fellow and the co-director of Science of Teaching and Learning…

Episode 6: Michelle Winch & Ingrid Sjolund

Sep 09, 2025 1h 53m

Michelle Winch completed degrees in biomedical science and biotechnology before moving into education through the Teach for Australia program. While at Colac Secondary College, she earned a Master of…

Episode 5: Emma Castelow

Jul 29, 2025 1h 53m

Emma Castelow is an Assistant Principal at Lara Lake Primary School, in the northern suburbs of Geelong. As an experienced teacher and leader, Emma has worked across various primary school contexts…

Episode 4: Jen Ashton & Jodee Wilson

Jul 10, 2025 1h 36m

Jen Ashton and Jodee Wilson are central to the implementation of Tasmania's Lifting Literacy policy implementation. I’ve had the privilege of working with these two women over the last 3 years now.…

Episode 3: Rachael Buck

Jul 01, 2025 1h 46m

Rachael Buck is an experienced school principal and classroom teacher, with a passion for leading system and practice improvement. In addition to her teacher training, Rachael has a Master of…

Episode 2: Alice Jury

May 21, 2025 1h 36m

Alice Jury is a Learning Specialist at Canadian Lead Primary school in Ballarat. Alice has been teaching for 12 years, all of this time spent at Canadian Lead. Alice began her leadership journey in…

Episode 1: Chloe Painter

Apr 08, 2025 1h 29m

Chloe Painter is an experienced educator, school leader, and literacy specialist passionate about transforming teaching and learning through evidence-informed practice. She is currently Acting Deputy…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Heavy is the English Head have?

Heavy is the English Head has published 10 episodes since April 2025, covering topics in Education.

Is Heavy is the English Head still active?

Heavy is the English Head is currently sporadic with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 1h 39m.

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