Ben and James Could Do Better: Two Teachers, No Idea
Ben and James Could Do Better is a comedy podcast for secondary school teachers—recorded somewhere between the staff room, a lukewarm coffee, and a rapidly disappearing biscuit.
If you’re searching for a secondary education podcast that actually reflects life in a UK classroom, you’re in the right place. Less phonics and glitter, more behaviour management, GCSE pressure, and the reality of teaching teenagers.
With fifty years of combined experience in secondary schools, Ben and James have seen it all—from Progress 8 panic to the chaos of Year 9 on a Friday afternoon. This is the honest, funny take on teaching in the UK, packed with the kind of staff room conversations teachers don’t usually get time to have.
Whether you’re an experienced teacher, an ECT navigating your first placement, or just curious about the state of modern education, there’s something here for you.
No laminated posters. No inspirational assemblies. No budget.
Just real talk about teacher life, workload, behaviour, and surviving the school week.
We all went to school.
Ben and James just never left.
Ben and James Could Do Better: Two Teachers, No Idea
Latest Episodes
Relaxing Is Hard Work
A smoke machine goes on, the fire alarm follows, and suddenly the last minutes of the school day turn into a full-blown evacuation. It turns out there's no better way to end term than standing on the school field wondering whether anyone actual...
He-Man and the Perfect Mug of Tea
Milk first or milk last? It sounds like a harmless question until you ask it in a British staffroom. We tumble from casual brew chat into a proper national obsession: tea-making etiquette, why coffee somehow escapes the same scrutiny, an...
The Ultimate Guide That Forgot Step Four
A checklist can look impressively professional and still be completely useless. This week's proof is an "ultimate guide to organising school trips" that can't even keep track of its own Step Four.Before we get there, though, we wander of...
Five Contradictory Steps to Starting Secondary School
Crisps on a microphone shouldn't lead to a serious conversation about education. And, to be fair, it doesn't. Instead, it leads to a deep dive into the world of crisps, followed closely by Ben trying to recreate James' morning routine as though...
Panini Stickers, Tangled Cassettes & Sugar-Free Lies
Crack open a lukewarm can of Aldi 'Red Thunder' and get your pencils ready—we are taking an impromptu stroll down a very specific, tape-tangled memory lane.We kick off this week’s second-half double header by tackling the ubiquitous worl...
Fan Mail
Good evening gents, genuinely loving your podcasts so please keep them going. All the best. Ross.
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