E124. Closing a Chapter with Billy Burke

A conversation with Billy about leadership, reform and hope. 

This episode marks the final conversation of Changing Conversations, a podcast that began in June 2020 during lockdown, born from a desire to create space for thoughtful dialogue in education.

In this closing conversation, Billy reflects on his journey from secondary headteacher through the pandemic to his current role as Head of Children and Young People at Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH).

We explore what he’s seeing nationally in relation to children and young people’s mental health, the realities behind the word “crisis,” and what gives him hope. We talk about curriculum, reform, anxiety, belonging, neurodivergence, attendance, AI, teacher wellbeing — and the human threads that connect all of it.

What’s Next

While Changing Conversations comes to an end, the work continues. Over the coming months, Sarah’s podcast Space to Think will become Space to Think – Conversations in Education, bringing together reflective dialogue, research, lived experience and courageous thinking about education as it is lived, led and felt into one coherent space. 

You can continue listening, reflecting and connecting there. You can also join Sarah on Substack, where she shares longer-form writing on leadership, learning and wellbeing (https://spacetothink.substack.com/).