Best Notation Podcasts (2026)

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How Maths Lessons Can Lose Confident Learners - with Emma Lockhart 43:47

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16m ago43:47

43:47

Why is maths one of the few subjects people feel completely comfortable saying they hated at school? In this episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon is joined by Emma Lockhart, Head of Maths at Mill Hill School, to explore what really sits behind that narrative and why it disproportionately affects girls. Together, they unpack how maths so quickl…

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#464 Malicious Package? No Build For You! 30:18

22h ago30:18

30:18

Topics covered in this episode: ty: An extremely fast Python type checker and LSP Python Supply Chain Security Made Easy typing_extensions MI6 chief: We'll be as fluent in Python as we are in Russian Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Connect with the hosts Michael: @[email protected] / @mkennedy.codes (bsky) Brian: @brianokken@fossto…

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AfterMaths: Christmas by the Numbers- A Festive Aftermaths Special 34:11

14d ago34:11

34:11

Christmas Is Just One Long Maths Problem (A Festive Aftermaths) There’s no interview this week, no school talk, and absolutely no mention of lesson objectives. Instead, Jon and Becky settle in for a festive Aftermaths special — a lighter, reflective end-of-term episode full of Christmas maths, curious statistics, questionable guesses, and the kind …

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#463 2025 is @wrapped 43:19

15d ago43:19

43:19

Topics covered in this episode: Has the cost of building software just dropped 90%? More on Deprecation Warnings How FOSS Won and Why It Matters Should I be looking for a GitHub alternative? Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete pytest Course Patreon S…

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AfterMaths: Fractions, Fatigue & the Future of Teaching 40:36

18d ago40:36

40:36

As the autumn term finally draws to a close, Jon and Becky reflect on teacher fatigue, festive chaos, and the sense of relief that comes with making it to the holidays. This week’s Aftermaths dives into fractions — why they’re such a sticking point for pupils (and adults), and how misunderstandings often stem from losing sight of the whole. Jon sha…

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Minisode: The Speed of Iteration in Venture 8:27

21d ago8:27

8:27

Origins host Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners and co-founder of OpenLP, and Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures, dig into their recent conversation with Micah Rosenbloom, Managing Partner at Founder Collective. They discuss the EQ and self-awareness required to switch from operator to investor, how to separate signal from noise in venture cy…

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Making Thinking Visible: Oracy at Every Stage of a Maths Lesson with Mike Gardner 57:04

21d ago57:04

57:04

Oracy is set to play a central role in England’s refreshed curriculum, but for many teachers it still feels abstract or confined to English lessons. In this episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon Cripwell is joined by Mike Gardner to explore what oracy actually looks like in a real maths lesson. Together, they deconstruct a lesson from start to …

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#462 LinkedIn Cringe 35:40

22d ago35:40

35:40

Topics covered in this episode: Deprecations via warnings docs PyAtlas: interactive map of the top 10,000 Python packages on PyPI. Buckaroo Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Connect with the hosts Michael: @[email protected] / @mkennedy.codes (bsky) Brian: @[email protected] / @brianokken.bsky.social Show: @pythonbytes@fosstod…

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AfterMaths: Spotify Wrapped, Financial Education & The Learning Pit 34:15

25d ago34:15

34:15

In this week’s Aftermaths, Jon and Becky unpack a festive mix of maths chat, listener questions, curriculum reflections and some unexpectedly delightful Spotify Wrapped stats. 🎧 In This Episode A listener question on probability, independence and why a coin can land heads 999 times in a row… yet still be 50/50 on the next flip. Jon explains just ho…

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#461 This episdoe has a typo 28:50

28d ago28:50

28:50

Topics covered in this episode: PEP 798: Unpacking in Comprehensions Pandas 3.0.0rc0 typos A couple testing topics Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete pytest Course Patreon Supporters Connect with the hosts Michael: @[email protected] / @mkenned…

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Ep 37: Rebuilding Teacher Confidence in Maths - Insights from Patrick Renouf 54:45

28d ago54:45

54:45

In today’s episode, Jon speaks to Patrick Renouf, an international maths educator whose journey is unlike almost any other. As a child, Patrick experienced what he later recognised as maths trauma — a mix of high-stakes testing, procedural teaching, and an early sense that maths “wasn’t for him.” But what followed was a remarkable transformation. P…

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AfterMaths: Maths Misused - Our Favourite Everyday Errors 36:35

1M ago36:35

36:35

In this week’s Aftermaths, Jon and Becky dive into the wonderfully frustrating world of mathematical misuses in everyday life, inspired by a brilliant email from listener Sam Asplund, a Year 4 teacher and maths lead from Ketten Primary School. After a pupil requested a “cheese square” during snack time — while pointing out that Dairylea “triangles”…

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Staying Small Despite Billion-Dollar Backings with Micah Rosenbloom 44:57

1M ago44:57

44:57

Micah Rosenbloom is a Managing Partner at Founder Collective, a firm dedicated to seed investing and, crucially, to keeping their fund sizes below $100 million. Micah talks with Beezer Clarkson, Partner at Sapphire Partners, and Nick Chirls, Partner at Asylum Ventures, to discuss Founder Collective’s philosophy of keeping their fund size small to a…

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How to See Maths Everywhere - Rob Eastaway’s Guide for Teachers 55:51

1M ago55:51

55:51

In this episode, Jon is joined by the brilliant Rob Eastaway, whose books, puzzles and radio appearances have helped hundreds of thousands of people see the beauty in everyday maths. They explore how curiosity drives mathematical thinking, why written methods can sometimes obscure understanding, and what we can learn from the history of numbers — f…

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#460 Overlooked Python Typing 24:28

1M ago24:28

24:28

Topics covered in this episode: Advent of Code starts today Django 6 is coming Advanced, Overlooked Python Typing codespell Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete pytest Course Patreon Supporters Connect with the hosts Michael: @[email protected] /…

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AfterMaths: Six of the Toughest Maths Concepts - Our Definitive Countdown 51:34

1M ago51:34

51:34

In this week’s AfterMaths episode, Jon and Becky reunite (voice fully restored!) and unpack a packed agenda: a bit of history, a lot of maths, and some classic year-group trauma. Jon kicks things off with a brilliant history of maths segment — the surprisingly dramatic story of the equals sign, invented in 1557 by Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde…

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From Stuck to Successful: Building Problem-Solving Classrooms with Phil Herd 1:03:44

1M ago1:03:44

1:03:44

In this episode, Jon sits down with Phil Herd -, maths specialist, and long-time champion of teaching for understanding - to unpick what problem solving really means in primary maths, and why it remains one of the most misunderstood strands of our curriculum. Together they explore why problem solving is far more than a final question on a worksheet…

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#459 Inverted dependency trees 32:54

1M ago32:54

32:54

Topics covered in this episode: PEP 814 – Add frozendict built-in type From Material for MkDocs to Zensical Tach Some Python Speedups in 3.15 and 3.16 Extras Joke About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete pytest Course Patreon Supporters Connect with the hosts Michael: @mkennedy@fosst…

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AfterMaths: A Trillion Cornflakes! 41:08

2M ago41:08

41:08

In this Aftermaths episode, Jon is joined once again by Sally Cole (standing in heroically for Becky!) for a wide-ranging Friday debrief. Together they unpack a huge week in maths education, from the launch of the brand-new Twinkl Maths app on iOS to the University of Nottingham’s State of the Nation review — plus a Maths of Life segment that dives…

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Minisode: What Early Stage Venture Can Learn from Crypto Traders 10:11

2M ago10:11

10:11

Origins host Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners and co-founder of OpenLP, and Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures, dive into their recent conversation with Kyle Samani, Founder and Managing Partner of Multicoin Capital. They discuss their learnings on crypto, including why Nick is more bullish on bitcoin than Kyle, and how LPs conceptualize in…

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The Hidden Logic Behind Great Maths Tasks with John Bee 44:07

2M ago44:07

44:07

In this episode, Jon is joined by maths advisor, Primary Mastery Specialist and author John Bee, whose new book Teaching Maths for Mastery: Practical Strategies for Primary Schools digs deep into what great maths teaching really looks like. Together they explore variation theory: what it is, what it isn’t, and why it is often misunderstood in prima…

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#458 I will install Linux on your computer 22:47

2M ago22:47

22:47

Topics covered in this episode: Possibility of a new website for Django aiosqlitepool deptry browsr Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete pytest Course Patreon Supporters Connect with the hosts Michael: @[email protected] / @mkennedy.codes (bsky) …

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AfterMaths: Times Tables, Roman Numerals and Golf! 31:36

2M ago31:36

31:36

In this week’s Aftermaths episode, Jon is joined by two special guests from the Twinkl team. Michelle Windridge, National Education Lead for EYFS and returning guest from last week’s episode, and Ashleigh Morris, National Education Lead for Secondary Science and host of the STEM Conversations podcast. Together they dive into the week’s interview wi…

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Internet Capital Markets with Kyle Samani 43:54

2M ago43:54

43:54

Kyle Samani is the Founder and Managing Partner of Multicoin Capital, a thesis-driven investment firm that invests in cryptocurrencies, tokens, and blockchain companies reshaping trillion-dollar markets. He joins Beezer Clarkson, Partner at Sapphire Partners, and Nick Chirls, Partner at Asylum Ventures, to discuss the philosophies that underpin Mul…

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#457 Tapping into HTTP 28:01

2M ago28:01

28:01

Topics covered in this episode: httptap 10 Smart Performance Hacks For Faster Python Code FastRTC Explore Python dependencies with pipdeptree and uv pip tree Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete pytest Course Patreon Supporters Connect with the hosts …

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Why Times Tables Still Matter and How to Teach Them Better with Cate Fearn 48:51

2M ago48:51

48:51

Few areas of primary maths cause as much debate as times tables. We all agree they matter, but how pupils develop fluency, understanding and confidence is still up for discussion. In this episode, Jon Cripwell talks to Cate Fearn — primary educator, maths specialist and creator of Table Stick, a classroom tool designed to make multiplication practi…

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Aftermaths: Sharing, Grouping, and Getting It Wrong (Why Division Trips Us Up) 26:32

2M ago26:32

26:32

This week’s Aftermaths dives deep into one of the trickiest topics in the primary maths curriculum — division. Why do so many pupils (and teachers) find it difficult? Jon and Becky unpack the cognitive, linguistic and conceptual challenges behind division and explore what teachers can do to make it more meaningful. They also reflect on the Curricul…

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Emergency Episode: Curriculum & Assessment Review Special 32:17

2M ago32:17

32:17

In this special emergency episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon is joined by Becky, Sally and first-time guest Lisa to unpack the government’s newly released Curriculum and Assessment Review – and the official response that landed alongside it. Together, they explore: Why the review was commissioned and what it aims to achieve The key takeaways…

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Counting, Comparing and Cooking: How Maths Really Works in EYFS With Michelle Windridge 39:48

2M ago39:48

39:48

This week, Jon is joined by Michelle Windridge, Twinkl’s National Education Lead for School-Based EYFS, for a deep dive into what early years maths really looks like - and what it definitely doesn’t. Even the most confident maths leads can find EYFS a bit of a mystery, so Jon and Michelle unpack the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, explore t…

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#456 You're so wrong 25:46

2M ago25:46

25:46

Topics covered in this episode: The PSF has withdrawn a $1.5 million proposal to US government grant program A Binary Serializer for Pydantic Models T-strings: Python's Fifth String Formatting Technique? Cronboard Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete …

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Minisode: Can LPs Diversify in an AI-Obsessed World? 9:44

2M ago9:44

9:44

Origins host Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners and co-founder of OpenLP, and Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures, unpack their recent conversation with Sarah Tavel, Partner at Benchmark. Together they discuss their takeaways from Sarah’s recent decision to take a step back at Benchmark to fully focus on AI, getting into the lessons they can l…

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Number Sense, PIN Codes and Peer Power 30:08

2M ago30:08

30:08

This week, Jon and Becky are back for a half-term special that explores the foundations of mathematical understanding — and the curious maths behind our PIN codes. Jon unpacks what number sense really means, why it underpins everything else in maths, and how fragile number sense can often go unnoticed until it becomes a barrier to progress. They di…

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#455 Gilded Python and Beyond 38:53

2M ago38:53

38:53

Topics covered in this episode: Cyclopts: A CLI library The future of Python web services looks GIL-free Free-threaded GC Polite lazy imports for Python package maintainers Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training The Complete pytest Course Patreon Supporters Connect …

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Aftermaths: 6, 7, Pi and AI 31:18

2M ago31:18

31:18

In this week’s AfterMaths, Jon and Becky unpack the curious rise of the “6-7” meme and how teachers can turn it into a quick-fire classroom maths challenge. From there, Becky’s etymathsology segment dives into the origins of circle-related vocabulary – from circumference to radius – revealing a few surprises along the way. They then debrief Jon’s c…

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Becoming AI Native with Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel 42:27

3M ago42:27

42:27

Eight years after becoming the first female partner at Benchmark, Sarah Tavel recently took on a new role as Venture Partner that allows her more time to fully immerse herself in AI, all while continuing to make new investments on behalf of Benchmark and serving her current portfolio. She sat down with Beezer Clarkson, Partner at Sapphire Partners,…

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Fractions, Feedback and the Future: What AI Means for Primary Teachers 41:04

3M ago41:04

41:04

Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now. But what does it actually mean for the teacher standing in front of a class on a rainy Tuesday afternoon trying to explain fractions? In this episode, Jon is joined by Simon Bond, Twinkl’s National Education Lead for AI, to unpack what AI really is, how it works, and what it might offer teachers: par…

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3-D system for success 10:15

3M ago10:15

10:15

If reaching your goals is important to you then you will want to listen to Marcus Gentry as he discusses in this short, the 3 part system for success that those who reach their goals use.By Marcus Gentry

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#454 It's some form of Elvish 29:07

3M ago29:07

29:07

Topics covered in this episode: djrest2 - A small and simple REST library for Django based on class-based views. Github CLI caniscrape - Know before you scrape. Analyze any website's anti-bot protections in seconds. 🐴 GittyUp Extras Joke Watch on YouTube About the show Sponsored by us! Support our work through: Our courses at Talk Python Training T…

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AfterMaths: Traitors, Trust and Timesing 35:06

3M ago35:06

35:06

This week’s Aftermaths episode takes an unexpectedly statistical turn as Jon and Becky explore the mathematics behind The Traitors. From probability and ratios to real-world data on win rates, they uncover why being a traitor is statistically the smartest move. Along the way, they reveal how signal-to-noise problems, conditional probability and hum…

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#453 Python++ 36:17

3M ago36:17

36:17

Topics covered in this episode: PyPI+ uv-ship - a CLI-tool for shipping with uv How fast is 3.14? air - a new web framework built with FastAPI, Starlette, and Pydantic. Extras Joke See the full show notes for this episode on the website at pythonbytes.fm/453By Michael Kennedy and Brian Okken

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Making Thinking Visible: How Maths Journalling Builds Confident Learners With Kirsten Fenton & Holly Drummond 53:40

3M ago53:40

53:40

In this episode, Jon is joined by Dr Kirsten Fenton and Holly Drummond, two experienced primary practitioners from Scotland who have been at the forefront of exploring how maths journalling can change the way pupils think, talk and feel about mathematics. Kirsten and Holly are co-creators of the PACE framework and their research on oracy, curriculu…

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A conversation with former members of The Notations 57:07

3M ago57:07

57:07

Listen in on a conversation between former members of The Notations ( Marcus Gentry & Bobby Thomas) as they share how they became members of the group, memorable moments and what they are doing now. Actual video attached. https://youtu.be/BqPUbEkvZPM?si=5g0oCTIFx5tPN_66By Marcus Gentry

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AfterMaths: Curriculum, Crossovers and Colin Firth 30:05

3M ago30:05

30:05

In this week’s Aftermaths episode, Jon and Becky dive into a listener question from Amy in Nottinghamshire: What would you change about the maths curriculum? The discussion ranges from curriculum overload to the role of problem solving, exploring whether maths could ever follow pupils’ interests in the same way as history or science. Jon argues tha…

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#452 pi py-day (or is it py pi-day?) 40:36

3M ago40:36

40:36

Topics covered in this episode: Python 3.14 Free-threaded Python Library Compatibility Checker Claude Sonnet 4.5 Python 3.15 will get Explicit lazy imports Extras Joke See the full show notes for this episode on the website at pythonbytes.fm/452By Michael Kennedy and Brian Okken