Welcome to Detention Diaries — a podcast, blog, and teacher community built with heart, humour, and a healthy dose of realism.
I’m a secondary music teacher and Head of Faculty working in a brilliantly messy, noisy, high-energy school in a deprived area of the North of England. I’ve also been a Head of Year, so I know what it’s like to juggle safeguarding referrals, broken printers, forgotten assemblies, and impromptu corridor concerts — often all before first break.
Truth is, I’m not the world’s most organised teacher. My desk’s usually a disaster zone and I’ve got more half-drunk mugs than completed to-do lists. But what I do have is a deep love for people — the students, the staff, and the school communities we build together. This site is my way of supporting the wonderful chaos of education.
Detention Diaries is a place for real talk — the funny stuff, the frustrating stuff, and the small wins that keep us going. Through the podcast, The Disgruntled Teacher blog, and a regular newsletter packed with handy tips and light-hearted nonsense, I want to lift the mood, offer a bit of CPD that doesn’t send you to sleep, and create something genuinely useful.
This is a community space — for teachers, support staff, students, and parents. Whether you want to have your say on the podcast, contribute to the blog, or just read and laugh along from the staffroom, you’re welcome here.
Let’s celebrate the brilliance, chaos, and downright weirdness of school life — together.
