Heading Towards Hybrid? With Mark Steed

Could hybrid schools be the answer? Mark Steed returns to the Educator’s Corner podcast to continue the conversation on remote teaching, flexible models, and reimagining the future of schooling.

Following their packed session at the COBIS Conference in London, Kai and Mark pick up where they left off. In this episode, they explore how innovative teaching models could help address two major challenges: teacher recruitment and student attendance.

In this episode, Kai and Mark discuss:

01:26 Why some schools have no choice but to go hybrid

06:21 Why paying teachers more isn’t the whole solution

07:15 What good remote teaching looks like post-COVID

10:01 The 25% problem: student absence and disengagement

13:10 The rise of online schools and the case for hybrid

22:30 Designing the Hybrid Academy: layout, tech, and student flow

27:10 How hybrid offers flexibility for both teachers and learners

30:47 From cost-cutting to curriculum expansion: the hybrid advantage

About Our Guest

Mark Steed is the Director and Consultant at Steed Education, which specialises in educational consultancy support for Schools Groups, U.K. independent schools, and English-speaking international schools. Read more about Mark here.

Resources

• COBIS website
• The Good Schools Guide
• Jestico + Whiles - Architects of the ‘hybrid academy’
• Steed Education – consultancy services

Related episodes of the Educator's Corner podcast:

• Episode 19: Beyond the Myths: Your guide to international teaching with Laura Rigney
• Episode 20: Going Remote: the solution to the teacher recruitment crisis?  With Mark Steed

Save the Date
Join Mark and Kai in person for an open conversation about hybrid schooling and reimagining the future of education.
🗓️ Tuesday 20 January 2026
📍 Location TBC. Follow Kai and Mark on LinkedIn for updates

Credits

Hosted by Kai Vacher

A BSM BSS production