This week on the Tes News podcast the team discuss an exclusive interview with the new shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell, in which she explains why you can’t fix the challenges in schools “in silo” and how she wants to “put the fun back into the education system”.

In her first interview since taking up the role just months ago, Ms McKinnell explains what makes her tick and why being a “details person” will help her tackle the many challenges facing the sector.

Join Tes news editor Mary-Louise Clews and senior reporter Matilda Martin as they discuss the message that Ms McKinnell wants the sector to hear, as well as some of the behind-the-scenes details of the interview in Portcullis House.

More on Labour education policy: 

• Labour’s education mission: all you need to know 
• Labour Party conference: what schools learned
• Phillipson wants to turn around tutoring “disaster”
• Labour plans “real world” maths teaching in primary
• Labour won’t fix “broken” teacher recruitment, ex-DfE adviser warns

What else schools need to know this week:

• Revealed: DfE plan to keep most pupils in school during strikes
• New strike rules will spark High Court battle, heads warn
• Academies body CST takes legal advice over DfE strike plan
• ITT: DfE maths bursary plan “cut teacher numbers”
• Schools “face new financial crisis” as costs remain high
• Regional directors “lack knowledge to hold trusts to account”
• EYFS: Around two-thirds of pupils at a good level
• Ruth Perry inquest: Inspectors trained to “reduce stress”, says Ofsted director