Author Archives: Administrator

This blog by Andy Griffith was written on 2 June 2025 Social knowledge refers to learning about the way society is organised and in whose interests it operates. The development of students’ social knowledge inevitably involves raising students’ political awareness. Done well, young people will leave school with a greater understanding of why things areContinue reading “7 ways to build social knowledge”

This article by Matt Bromley first appeared in SecEd Magazine in March 2024. Read the original here. Disadvantaged pupils are more than twice as likely to be absent from school as their non-disadvantaged peers. And, although there has long been an attendance gap, the divide has widened since the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022-2023, 37.9% ofContinue reading “How can we improve the attendance of disadvantaged students?”

This is an abridged version of an article by Matt Bromley that first appeared in SecEd Magazine and can be read in its entirely here. The socio-economic gap manifests in learners who live in poverty achieving lower outcomes at school, reduced rates of progression to further education, and limited career opportunities and earnings potential.  ThereContinue reading “Tackling the socio-economic attainment gap”

This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 5 April 2025 in which Matt Bromley argues that the working classes are underrepresented in the media…  I’m still haunted by the Netflix drama, Adolescence, which I find myself thinking about on dog walks and school runs.  Starring Stephen Graham, the four-part series exploresContinue reading “Are the working classes underrepresented in the media?”

Schools should prepare working-class students for being shamed by the more affluent, argues Andy Griffith… Class shaming is something all working-class people experience at some point in their lives. In our book, The Working Classroom (Crown House Publications, 2023) both authors have experienced class shaming, which has motivated us to teach others about it. We undertookContinue reading “Class shaming: why schools should teach working-class students about being shamed by more affluent peers”

The Equality Act details nine protected characteristics with clear implications for schools found guilty of discrimination in any of these areas. Matt Bromley says that we need to add a 10th to this list… The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for schools to discriminate against, harass or victimise a pupil or potential pupil inContinue reading “Should social class be the 10th protected characteristic?”