Unlucky for Some, Just for Others

Released on the 13th of every month, this series explores the uncomfortable truths behind what appears “unlucky” for some to expose the deeper systemic inequities in education. Inspired by the idea that a “negative peace” — the absence of tension — is often valued over true justice, we challenge the complacency that allows these inequities to persist. We invite educators to rethink what fairness really looks like, knowing that without reflection and action, we risk perpetuating harm and maintaining the status quo.

School exclusions: the six-year cost of permanent exclusion

Date: 13/02/2026

Valentine’s Day is round the corner. Hearts on display boards. Friendship bracelets. A quick reminder to “be kind”. And then, in the same week, we quietly enforce school exclusions and...

A red textured background patterned with pale hearts. In the centre, a taped envelope and postcard collage. The postcard headline reads “The six-year cost of exclusions”. It includes the lines “Roses are red, Violets are blue,” and a quote about racism and premature death attributed to Ruth Wilson Gilmore. Red rose petals replace kiss marks. A “Class 13” stamp sits in the top right.

From drapetomania to oppositional defiant disorder: who gets labelled “defiant”, and why?

Date: 13/01/2026

If you are trying to make sense of a child who argues, refuses, pushes back, or explodes around adults, it is easy to locate the problem inside the child. That...

Illustration of a corridor drawn in sketchy lines, with doors labelled “Drapetomania 1851”, “Hysteria 1950”, “Schizophrenia 1960”, and “Oppositional Defiant Disorder 1980”, leading to a final red door labelled “CONTROL”.

Resisting Ofsted’s report card: If it’s not good enough for us

Date: 13/11/2025

Nearly nine in ten headteachers support exploring strike action over Ofsted’s new report card system. They understand something crucial: grading based on a two-day snapshot is unfair, reductive, and harmful....

Equity and High Standards in Education

Date: 13/10/2025

This Isn’t Soft — It’s How You Raise the Bar Let’s be honest. In education, equity and high standards are too often treated as opposites; one soft, one rigorous. The...

Flags don’t land on neutral ground

Date: 15/09/2025

A London flags debate in schools piece from Pimlico Academy to today. Student:  “Why are there flags everywhere?” Teacher: “We are not getting into that.” If that question lands in...

Let’s see schools through a different lens

Date: 13/08/2025

Shared ground, not division Across classrooms, staffrooms, and living rooms, the people who care for and work with children are more alike than we sometimes admit. Teachers, youth workers, governors,...

Illustrated tree showing Class 13’s framework to tackle deficit ideology in schools, with four principles — Affirming, Community, Critical Thinking, Democracy.

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