About Class 13

At Class 13, we understand that true transformation requires embracing profound changes. Since 2020, we’ve embarked on a mission far greater than our size, aiming to create a paradigm shift in education, nurturing mental health and reducing exclusions. We support dedicated educators so that together, we can delight in the beauty of more equitable and inclusive environments.

A collage featuring Maya Angelou smiling, overlaid with an image of her reading a magazine while lying on a bed with her forearms on a suitcase. The background includes torn paper and orange butterflies. The quote reads: 'We delight in the beauty of the butterfly... but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

Origins

Class 13 began with a troubling incident during Black History Month—a school’s misguided gesture of serving fried chicken as a celebration. This event underscored the urgent need to shift our focus from young people to educators and to foster collaborative efforts between schools and communities.

Our experienced team is aware of the systemic barriers young people navigate. Collectively we recognise deficit ideology as the root cause. We believe in ground-up policy change and now it’s time to do something ourselves as practitioners and address these inequities.

Three buckets of fried chicken labeled 'Inequity,' against a background with scattered colourful dashes

Why 13?

Our focus is our namesake, Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: that children have the right to freedom of expression. We are devoted to creating spaces where young voices are affirmed and nurtured.

Meet our Team

Curtis Worrell,
Founder

Curtis is a seasoned youth work practitioner. Despite being tagged as “non-academic” in school, he holds a BA and an MSc in Education. His diverse experience spans schools, housing, youth clubs, and secure settings.

Curtis seamlessly blends insights from academia and popular culture. As a lover of hip-hop, he creates relatable analogies and stories for participants.

Recognising a critical gap in education, he founded Class 13 to equip schools and educators with tools to tackle systemic inequities. Through transformative practices leading to policy development, Class 13 aims to foster inclusive and equitable educational environments for all.

A collage featuring a close-up of Curtis, the Class 13 founder, with locks and glasses, speaking passionately. Overlaid is a photo of him leaning against a wall in a hoodie that reads 'Black Men Are Gentle.' The background includes graph paper, orange accents, and a red arrow

Dr Shivonne M. Gates,
Head of Impact and Strategy

Shivonne is an experienced researcher with a drive to innovate and make a difference. She has designed, delivered and commissioned a broad range of evaluations of policies and programmes for children and young people. Throughout, Shivonne’s focus has been on inclusive research design that meets the needs of all stakeholders and values a broad range of knowledge.

At Class 13, we are embedding purpose-driven evaluation activities that inform impactful programme design. With a unique ability to see the big picture whilst getting in the detail, Shivonne’s skills are crucial for ensuring we have robust evidence of how we challenge inequity in schools.

Our Trustees

We are currently looking for dedicated individuals to join our trustee board and drive systemic change. We seek expertise in leadership, finance, fundraising and partnerships, academia and evaluation, and real-world teaching experience.

Ready to make a real impact? Click here for more information.

Vasant Chari

Chair

Vasant is the Director of Design Programmes at Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport and the built environment. As our chair, Vasant focuses on governance, assurance and smooth operations.

Sarah Hale

Treasurer

Sarah has worked in funding for nearly 15 years. She currently leads a small Foundation, advising on potential partnerships, and managing a portfolio of grants. Sarah supports Class 13’s governance and fundraising.

Bertina Ho

Secretary

Bertina works in the charity sector running a small charity that addresses educational inequality for young people aged 15 years and above. Bertina provides a small charity perspective to Class 13’s strategy and impact data.

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Our impact

Our work focuses on transformative change to tackle young people’s mental health; rising exclusion rates and teacher retention.
Find out more about the impact of our systemic approach.

Our approach

By centring equity in our practices, we are creating a foundation for long-term, sustainable change in education.
Discover more about our transformative approach.

Programmes overview

Are you a teacher, youth worker, social worker, or other child-focused professional? Our programmes are designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to foster equitable and affirming environments

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