Let’s see schools through a different lens
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, parents — we all want young people to be safe, well, and thriving. We may disagree on the route, but the destination is the same. […]
What football really reveals
Those who know me know I was a big Arsenal fan—until two years ago, when I stopped. This wasn’t about the lack of trophies, or an overpriced winger (see Pépé). It was about how the club dealt with, or more accurately, failed to deal with an Arsenal player accused of sexually assaulting multiple women. One […]
Jamie’s Dyslexia Regression
Hip hop, not phonics I remember being asked during my dyslexia assessment to use the word “torrent” in a sentence. I said, “Their words hit me like a torrent.” The assessor told me that wasn’t the correct use, that torrent had nothing to do with language, and everything to do with weather. In hindsight, that […]
We know better. So let’s do better
There’s a difference between not knowing and not wanting to know. Most of the harm in schools isn’t hidden, subtle or complicated. It’s just been normalised. We know what coercive control looks like in adult relationships—monitoring, isolation, public shaming—and we rightly call it abuse. But when the same tactics appear in schools, we call it […]
You Do Not Control What I Do in My Life
What safeguarding, schools and the Netflix series Adolescence keep getting wrong about young people, power, and protection. As you probably know by now, at Class 13 we love a good film or TV programme.(Class 13 Gogglebox, anyone?) Every session in our unapologetically thought-provoking Foundational Learning is named after one. Session 1 , aptly named The […]
Beyond Strengths: Why Asset-Based Approaches Can’t Defeat Deficit Ideology
It’s a common response when we critique deficit ideology: “What if we focus on strengths instead?” Strengths-based or asset-based approaches are often positioned as the antidote to deficit thinking. Instead of framing young people and communities in terms of “gaps” and “needs,” these approaches highlight what is already working. They shift the focus from what’s […]
Beyond Roses: Radical Love in Schools
Love is in the air this February, and while Valentine’s Day is often about chocolates, flowers, and romantic declarations, at Class 13 HQ, we’re taking a different approach. Let’s talk about love, emotions, and education instead, and ask: Love and Emotional Regulation: Are We Getting It Wrong? In schools, emotional regulation—a term often used interchangeably […]
Cutting the Ties
As we step into 2025, we reflect not only on the systemic challenges that persist in education but also on the opportunities to create meaningful change. Facing systemic issues can feel overwhelming. For some, the sheer scale of the task leads to inaction; for others, it sparks a tendency to externalise the problem, saying, “When […]
Building an Equitable School Environment
Is Your School Really Focused on Equity—or Just Excellence?
Structure Liberates—Or Does It?
Last week, Mossbourne schools came under renewed scrutiny following reports of “systemic” and “lasting” emotional harm to children spanning two decades (The Guardian, 2024). Nearly 140 parents, students, and teachers have spoken out, detailing experiences of anxiety, depression, and long-term consequences attributed to the school’s strict disciplinary practices. For some, the solution seems simple: stricter […]
