A collage with a three-way signpost showing 'Rising exclusion rates,' 'Declining teacher retention,' and 'Deterioration of young people's mental health,' along with silhouettes of people. The background includes red and white lines.

Our impact

Class 13’s work focuses on three key, interlinked challenges in education: the deterioration of young people’s mental health; rising exclusion rates that disproportionately affect “disadvantaged” and minoritised young people; and teacher retention in rapid decline.

Working alongside the educators on the frontline fighting for equity, we adopt a systemic approach to address these intertwined challenges.

Future-focused education

We focus on transformative change rather than mitigation. This means that our practice framework continually evolves and develops over time.

Using the Three Horizons Framework, we see the current need for organisations like “Aspire Youth” to support young people facing urgent issues. However, Class 13 aims to reimagine and build an emerging future by working on systemic changes that foster lasting, transformative impacts. Our approach addresses the root causes of exclusions, like persistent disruptive behaviour, and supports the well-being of all young people, reducing the need for specialist interventions.

While traditional interventions like “Aspire Youth” impact a specific cohort of young people, Class 13’s strategy of working directly with teachers multiplies our impact, benefiting not only current young people but future generations as well.

A collage of a partially built brick wall with orange scribbles, filling in the missing bricks. The incomplete wall represents ongoing work and the difference between temporary fixes and lasting change.
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Improved understanding

participants understood how deficit thinking relates to their practice

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Improved confidence

participants feel more confident teaching in a multiracial classroom

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Improved conversations

participants having better conversations about racism with colleagues

Theory of change

The cycle of challenges

Our systemic approach identifies a vicious cycle created by three interconnected challenges. As relationships break down, schools often shift towards more process-driven approaches, such as punitive behaviour methods. This shift is often seen in the renewed enforcement of policies at the beginning of each term. These methods further harm young people’s mental health, increase exclusion rates, and create a stressful environment for teachers, resulting in high turnover, continuing the cycle.

Transforming the cycle

We aim to disrupt this by supporting teachers to create a sustainable cycle instead. Our training provides educators with proactive, adaptable behaviour management strategies that prioritise relationships. These strategies are designed to be future-proof, offering a reflective framework that enables educators to centre their teaching around strong, supportive relationships. This approach aims to nurture affirming environments, support young people’s mental health, and reduce exclusion rates, effectively breaking the vicious cycle and fostering a thriving educational community.

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About us

Class 13 was founded to fill a critical gap in education and equip schools and educators with tools to tackle systemic inequities. Find out more about our organisation.

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.

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