Graded

Kadra shares insights from the “Behaviour and Mental Health in Schools” report, highlighting the rise of zero-tolerance policies, the increase in exclusions, and the equity challenges faced by students from lower-income families, racialised backgrounds, and those with special educational needs. We discuss the real-life impact of these policies, not just on students, but on teachers and families, a...

In the final episode of this series, we dive into the complex realities of education, social mobility, and the future of schooling in the UK. Our hosts reflect on their own childhood ambitions and experiences, then turn a critical eye to the systems that shape young people’s lives, asking whether a relentless focus on grades and discipline truly prepares students for success, or risks leaving many...

Diane Reay is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge, with particular interests in social justice issues in education and cultural analyses of social class, race and gender. She grew up in a working-class, coal-mining community before becoming an inner-city primary school teacher for 20 years. Her research spans social class, gender and ethnicity across primary, secondary a...

How creativity is understood, taught, and experienced at Michaela. Through classroom observations, interviews with educators, artists, and a former student, we ask: does Michaela’s focus on discipline and knowledge nurture creative thinking, or does it limit experimentation and self-expression? We discuss the role of play, risk-taking, and collaboration in creative development, and contrast Michae...

Our bonus interview episodes continue, this time with Professor Stephen Ball. Professor Stephen J. Ball  is one of the world’s leading scholars in the sociology of education and education policy. Currently based at University College London’s Institute of Education, he has shaped global debates on social justice, marketization, and governance in education. A Fellow of the British Academy and the A...

What happens when a school puts British values at its core? This episode unpacks Michaela Community School’s philosophy, its impact on students, and the controversies surrounding its approach to multiculturalism and inclusion. Join Martha, Jack and José Mario as they  reflect on whether this bold model offers answers for modern Britain, or raises new questions about identity and belonging. Graded...

Tom Bennett OBE is a British author and education expert, best known as the founder of researchED. A former inner-city teacher, he advises the UK government on school behaviour and authored influential books like  Running the Room . In 2022, he was awarded an OBE for services to education. José Mario is an educator and artist, adopted from Guatemala and raised in Essex. They have a background in p...

Detention for not having good enough eye contact with the teacher, sitting up straight all day, silence in the corridors, and no excuses. In this episode, we explore how Michaela cares for their students. We ask whether they are authoritarian or just in authority, and whether they are loving young people or controlling them. Graded is a creative and critical podcast that turns the tables on tradit...

In our first interview, host and researcher Jack speaks with teachers and podcasters Dylan and Hayden. Dylan Price and Hayden Stevens have spent years navigating the ups and downs of UK classrooms, teaching, learning, and doing their best to stay sane. Between them, they've tackled behaviour charts, curriculum overhauls, and every imaginable type of parent evening. Teach Sleep Repeat  is their spa...

Young people face forwards all day. Every hand is up. During “turn to your partner” young people speak to the backs of each others heads. Is this what a love of learning looks like — or immaculate compliance? In this episode, we get under the skin of the "strictest classroom in Britain", and the routines and the philosophy that powers them. We probe the school’s self-described “small-c conservativ...

Episodes releasing from Monday 3rd November