One of the most pressing challenges facing schools today is the stark and pervasive reality of poverty and disadvantage within the communities that they serve. School leaders and educators see not just the statistics, but the human cost of hardship in its rawest form.
But, hardship isn’t visible only at the school gate or in the duration of a school day. The effects of poverty ripple far beyond the classroom, shaping futures and entrenching cycles of inequality that can span generations and geography.
Within this challenge lies an undeniable truth:, schools are not just sites of formal learning but community based catalysts for change.
School leaders and educators recognise their important role in helping to dismantle barriers and facilitating equity. Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools is more than just a book, it is a call to action and a meticulously crafted guide that draws upon the deep expertise of many organisations and schools that navigate these complexities daily. Written by the sector, for the sector, and with the sector, this book brings together the voices of leaders and educators who work at the frontline of education, standing shoulder to shoulder with communities that have firsthand experience of hardship.
Principle to page
This book is unique in its collaborative approach.
Written by the sector, for the sector, and with the sector, it brings together voices from across the UK and draws on international research, practitioners, policy influencers, and educational leaders.
Each contributor has drawn on real-world school based insights and research-informed approaches to provide educators with the tools and understanding they need to make a difference. From Poverty-Proofing © classrooms and curriculum, to developing whole-school concepts of social justice, this resource aims to support school leaders and teachers with actionable, road-tested strategies to both understanding and address various facets of disadvantage.
As an author base, we do not believe that schools in isolation are the solution to tackling poverty and disadvantage. Educational inequality cannot be addressed by education alone.
At its heart, Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools is about helping to facilitate meaningful change. It recognises the multiple intersecting crises that schools are navigating today; the long-term impact of a pandemic, a cost of living crisis, and the rising number of poverty-related barriers to learning. It does not just diagnose the problem; it provides coherent and practical suggestions to help educators create environments where every child, regardless of income or background, has the opportunity to be understood and supported.
Strands for every school
As educators, we understand that addressing poverty is not a one-size-fits-all challenge. Schools are dynamic and multifaceted communities where teachers face immense demands on their time and wellbeing.
This book has been designed to be an accessible and practical resource, offering adaptable, evidence-based strategies that can be understood in a range of school settings. Whether you are a classroom teacher seeking actionable strategies or a school leader striving for systemic change, this book aims to be a companion in the journey towards creating a more equitable education system.
The book is structured around three core strands, each offering a different lens through which to examine and tackle poverty/disadvantage:
Whole-school approaches (e.g. school culture)
Classroom strategies (e.g. pedagogy, curriculum)
Other interventions (e.g. mentoring, partnerships with businesses and industry)
We acknowledge that there are countless topics and issues that could have been included in this book but did not make the final cut. If there is demand from the sector, we hope to explore future editions to expand upon these discussions. For this edition, we focused on themes where we have authentic real-world experience; areas where others have successfully navigated research, applied ideas in practice, and learned valuable lessons alongside other organisations.
Each chapter is also structured to be easily accessible and is divided into three key sections (you can see we like the number three!)
Research summaries: Each of the authors provide a concise yet meaningful summary of relevant research that educators and leaders have found useful. While ensuring the credibility of these studies, we have deliberately focused on making them digestible, offering key insights that help to contextualise the chapter topic. For those who wish to explore further, we have signposted additional studies and literature. We wanted rigour, but did not want another book in educator hands that was too overly academic or only for those with prior knowledge on the topic.
Case studies and ideas to try: This section presents examples of best practice drawn from schools and organisations that have implemented some of the research in their own contexts. Each case study is shared by institutions with credible, ‘road-tested’ experience. While we do not claim that these examples are definitive solutions or ‘silver bullets’, we highlight the practical ways in which these organisations have applied the research to deepen their understanding of disadvantage and develop impactful strategies at scale. A huge thank you to all of the contributors!
Recap and reflective tasks: The final section of each chapter supports leaders and educators with a range of tools, activities, or resources to further reflect on the topic within their own context. These activities can be completed individually or as part of leadership team discussions. All readers will have access to an online resource hub, featuring editable templates and documents to support ongoing conversations within their schools. Activities include knowledge-check quizzes to reinforce key chapter takeaways, reflective tasks for leadership teams, and planning models to facilitate strategic thinking. Most of the authors are educators so we couldn’t resist some retrieval tasks!
Take away? Each chapter also includes succinct takeaway summaries. These are designed to support busy teachers and leaders in capturing the essence of each section and share key insights over a cup of coffee with a colleague. This is not about oversimplifying the content but ensuring that the ideas within the book can be easily communicated and embedded in meaningful dialogue across schools and leadership teams. Coffee not included, so you’ll have to provide that!
Humility, integrity and generosity
What makes this project even more extraordinary is the generosity of its contributors. The co-authors, including sector leaders from across the country, have waived their royalties, ensuring that proceeds from the book will directly support more children and young people. Any royalties gained will fund projects dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and young people from low-income backgrounds in the work of Tees Valley Education.
This is a testament to the commitment and passion of those involved in this work, demonstrating that real change happens through collaboration. Each author has worked hard to provide real world insights and practical ideas to support colleagues across many types of schools and contexts.
We firmly believe that educators do not need another book that merely restates the problem or adds to the complexity of inequality in the sector. Instead, we sought to create a practical and insightful resource.
Equally, we have been intentional in ensuring that this book speaks about those we serve with integrity and humility. Children and young people from low-income backgrounds are not a ‘problem’ to be solved. Rather, the real issue lies in the systemic barriers they face; barriers that schools and educators need greater support in recognising and dismantling.
It is in this space that we hope this book makes a valid and unique contribution.
Follow the conversation and stay connected:
📢 Sean Harris: @SeanHarris_NE
📢 Katrina Morley: @katrina_morley
📢 Bloomsbury Education: @BloomsburyEd
And here’s a special discount code too!
As a valued reader, I'm pleased to offer you an exclusive pre-order discount code. When entered at checkout, the code HARRIS35 will give you 35% off the book when ordering from the Bloomsbury website.