So long, farewell….

After eleven years I am in my last couple of days at the Sutton Trust. From working on its research, policy and latterly programme work, I am moving over to the Education Endowment Foundation and the new challenges there. In my valedictory blog I wanted‎ to do two things. To thank all the great people I have worked with and who have given me such great opportunities. And second, to bring together in some grand all-encompassing way the salient lessons for access and social mobility my experience has taught me.

I’m sure I haven’t achieved anything like this latter point – not least as the call of my final to-do list is unfortunately more pressing then ruminating over the last decade. But I have brought together a few relatively random reflections on what I have observed during a hugely enjoyable few years at the Trust.

Here it goes:

• First, the sector is quite good at producing false dichotomies and inward looking arguments. Rather than staying laser-like in our focus on battling injustice and inequality, we (and I include myself in this) quite often get side tracked into what are often false divisions. The post-92s battling the Russell Groups; vocational versus academic; independent versus state; one evaluation methodology versus another – the list goes on.  In my view you can advocate for one side without necessarily being against the other.   Let’s be pragmatic and not lose sight of the bigger picture.
• More positively, there are brilliant and dedicated people working to promote social mobility. Yes, as in all walks of life there are good and bad. And I have certainly met my fair share of egos, whose motivation  is highly questionable. But my overriding experience has been of being humbled by the passion and energy of others. From classroom teachers to school leaders, from Foundation heads to entrepreneurs starting new social businesses, from Vice-Chancellors to access officers, there are lots of great people trying to do something worthwhile often with little recognition or reward. That is a great cause of hope.
• But there are relatively few authentic voices we hear in the education and social mobility debate‎. The Trust has specialised in highlighting the educational and career opportunities enjoyed by the 7 percent of privately educated children compared to the rest. And this dominance extends to the debate too. Glance at the pages of the newspapers on GCSE and A-level results day in a few weeks and see how many headteachers from comprehensive schools are quoted relative to those from leading independent schools.   It all goes to reinforce how distant the Westminster / media bubble must seem to most people going about their lives.
• There‎ is a lot of stuff going on. When I started at the Trust, I’d barely heard the expression ‘social mobility’, which was rarely used outside academic circles.   Now everyone is talking about it all the time. That is good in that it has brought money, policy attention and new ideas to the cause. The downside is that the landscape is fragmented: a plethora of new charities, new initiatives, new research, much of which is reaching the usual suspects while missing many others. More quantity does not mean more quality — coordination is key.
• ‎Finally, the strength of the clear, concise argument is unparalleled. I dread to think how many research reports and policy documents lie largely unread — and how many millions of pounds of investment that represents.   It might not be right or rationale, but I have seen time and again how a short executive summary or a deck of PowerPoint slides can have more impact than the most thorough, life’s work of an academic tome.  So for people with good ideas to boost social mobility: try and focus on the succinct and the accessible. The compromise is worth it if it leads to change.

And, in fact, I’ll practice what I preach and keep this final blog short and sweet too: thank you and cheerio!