Episode 2: Poverty & Place (Part 2)

Under the Local Matters programme, they undertake what they describe as ‘slow research’ in schools, as the programmes run over a year-long period, and that has added benefits, says Carl.

For Vicky Sadler, our Deputy Director of Training and Tutorcast host, the interviews with Carl and Louisa, for two episodes of the podcast, were thought-provoking.

Carl and Louisa share their insights into what they have found and what has worked in different schools – with an emphasis on tailoring solutions to the school’s local community.  For example, one school invited members of the local Bangladeshi community to help develop a community-based curriculum for geography and history. And in another, the researchers enabled parents and teaching staff to create a new dialogue so that they could get to know each other, rather than simply focusing on pupil behaviour, attendance or achievement.

Carl talks about the importance of talking about poverty and people’s lived experience, and also about the need to ask some tough questions of ourselves about how our thoughts and actions might stigmatise poverty and disadvantage. And not to assume that all pupils will have the time, space or resources when they’re at home.

Carl asks listeners to think differently about poverty, stressing that:

Tune in to Tutorcast to find out what we can all do to better support those young people who most need it.