Class Divide – Details, episodes & analysis

In this podcast episode recorded before major parties released their manifestos, Curtis James and Carlie Goldsmith discuss their newly launched manifesto focused on transforming the education system to better support children from low-income families. With the general election approaching, they express concerns over the lack of national discussion on education policies. They highlight the need for comprehensive policy changes and share five key ideas from their manifesto, including prioritising free school meals in admissions, making school transport free, securing pupil premium funds for their intended purpose, increasing working class representation among teachers, and redesigning the education system as a whole. The episode calls for raising awareness and encouraging discussions on education in the run-up to the election.

Introduction to the Podcast

00:28 Launching a New Manifesto

01:00 The State of Education in National Politics

02:09 Addressing Child Poverty and Inequality

03:50 The VAT Debate on Private Schools

04:11 Teachers' Struggles and Welfare Needs

05:33 Five Ideas in the Manifesto

06:12 The Importance of Consistent Leadership in Education

07:01 Historical Context and Current Challenges

08:30 Polling and Public Concerns on Education

09:32 Breaking the Wealth Barrier in Education

The Manifesto ideas

11:55 Free School Meals Priority Policy

17:25 Transport Policy Changes

26:32 Pupil Premium and School Funding

30:48 Increasing Working-Class Representation in Teaching

38:25 Redesigning the Education System

43:38 Call to Action and Conclusion

Links:

Read our manifesto: https://www.classdivide.co.uk/news/introducing-our-new-manifesto

The Sutton Trust: https://www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion/all-news-opinion/fairer-school-admissions-could-you-be-the-change/

Download social media graphics to share: access here

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We're thrilled to unveil some work set to debut at this year's Brighton Festival. Join us in this special episode as host Curtis James sits down with sound artist Simon James – who just so happens to be his twin brother – to delve into the origins of this new work.

Curtis and Simon discuss the genesis of the project, drawing inspiration from a pivotal moment in their lives at the age of 15. Discover the creative process behind Neolithic Cannibals, which will see Simon working with a group of young sound artists from Whitehawk.

Save the date! The exhibition opens its doors this May. To get all the details, head to www.lighthouse.org.uk/

For updates.....

Follow us @divideclass on X

and @divideclass on Instagram

Follow Lighthouse on X

and Lighthouse on Instagram

And subscribe to the Class Divide Newsletter for updates on our campaign.

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Welcome to the fourth reaction episode of the Class Divide podcast.

This episode is split into two halves. In the first Curtis is joined by Ryan and they discuss their experiences of Stanley Deason School as well as what it felt like to get a peak behind the curtain of what was happening on the lead up to their school closing. In the second half Carlie speaks about the impact the school closure has had on the community.

Check out the Class Divide Website for more info about the campaign.

Support this podcast by leaving a rating and review, and please share if you like what we are doing.

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In this episode we're looking at how years of neglect and middle-class flight resulted in the closure of East Brighton's only secondary school also known as "the school that died of poverty".

How is that allowed to happen? And what does it say and do to a community when its school is closed?

Featuring:

Carlie Goldsmith - https://twitter.com/GoldsmithCN

Arron, Asa, and Ryan

Jill Clough - Ex COMART Head

Andy Schofield - Ex Varndean School Head

Mr Hubbard - Ex Stanley Deason/Marina High/COMART head of drama

Diane Reay - https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/people/staff/reay/

Darren McGarvey - https://twitter.com/lokiscottishrap

Class Divide was written and produced by Curtis James. The executive producer is Eve Streeter. Location recording, sound design, post production and mixing is by Simon James, with editorial support by Carlie Goldsmith.

Music in the series was kindly donated by Salvatore Mercatante, Traams, Shida Shahabi, Max de Wardener, Simon James, Clarice Jensen, Polypores, Toydrum, and Shopping, Olivier Alary, Maaja Nuut, Rumm, Neil Hale, Minor Pieces, Rutger Hoedemaekers Thank you to Fat Cat Records, Castles in Space.

The series was funded by Necessity. If you'd like to support the Class Divide campaign follow on Twitter and Instagram, or visit the website, classdivide.co.uk

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This is a special surprise episode delivered to you from the Lake District.

We're with a group of 12 young people from Whitehawk, spending the week at the Ullswater Outward Bound Centre.

This bonus episode also includes a teaser for Episode 4, which will launch next week.

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Welcome to the third reaction episode of the Class Divide podcast. In this episode, Curtis and Carlie discuss their thoughts on the previous week's episode, which explored life in two very different schools.

We react mainly to the challenges her brothers faced in their state school and the consequences for children today.

Check out the Class Divide Website for more info about the campaign.

Support this podcast by leaving a rating and review, and please share if you like what we are doing.

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In this episode we follow the story of Carlie Goldsmith and her three brothers, Asa, Ryan, and Arron. All four grew up in Whitehawk, one of the council estates of East Brighton on the South Coast of England.

Carlie received an assisted place at a fee-paying independent school for girls, while her brothers attended the local comprehensive in the hills and hollows of Whitehawk. This episode explores the stark reality of educational segregation and the impact it has on the lives of young people.

We delve into the significance of Carlie's assisted placement and how it opened up a world of opportunities that she otherwise wouldn't have had access to. We discuss the challenges her brothers faced in their state school and the consequences of the educational divide that exists within the state school system.

Featuring:

Carlie Goldsmith - https://twitter.com/GoldsmithCN

Arron, Asa, and Ryan

Mr Hubbard

Diane Reay - https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/people/staff/reay/

Darren McGarvey - https://twitter.com/lokiscottishrap

Class Divide was written and produced by Curtis James. The executive producer is Eve Streeter. Location recording, sound design, post production and mixing is by Simon James, with editorial support by Carlie Goldsmith.

Music in the series was kindly donated by Salvatore Mercatante, Traams, Shida Shahabi, Max de Wardener, Simon James, Clarice Jensen, Polypores, Toydrum, and Shopping, Olivier Alary, Maaja Nuut, Rumm, Neil Hale, Minor Pieces, Rutger Hoedemaekers Thank you to Fat Cat Records, Castles in Space.

The series was funded by Necessity. If you'd like to supprt the Class Divide campaign follow on Twitter and Instagram, or visit the website, classdivide.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the second reaction episode of the Class Divide podcast. In this episode, Curtis and Carlie discuss their thoughts on the previous week's episode, which explored the negative stigma and perception in the communities of Whitehawk, Manor Farm and Bristol Estate in East Brighton.

Curtis and Carlie share some more personal experiences of stigma they have faced, and discuss the issue raised by Darren McGarvey about 'the imperialist nature' of organisations parachuting in to 'save' communities like Whitehawk.

Research on how people define their class:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0038038520982225

Check out the Class Divide Website.

Support this podcast by leaving a rating and review, and please share if you love what we are doing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we're in Whitehawk, one of the most underprivileged communities in the UK, where we will meet the residents who call this place home. We will look into the issues facing this community and explore how the stigma attached to council estates like Whitehawk has contributed to the systemic inequalities that exist in our education system.

We'll uncover the challenges faced by those living in this community, including high levels of poverty and low educational attainment. We'll also explore how the stigmatisation of council estates has perpetuated these issues and made it even harder for individuals to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.

Featuring:

The Whitehawk Bygones Society speak about moving to Whitehawk as children and where the negative perceptions of the area might have come from; social historian and author John Boughton; writer, performer, and activist Byron Vincent; and rapper, broadcaster, campaigner, and Orwell Prize-winning author Darren McGarvey, who talks about the flawed approach of always bringing outsiders into a community to "fix things".

Class Divide was written and produced by Curtis James. The executive producer is Eve Streeter. Location recording, sound design, post production and mixing is by Simon James, with editorial support by Carlie Goldsmith.

Music in the series was kindly donated by Salvatore Mercatante, Traams, Shida Shahabi, Max de Wardener, Simon James, Clarice Jensen, Polypores, Toydrum, and Shopping, Olivier Alary, Maaja Nuut, Rumm, Neil Hale, Minor Pieces, Rutger Hoedemaekers Thank you to Fat Cat Records, Castles in Space.

The series was funded by Necessity. If you'd like to supprt the Class Divide campaign follow on Twitter and Instagram, or visit the website, classdivide.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first reaction episode of the Class Divide podcast. In this episode, Curtis and Carlie discuss their thoughts on the previous week's episode, which explored the challenges faced by the communities of Whitehawk, Manor Farm and Bristol Estate in East Brighton.

Curtis and Carlie delve into the concept of shadow cultures and their impact on the community, as well as the drawbacks of measuring children in school from an early age. They also explore where the good in the community can be found, despite the challenges they face.

One of those good things is the Crew Club - they have been a massive supporter of Class Divide. You can check out their work here, and if you can spare any cash, donate to them here.

Check out the Class Divide Website.

Support this podcast by leaving a rating and review, and share if you love what we are doing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.