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Founded in 2019, Progressive Education works to create a world where education has the best interests of the child at heart.

We explore why we need progressive alternatives to traditional methods in education, provides information on what the alternative approaches are and outlines how the education system could be reimagined.

Our directory of education providers lists progressive schools and learning communities in the UK aimed at school-aged children (4-18 years). We have included providers who aim to put the child at the centre of their approach: Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Democratic/Self-Directed Education, Forest School and Waldorf Steiner.

If you are seeking employment within the progressive education sector, our jobs directory lists posts for facilitators/teachers, support staff and campaign/policy work.

If you work in a mainstream school or your child attends a state primary or secondary, you can visit our School Support page for ideas to enhance the student experience. We also support campaigns to bring about positive changes within the state education system, list events about progressive education, and we are building a library of articles and research.

Have a look through our Voices from the Sector pages to hear why progressive education is so important for the 21st century. You can hear perspectives from parents, teachers, progressive education providers, state school innovators, psychologists and researchers.

We hope this resource will help parents/carers, teachers, policy makers and other professionals to make informed choices about education.

We have a very active growing Facebook group with over 3000 members. “Progressive Education Group” is a supportive, friendly, international network for anyone interested in progressive methods in education. Please join us!

Phoenix Education is a charity, with an overarching aim to work towards creating an education system that has a collaborative and consensual rather than authoritarian culture, where students and teachers have voices, autonomy and agency to influence their experiences of learning and their experience of the system.

We currently do this through our projects Freedom to Learn – networking and supporting innovators in and outside of the system who are committed to rights respecting, human-centred, socially just culture and practice in education, and Changemakers’ Lab which is working with people aged 14-18 on exploring and campaigning for the changes that they need to see to school and the education system, so that it better respects their rights and meets their needs.

We are currently developing ways to work directly with specific school leaders who want to explore opportunities and methods to integrate consent-based, self-directed and rights based approaches.

We have an annual event called the Freedom To Learn Forum, where we like to bring together all of the different aspects of our work and movement in an open space inspired unconference format to network, connect, have fun and share knowledge.

No Outsiders enables children to recognise and embrace the diversity around them in preparation for global citizenship. The ethos teaches that ‘there are no outsiders here because everyone is welcome’. The resource uses the Equality Act 2010 as a foundation to ensure no protected
characteristic is left out.

42 picture books are used in the scheme with lesson plans from EYFS- Y6 to ensure consistency and progression. Assemblies are used to reinforce the ethos and plans are uploaded weekly to the no-outsiders website.

Andrew Moffat currently works as Personal Development Lead at Excelsior MAT, Birmingham.

Published resources:
No Outsiders in our school: Teaching the Equality Act in primary schools (Speechmark, 2015)
Reclaiming Radical Ideas in Schools: Preparing young children for life in modern Britain (Speechmark, 2017)
No Outsiders: Everyone different, Everyone welcome (Speechmark, 2020)

Awards
MBE, 2017 (Education for Equality and Diversity)
Top 10 finalist in Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, 2019
Pink News ‘Role Model of the year’, 2019
Attitude Pride Awards, 2019
European Diversity Awards ‘Hero of the year’, 2019
Honorary Doctorate, University of Worcester, 2019
Midlands Zone Readers’ Award ‘LGBTQ Hero of the year’, 2020
Midlands Zone Award ‘Outstanding Contribution to The LGBTQ Community’ 2020
University of Sunderland Visiting Professor, 2020
Pride Power List 2020

Research
Andrew Moffat is a qualified Senco and has a MA in Emotional and behavioural Difficulties (University of Birmingham). He is currently studying part time for a PhD in Citizenship teaching (University of Birmingham).

Mosaic LGBT+ Young Perosons’ Trust runs services for schools:

• training
• workshops for students
• mentoring in schools
• Pride Groups set up and facilitation

Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons Trust runs a number of services for young LGBT+ community aged 12 – 18 and 18 – 25 that aim to support, educate and inspire:

• Young persons’ clubs
• Summer camp and winter retreat
• Events like Pride Prom and Homoween
• Counselling
• Half-term activities
• Drag workshops
• Mentoring
• Discord community

We work in and around London.

Pride in London ‘Future Activists’ Award
Ben Cohen’s Foundation Stand Up Foundation’s Charity of the Year 2019
Highly Commended Rainbow Honours
Certificate of Recognition ‘Camden Faith and Belief Forum’

About Mindful Equity UK

Mindful Equity UK was founded by Aretha Banton and Youlande Harrowell. We are a brand new service supporting Black and Asian women educators right from the start of their careers – from trainee teacher onwards. Our mission is to ensure that more Black and Asian women educators join the teaching profession, stay in the teaching profession and move into leadership in the teaching profession.

Mindful Equity UK run a peer networking service providing advice, guidance and coaching to Black and Asian women throughout their early teaching careers. We encourage solution focused conversations about representation and inclusion within the education sector with the aim of influencing changes within educational policy and practices. Our consultancy strand supports, ITT providers, employers and leadership teams to implement frameworks that will increase the diversity amongst student teachers, early career teachers and leadership teams. We work with the most amazing allies and are proud to be part of a wide ranging and truly representative network.

Our Founders

Aretha Banton is an Assoc. Vice Principal EYFS- P16 specialising in SEND, Safeguarding and Inclusion.

She is proud to have worked in a range of diverse schools and Academies improving outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged students. She is driven by a passion for social mobility and meaningful change.

Youlande Harrowell is an Assistant Headteacher working in an inner London secondary school and is experienced in leading successful sixth form provisions, CEIAG and developing key stage 5 curriculums. Youlande is a proud champion and advocate for visibly diverse leaderships in education.

The MTPT Project are the UK’s charity for parent-teachers, supporting educators as they consider starting families, during their expectancy and leave periods, and as they balance both professional and parenting commitments in the longer term.

We believe that teaching has the potential to be one of the most rewarding and family-friendly career choices, and many schools and Trusts are getting things so right!

Unfortunately, the motherhood penalty in education – on a larger scale – is still having a significantly detrimental impact on the health of our workforce. Women aged 30-39 are the largest demographic to leave teaching every year, and the gender pay gap increases at every level between the ages of 35-39 – the age that women are most likely to become mothers.

The MTPT Project supports our grassroots community of parent-teachers through positive networking opportunities, coaching, workshops and webinars.

We work with schools, unions and CPD providers to create more family- and life-friendly working conditions for staff.

We are the UK’s experts on the motherhood penalty in education and campaign at national level to bring about improvements that will help to make teaching a more sustainable career choice.

View our book.

IKWRO is a registered charity (Registered Charity No: 1151507 and the Company registration number is: 8140751), set up to help women and girls from the UK’s Middle Eastern communities (Iranian, Kurdish, Arab, Afghan and Turkish) who are facing “honour” based violence, forced and child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) or domestic violence. Our staff, volunteers and management committee include women survivors of gender based violence. We aim to preserve Middle Eastern women’s rights and equality, to combat discrimination and violence against women, and to empower women to access their rights and entitlements in the UK. Currently we have four main areas of work: Advice/advocacy/outreach/counselling, training, campaigning, and our own refuge.

Our True Honour Awards: the True Honour Award was launched first in 2011 in memory of all victims of “honour” killing, and in recognition of those who work to end “honour” based violence around the world.

WE BELIEVE THAT ACHIEVING EQUALITY WILL ENSURE A BETTER, FAIRER, MORE PROSPEROUS SOCIETY FOR ALL.

Inclusion can only occur when we all work together, which is why we are the Global Equality Collective (GEC).

The GEC is an ever-growing online community of 15K+, a ‘Collective’ of 350+ DEI subject matter experts (academics, grass-roots groups and change maker organisations) and the world’s first App for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion – the #GECApp – all the data, information and education for breaking your own new ground.

Within the #GECApp, you will explore, educate and take action when it comes to the 9 characteristics of the Equality Act PLUS socio economic status and single parents, by being educated by our GEC Collective. We’ll give you a DEI 360 on leadership and teacher attitudes to ensure you’re creating inclusive settings for your staff, your students and your families.

“We are partnering with #DiverseEd – as we believe in working collaboratively with everyone in the spaces of Diversity and Inclusion. The GEC is in a unique position to bring parents, teachers, leaders and organisations together – in one community, one collective. So we are. We are excited about standing shoulder to shoulder and arm-in-arm with DiverseEd in offering THE benchmark for D&I, THE assessment audit for your settings, and all your eLearning in one place – made up by our Collective, many who are part of the DiverseEd community. We both respect and admire DiverseEd and support all they do with our actions and vision #BetterTogether”

Nic Ponsford, Co-CEO and Founder, GEC

Established in 2002, the Anti-Bullying Alliance is a unique coalition of organisations and individuals who come together to unite against bullying. Membership consists of large scale children’s charities to smaller local anti-bullying organisations.

Our work is underpinned by evidence, a rights-based approach and the expressed needs of children and young people.

The Anti-Bullying Alliance works closely with its members to reach consensus and Government and high profile stakeholders including online industry to focus on better and more evidence based approaches to addressing bullying online.

The Anti-Bullying Alliance is part of the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), a leading charity driving change across society so all children grow up safe, secure and supported. Anti-Bullying Alliance staff are experts in their field and are employees of National Children’s Bureau.

The Centre is committed to challenging all forms of prejudice, discrimination and marginalisation towards individuals and collectives in schools and colleges who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/ Questioning and others who have gender identities or sexual orientations that differ from the heterosexual and cisgender majority. Through our research we provide evidence-based recommendations to support the development of LGBTQ inclusion in education. Our research enables us to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in educational institutions, including the experiences of children, young people and staff and provide voice and agency to those who have been marginalised.

Through our research informed professional learning, and the production of research informed resources we seek to transform the cultures of educational institutions so that individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ can experience a sense of belonging through a positive affirmation of difference.