Written by Matt Bromley and Andy Griffith, The Working Classroom: How to make school work for working-class students offers practical strategies and tools to help secondary schools address the needs of working-class students, including by building cultural capital and designing more engaging learning.

The authors argue that disadvantage takes many forms, and that one of them, gaps in knowledge relative to more affluent peers, is something schools can act on. The book explores how working-class students are disadvantaged by a flawed system and what schools can do to narrow the gap.

The Working Classroom examines how and why the authors think systemic change is needed. It focuses on actions within the control of teachers and school leaders, aimed at a socially just education system – one that builds on the rich heritage of the working-class, rather than seeing their background as a weakness. It offers practical ways for students and families to build on the best of working-class culture, whilst also empowering teachers, students and parents to change the system.

The publisher describes methods that teachers can replicate in their own setting to build the cultural capital of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, supported by case studies from schools with high levels of deprivation. Readers are encouraged to audit their current provision and adopt new practices; the publisher's page does not name the audit tools, so check the book itself for those.

Who it is for

Secondary schools and sixth form colleges: senior leaders responsible for disadvantaged pupils and pupil premium strategy, heads of year and classroom teachers. Primary leaders will find the argument relevant but the examples are aimed at secondary.

About the book

  • Authors: Matt Bromley, an education writer and adviser who has been a secondary headteacher, FE college vice principal and multi-academy trust director; and Andy Griffith, who designs training and student programmes with a focus on social justice and cultural capital.
  • Full title: The Working Classroom: How to make school work for working-class students.
  • Publisher: Crown House Publishing. Paperback published November 2023, 265 pages, ISBN 9781785836985; also available as an ebook.

Source: publisher's page at Crown House Publishing, checked 13 October 2026.