Social mobility is commonly described and oversimplified as the opportunity to move up the socio-economic ladder.
When successful, it can lead to improved educational outcomes, wellbeing and life chances. But when social mobility is framed, as it so often is, as an “escape”, it risks doing more harm than good.
Research from the House of Lords social mobility policy committee found that treating social mobility as a pathway “out” reinforces low expectations, entrenches false binaries and signals to pupils that who they are is not enough. In education, this narrative is deeply embedded.
We talk about “raising aspirations” as though they don’t already exist. We celebrate departure from communities without questioning what that suggests to those who remain.
When systems reward leaving without valuing continuity, they quietly teach children that belonging is conditional. While rarely intentional, the impact of this framing can entrench the inequalities social mobility is meant to address.
Let’s reframe how we talk about social mobility
If we want to improve sector challenges, including attendance, behaviour and attainment, and more importantly, nurture confident and capable young people who have the agency to shape their futures, we must reframe how we talk about social mobility.
That starts by moving away from deficit-based narratives and towards approaches rooted in belonging, identity affirmation, dignity and cultural agency.
At its core, reframing social mobility in schools is about encouraging pupils to accept and embrace themselves, despite outside views.
Cultural agency recognises that social mobility is not just about status or occupation. It’s about access to choice, stability and opportunity, and the belief that young people can shape their own lives without abandoning their identity or community in the process.
Across our trust, we’ve seen firsthand how embedding this philosophy through place-based, proactive strategies transforms outcomes for our children. This starts with genuine reflection and honesty about how systems, language and expectations interact.
We must acknowledge that false binaries exist in our education system, between aspiration and disadvantage and ambition and background.
These binaries can shape our unconscious expectations, influencing how pupils are supported. Too often, children from disadvantaged communities are judged on what they lack rather than what they bring.
Policies rooted in high expectations
We can begin to rectify these binaries through frameworks. While they are not the answer alone, they send an important message to our communities about our intent.
In the curriculum, for example, the books we teach, the histories we talk about and the voices we amplify signal whose knowledge matters.
Alongside this, policies around attendance, behaviour and inclusion must be rooted in high expectations and relational understanding, rather than solely metrics and compliance.
Equally important is the human element. Our leadership team has worked closely with colleagues across our schools to rethink how we support all children, examining the language we use, our assumptions and everyday practice.
We must show that identity and background are not barriers to overcome but assets to be valued. For pupils, this can be transformative. When young people feel seen and respected, engagement improves, belonging strengthens, and ultimately, agency grows.
How schools communicate with families and communities also matters. The tone we use and the settings we meet in can reinforce an “us and them” mentality or build trust and partnership.
Meeting families where they are
Meeting parents and carers where they are, without judgment, creates the conditions for honest, productive conversations that best support their child. These relational approaches are sometimes described as “soft”, but are foundational to long-term success.
To strengthen our work, we launched our charitable arm, the Cygnus Ambition Foundation.
This extends our commitment beyond the classroom and is designed to provide pupils with access to additional enrichment, digital skills, transition support and opportunities rooted in place.
Its purpose is simple but intentional: to ensure opportunity and cultural capital do not require disconnection from identity.
As a sector, we must move beyond debates and narrow measures of success, and ensure social mobility is embedded within the foundations of education, health and social care.
Ultimately, we must ensure that opportunity is positioned to the next generation not as leaving something behind, but as growing with confidence from where you begin.
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