research & education

"Growing up in Bradford and navigating the school system gave me a firsthand experience at our city's educational reality. I quickly realised that both students and teachers encounter challenging circumstances in a school setting. These challenges do not reflect a lack of talent or ambition in our youth; instead, they are the direct result of deep-seated systemic issues. As one of the most economically challenged local authorities in England, where over a third of our children live in absolute poverty, basic needs like food and stable housing frequently eclipse study. Having studied this reality, I know that socio-economic hardship remains one of the main obstacles to classroom success.

My personal journey showed me that our educational channels faces continuous disruption. The divide begins early, with research showing that one in three local children start school without essential learning readiness, a figure that drops sharply to just 52% in our most deprived neighbourhoods. This gap widens over time. By age 16, disadvantaged students in Bradford track 18 to 22 months behind their peers, culminating in a persistent 10% gap below the national average for GCSE passes in core subjects. This cycle of underachievement follows people into adulthood, leaving nearly 10% of our working-age population with no formal qualifications.

These systemic hurdles do not just impact grades; they actively trap the next generation, creating a social mobility barrier where local youth earn significantly less in adulthood than peers from other regions, even when holding identical qualifications. We refuse to accept this status quo. Driven by firsthand experience and backed by clear data, our mission is to dismantle these barriers, bridge the attainment gap, and ensure that every individual in Bradford has the support they need to achieve their academic goals and break into their dream professions."

Dr Saeed Ur Rehman Zahid