‘Hugely important‘ – Baroness Lawrence

‘Deeply compelling, intellectually rigorous and essential‘ – Nels Abbey

‘Makes a powerful case‘ – Rt Hon Lady Hale

A thought-provoking and fearless exploration of how we can dismantle racism in the classroom and do better by all our students.

Before Jeffrey Boakye was a black teacher, he was a black student. Which means he has spent a lifetime navigating places of learning that are white by default. Since training to teach, he has often been the only black teacher at school. At times seen as a role model, at others a source of curiosity, Boakye’s is a journey of exploration – from the outside looking in.

In the groundbreaking I Heard What You Said, he recounts how it feels to be on the margins of the British education system. As a black, male teacher – an English teacher who has had to teach problematic texts – his very existence is a provocation to the status quo, giving him a unique perspective on the UK’s classrooms.

By Jeffrey Boakye