An Introduction to Deficit Ideology: The First Step Towards Equity

Within education and in the wider conversations about inequity, we’re often asked the same question: how do we get everyone on board?

The problem goes like this: If we focus on misogyny, some teachers might push back. If we focus on free school meals, some parents may object. If we focus on race, then both parents and teachers might resist.

In this one-hour session, we’ll explore the unifying theory of deficit ideology. The characteristics of deficit ideology can be traced through the inequitable outcomes experienced by all marginalised groups. It underpins the impulse to ‘fix’ perceived deficits in individuals, communities, and cultures, rather than confronting the systemic causes of inequity.

Through discussion, reflection, and real-world examples, we’ll examine how the "blame and fix” mindset shows up in schools, and why even well-meaning interventions can deepen the very disparities they aim to address.

Using a scene from Made in Britain (1982) as our starting point, we’ll ask not only how much has really changed, but also what we can do about it. Along the way, we may even find ourselves developing empathy for Trevor (played by a young Tim Roth), the swastika-tattooed, skinhead angry teenager you might instinctively avoid. It’s an unusual place to begin for an equity charity focused on race and racism, but that’s exactly the point.

Whether you’re a teacher, leader, governor, or parent, this session invites you to notice and disrupt the hidden deficit scripts we all carry, and to begin holding a more expansive, equity-informed view of what’s possible.