Privilege, Knowledge, and Access: Navigating Education Through Cultural Capital

Words by GEC Platform Member, Amy Wilby, Batley MAT

“But Miss, what if you’ve never read ‘Little Red Riding Hood’?”. This was a question that was posed to me as I led my class through the analysis of a commonly used Historical source. The cartoon used the story of Little Red Riding Hood to portray Poland as the defenceless "Little Red Riding Hood" being threatened by Germany and the USSR, acting as the "grandma" who intends to attack her. I’ll admit, I had never really thought of that before, and it led me to investigate other sources. It soon became clear that the cultural bias shown through the choice of sources in History, the choice of words shown in exams such as the 2023 KS2 reading SATs papers and the assumption that learners have prototypical examples to be able to decipher complex metaphors, would hugely disadvantage many learners. 

In April 2014, the education secretary Michael Gove, published his intentions to make the history curriculum more rigorous, 

‘Our changes will make these qualifications more ambitious, with greater stretch for the most able… will address the pernicious damage caused by grade inflation and dumbing down, which have undermined students’ achievements for far too long; ‘(Gove, 2014) 

Since the establishment of the new curriculum, I have noticed that the level of assumed, culturally specific knowledge that is included in the choice of sources and interpretations used in the exams has increased. By ‘assumed knowledge,’ I refer to the tier three subject specific words and figurative language such as idioms and puns that are not overtly taught as part of the specification but are part of an ‘embodied’ cultural understanding. 

There has been a wealth of studies investigating the links between cultural capital and school performance. Tramonte and Douglas Wilms for example concluded that ‘individuals possess different amounts of cultural capital which explains why some students meet school standards, are accepted at college, and finally achieve higher levels of education, and why other students do not’. De Graaf, De Graaf, & Kraaykamp also asserted that ‘There is no doubt that in modern western societies, social origin still determines a person’s educational career to a large extent’. However, as a teacher on the ‘frontline’, I had assumed that my careful guidance through the syllabus content and the relevant exam skills would be enough to bridge the gap. It isn’t.

Take the 2023 SATs reading paper, it features a camping trip in the highlands and sheep rustling. The assumption here is that all learners have been camping and therefore have a schema for this type of experience. The term ‘Sheep Rustling’ goes much deeper than the simple decoding of the words and will hugely disadvantage those for whom rural life is unfamiliar. 

Growing up on a council estate in the North of England during the 80s, I sometimes wonder how I would have fared on today’s educational tests. I was a voracious reader, but the schooling I received was limited by tight budgets and well-meaning teachers who seemed to operate under the motto: “Never bore the kids… unless you want trouble to brew.” That meant trips to theme parks were considered high culture, and our “residential experiences” rarely went beyond council-run facilities offering pond dipping, campfire singalongs, and an obligatory chunk of TV time featuring earworm-inducing songs about vowels. I can still sing them by the way!

During middle school, I was given one-to-one lessons with the headteacher, perhaps a “stretch and challenge” initiative, though at the time I just thought I’d been singled out. The plan, I was told, was to let me read books intended for secondary school students. In reality, most of my reading consisted of a seemingly treasured, well-worn manual on the BBC Micro that my headteacher had lying around. Ambitious? Perhaps. Effective? Questionable. Entertaining? Absolutely not.

My upbringing and lack of what might be called “high culture” haven’t stopped me from chasing my goals—I made it to university and even earned a master’s degree. Yet, the indeterminable form of imposter syndrome has a way of stubbornly lingering in the shadows. Even now, when people chat about their holidays, homes, or choice of restaurants, I sometimes feel like an extra in an international film. I hang back, worried that any contribution might reveal I’m “doing it wrong”. 

So, what can we do to ensure that our learners are confident, aspirational and have an equal chance of securing the grades that they deserve?

‘A person who is "at home" in a prestigious status culture can display tastes, styles, or understandings that serve as cultural resources, making communication easier and indicating status group membership’

There is a clear and demonstrable relationship between cultural experiences and students’ ability to effectively engage with the curriculum. Exposure to activities traditionally classified as “high culture” is important; however, it is not merely attendance that matters, but rather a sustained and immersive engagement with these cultural experiences. Achieving this is neither straightforward nor superficial—for instance, simply playing classical music in the classroom represents only a surface-level intervention and is unlikely to yield meaningful and long-lasting impact.

True cultural appreciation must be embedded within the curriculum itself. School leaders, therefore, have a responsibility to ensure the deliberate and cumulative development of students’ cultural literacy, including language acquisition, cultural references, and an understanding of high culture. This should be explicitly articulated within the school’s curriculum design through clear statements of intent, implementation strategies, and anticipated impact. Importantly, the curriculum must maintain high expectations for all students, celebrating culture while remaining ambitious. Educators must avoid the trap of reducing expectations for learners, however well meaning—a mistake I personally experienced in my own education and has had long-lasting repercussions.

1 Gordon Rugg, Schema theory, scripts, and mental templates: An introduction, 30 August 2013, Hyde and Rugg: Neat Ideas from Unusual Places

2 Granovetter, M. Swedberg, R. The sociology of economic life. (2011), Routledge. p.80

3 Tramonte, L., Wilms, D.J. (2010) Cultural capital and its effects on education outcomes, Economics of Education Review 29 (2), P. 200-213

4 De Graaf, D,. De Graaf, P., Kraaykamp, G. (2000) Parental Cultural Capital and Educational Attainment in the Netherlands: A Refinement of the Cultural Capital Perspective. Sociology of Education. 73, (2). pp. 92-111

5 DiMaggio, P. (1982). Cultural Capital and School Success: The Impact of Status Culture Participation on the Grades of U.S. High School Students American Sociological Review, 47 (2) pp. 189-201