The tempered radical’s quiet resistance: How trainee and new teachers disturb the dominance of neoliberal policy in mainstream English schools

This article considers the experiences of two teacher educators working with undergraduate and postgraduate trainee teachers, in the School of Education at the University of Brighton. It foregrounds reflections shared within education studies seminars and on conversations with early career teachers on how trainees and new teachers negotiate their professional obligations whilst remaining true to their values and ideals. Education studies modules are curated to provide a space for trainee teachers to examine and consider the complexities relating to equality, diversity and social justice and are underpinned by a desire to instil a ‘commitment to acting as change agents in schools and advocates for students’. In this article we consider how teacher trainees and early career teachers experience neoliberal reform and a policy context that seeks to silence any sceptics. It offers examples of how trainee teachers and new teachers engage in quiet resistance as ‘tempered radicals’, finding ways to address inequalities and offer moments of hope to young people from marginalised groups.