Why we need to teach beyond text

Why teaching beyond text is now an educational necessity

Education is more diverse than it has ever been.

Across schools, colleges and universities, students bring a wide range of learning needs, linguistic backgrounds, cultural identities and life experiences into the classroom.

This is something to celebrate.

But it also poses a challenge.

Because many of the dominant models of teaching in schools, colleges and universities were not designed for this level of diversity. They were built around a narrower idea of who the “typical” learner was — how they processed information, how they expressed knowledge, and what kinds of cultural references they recognised.

That mismatch is beginning to show.

Learners with additional needs

More than one in five school pupils in England are now identified as having special educational needs or disabilities. The fastest growth is within neurodivergent profiles. In Further Education, close to a fifth of 16–18 learners have a declared SEND. In Higher Education, around a quarter of students identify as neurodivergent, whether formally diagnosed or not.

Across all settings, these learners achieve lower outcomes on average.

Students with SEND are significantly less likely to follow traditional academic pathways or achieve top grades. In schools, pupils with SEND are around half as likely as their peers to achieve strong passes in English and maths. In FE, learners with SEND are less likely to complete their main learning aim. In Higher Education, disabled students are less likely to achieve a first or 2:1, and autistic students are significantly less likely to continue beyond their first year. The gap is persistent and systemic.

Learners with English as an Additional Language

Linguistic diversity is also increasing. More than 1 in 5 school pupils speak English as an additional language. In FE colleges, around 1 in 6 do. In Higher Education, a quarter of the student population are international students, the majority studying in a second language.

EAL learners consistently show lower attainment where assessment relies heavily on extended written English.

At GCSE, EAL pupils are slightly less likely to achieve strong passes in English and maths. In FE, they are less likely to achieve Level 3 qualifications by age 19. In Higher Education, international students are significantly less likely to achieve a first or upper-second-class degree — with the gap widest in essay-based disciplines and smallest in more practical or applied subjects. How knowledge is assessed clearly matters.

Ethnic diversity and cultural difference

Ethnic diversity across UK education has grown substantially. In England, 37% of school pupils, 28% of Further Education college learners and around 30% of higher education students are from minority ethnic backgrounds. As you would expect, there are major regional differences.

Participation has increased, but attainment variation exists.

Some minority ethnic groups outperform national averages at school level. Others, including Black Caribbean students, achieve top A-level grades at lower rates. In apprenticeships and vocational settings, Black learners experience lower achievement rates than their White peers. In Higher Education, there is a persistent awarding gap. White students are significantly more likely to receive a first-class degree than students from minority ethnic backgrounds, particularly Black students.

There are also differences in belonging. National survey data shows that students from minority ethnic backgrounds are less likely to report feeling part of their academic community. Representation, support and institutional culture all shape outcomes.

Learners from disadvantaged backgrounds

Socioeconomic inequality remains one of the strongest predictors of educational outcomes.

Around a quarter of school pupils are eligible for free school meals. In Further Education and Higher Education where postcode is used to determine disadvantage, around a third of learners come from areas of high deprivation.

Learners from low-income backgrounds are less likely to progress to A levels, less likely to attend selective universities, and less likely to complete their degrees. Even when prior attainment is similar, students from advantaged backgrounds are more likely to attend high-tariff institutions and achieve top classifications.

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds also report higher anxiety, lower wellbeing and a weaker sense of belonging — all factors linked to continuation.

Sexuality and gender expression

An increasing proportion of young people identify as LGBTQ+. Around 1 in 10 school pupils identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, with 1–2% identifying as trans or non-binary. In Higher Education, 15–20% of students now identify as LGB, with 2–3% identifying as trans or non-binary.

These students face distinct challenges.

LGBTQ+ pupils are bullied at significantly higher rates than their peers. They are more likely to disengage or consider withdrawing from education. In Higher Education, LGBTQ+ students (particularly trans and non-binary students) report lower wellbeing and a lower sense of belonging than their peers. Belonging is a strong predictor of continuation.

Taken together, these figures tell a clear story.

Today’s post-16 learners are linguistically diverse, increasingly neurodivergent, socioeconomically unequal and culturally varied. Participation has widened — but attainment and experience remain uneven.

Curricula that rely heavily on long-form text, traditional academic conventions and narrow cultural reference points are not neutral. They privilege certain forms of expression and certain learner profiles.

If we want equitable outcomes, we must look closely at how learning is structured.

Teaching beyond text does not mean lowering standards. It means broadening how knowledge is presented and assessed. It means recognising the value of multimodal learning — including film, television and radio (and the archives behind them). It means designing education that reflects who our learners

In a more diverse system, expanding the modes through which students can engage, interpret and demonstrate understanding is no longer optional.

It is an educational necessity.

What does this mean for teaching?

Despite this growing diversity, teaching practices remain largely unchanged. Text-heavy delivery, abstract explanation and reading-led assessment continue to dominate, even as evidence shows these approaches systematically disadvantage large numbers of learners.<

Over the past decade, a growing body of research has highlighted the benefits of multimodal learning. When teaching combines visual, auditory, and textual elements, students are better able to grasp abstract concepts, make connections between theory and real-world contexts, and retain information over time. Film and television can bring complex ideas to life, whether by visualising processes that are difficult to describe in words alone, offering real-world case studies, or providing narrative and emotional context that deepens understanding. Dramas and documentaries also make it far easier to bring diverse voices and perspectives into the classroom to ensure learners see themselves reflected.

What do students themselves say?

Our new Teach Beyond Text research responds directly to this existing evidence base by asking post-16 students themselves about the impact of film, television and radio on their learning. We explored how students actually experience teaching today and what helps or hinders their ability to engage, understand and succeed.

Drawing on responses from over 1,100 students across schools, further education and higher education, the research places student experience at the centre of the conversation about inclusive teaching resources. And what emerges is not just a story about preference or learning styles, but one about inequality.

At its core, the research recognises a simple but increasingly well-evidenced truth: students learn best when teaching reflects the diversity of how they think, process information, and engage with the world around them. As education continues to evolve in response to social, technological, and cultural change, the need to move beyond text-dominant teaching has never been more pressing.

What next?

Access the findings

Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing more of our research findings, but you can access either the entire report or our handy summary.

Join the debate

We will be exploring and discussing the findings on our LinkedIn, so follow us there. We will also be hosting a series of live debates to continue the conversation. If you’d like to join a panel, message us on LinkedIn and tell us a bit about yourself and what perspective you bring to the table.

Learn more about how to teach beyond text

Alongside this, we’re committed to supporting change in teaching practice through free modules on our new Teach Beyond Text course. You can learn more about this and enrol on these modules for free.

Access 4 million film, TV and radio programmes for use in teaching

And don’t forget, our Box of Broadcasts streaming platform gives you access to over 4 million films, documentaries, and television and radio programmes with features like clipping and playlists, making it easier than ever to teach beyond text. Get in touch for a free trial below.