Sonia Blandford
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University College London
Sonia Blandford | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Bretton Hall College of Education University of Bristol |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Plymouth Marjon University University College London |
| Thesis | The relationship between education theory, research and practice : A teachers perspective [sic] (1995) |
Dame Sonia Blandford is a British teacher and academic who is a professor of Social Mobility at University College London. Blandford is an expert in improving the educational opportunities of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She is the founder and CEO of the charity Achievement for All.
Blandford grew up above a sweet shop in an estate in Feltham. Her father learned to read and write as an adult, and her mother could not read or write. At the age of nine, Blandford got her first job, rolling balls of wool, and she failed her eleven-plus examinations.[1] She has said that she her local libraries and school teachers showed her that another life was possible. Despite constant setbacks, Blandford earned a position at Bretton Hall College of Education. She says that other children were encouraged not to play with her because of her accent.[1]
Blandford completed master's degrees in music and education, and eventually completed an education doctorate on teaching and management at the University of Bristol.[2]
