Thirteen Sixth-Form geographers heard Oxford’s Professor Danny Dorling deliver a powerful exposition of the national and global threat posed by poverty and inequality.
His lecture, Inequality: the next crisis and children, was packed with detail and backed with richly illustrated statistics.
Delivered at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington, London, it proved a revelation to many. Year 13’s Hitarth Patel said: “I found the extent to which inequality is prevalent within the UK astonishing,” and Shravan Jayaprakash, of Year 12, described the lecture as “an exhilarating experience which broadened my perspectives about many issues in our country today, especially the widening inequality we face”.
In promoting the lecture, for the RGS’s school members, the society stated: “The greatest concern worldwide, for the future of where we live, is not climate change and its impacts; it is not extinction and loss of biodiversity, it is not artificial intelligence or asteroids – none of these worries come close to what concerns us most.
“More than any other future issue, most people in the world worry about inequality, poverty, and the cost of living; and they worry, above all else, for their children. Are they right to be most concerned in this way and, if so, what is to be done?”
Prof Dorling is a social geographer who is the 1971 Professor of Geography, attached to St Peter’s College, Oxford, as well as a visiting professor at both Goldsmiths and the University of Bristol. He is known for his support for Labour, particularly when Jeremy Corbyn led the party.
He has spoken on radio, featured on television and written newspaper articles. He is the author of more than 20 books, including two published in 2024 – Seven Children: Inequality and the Geography of a Failing State, and Peak Injustice: Solving Britain’s Inequality Crisis – and one which came out this year, The Next Crisis: What We Think about the Future.
The QE group, drawn from both Year 12 and Year 13, were led by Deputy Head Anne Macdonald (Academic), who teaches Geography.
She said: “Growing inequality in the UK is a complex contemporary issue that cuts across the disciplines of geography and economics (and other social sciences). Danny Dorling’s academic work in this area is so compelling because it is grounded in extensive data-driven research. His work about the impacts of inequality on children from across the income spectrum encourages our students to think about their place in modern Britain and develop empathy for others who might face more barriers.”
Hamza Pasha, of Year 13, shared his fellow pupils’ reaction to the lecture. “I found Danny Dorling’s graphical presentation of inequality statistics helped me realise the magnitude of this issue and I was also surprised to learn how much more unequal the UK is in comparison with other countries.”
His name was announced in front of more than 5,000 international scientists and doctors at the European Human Genetics Conference in Milan.
The task set for the entrants was: Please, discuss the importance of understanding genetic diversity for health and disease. Support your example with specific DNA variants and genes.
“So next time you hear about a groundbreaking genetic discovery, ask yourself: ‘Who does this benefit, and who’s being left behind?’ Because science should serve all of humanity, not just a select few.”
Under the overall theme of International Relations, the 24th edition of the publication includes a special front section headed Has Trump damaged the dollar? which looks at the impact of tariffs and at the dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency.
Contributors come from Years 9–11. Many illustrate their articles with tables and graphs.
The awards, which were given by the Jack Petchey Foundation, were given following a selection process open to all QE pupils.
Enrichment tutor and Geography teacher Staycie Domzalski said: “It was a lovely opportunity to recognise and celebrate the nine students’ and Mr Xu’s achievements.”
His winning project, Icarus, is a decentralised telecommunication system designed for low-cost and effective emergency communications in remote areas: it was inspired by his love of the outdoors and of trekking.
Icarus uses a custom Meshtastic PCB based on ESP32-S3 N8R8, L76K GPS and LoRa RA-01SH, designed to be fully assembled by the online PCB service provider, JLCPCB.