The true story behind a school that pioneered progressive education in post-Second World War Britain and inspired the famous film To Sir, With Love.

Alex Bloom (1895–1955) was a remarkable school leader whose reputation in his lifetime extended far beyond the UK. Against all odds, in the bomb-damaged remains of London’s East End immediately after the Second World War, he established a school that championed equality, democracy, diversity, and creativity. That school—St George-in-the-East Secondary Modern on Cable Street—is known to many as the inspiration for the novel and film To Sir, With Love, but its significance for education goes far deeper. An explicit affirmation of Bloom’s progressive values and aspirations, it had no punishments or rewards, no prizes or failures, and no set curriculum. It became a beacon for radical democratic schooling, achieving an astonishing international reputation and a lasting legacy.

Based on primary research with former teachers and pupils of St George-in-the-East, How Alex Bloom Built Radical Democratic Secondary Education in Post-war London recounts the story of the school’s founding, pedagogy, and democratic inclusivity. Through the book’s own narrative, and in short contributions from some of today’s leading educators, it examines Bloom’s contemporary and subsequent influence on education in the UK and further afield. Most of all, this book reveals Bloom’s extraordinary dedication and commitment to his staff, his pupils, and their community, exemplifying the importance of engaging with the school’s contemporary realities.