Living in London and never seen Big Ben: The Hidden Curriculum: Why Opportunity Depends on Background

The report An Unequal Playing Field highlights a powerful and uncomfortable truth: children’s access to opportunities beyond the classroom clubs, music, sport, tutoring remains deeply unequal. And those opportunities matter more than we often acknowledge.

This government report is from 2019; yet what has changed in 7 years?

The hidden curriculum: opportunity

The report highlights why extra-curricular activities are not just “nice to have.” They build confidence, social skills, teamwork, and cultural capital, the very things that shape long-term success.

Yet access is far from equal. Children from more advantaged families are significantly more likely to:

• Attend sports clubs and music lessons

• Receive private tuition

• Take part in enrichment activities that build soft skills

Why this matters for teachers?

As a primary teacher, this is something I see every day in a mixed background school.

Some children walk into school having:

• Visited museums

• Taken part in structured activities

• Developed confidence in group settings

I teach a module on ‘living in Lambeth’ to my year 1 class. Multiple children have never seen Big Ben or the London Eye in person. I ensure to do a school trip where they’ll get to see them.

The intersection with Dyslexia

This inequality becomes even more pronounced when we consider children with additional needs.

The report repeats again and again that extra curricular activities give children a real advantage with soft skills.

For many children with reading difficulties confidence is already fragile. 

Without access to positive experiences beyond the classroom, this can compound disengagement.

So what can we do?

This is not about blaming schools. The issue is systemic.

But there are meaningful shifts we can make:

1. Reframe enrichment as essential, not optional

Clubs, trips, and experiences should be seen as core to education—not extras.

2. Prioritise access, not just provision

3. Build opportunity into the school day. For some children, school is the only place these experiences can happen!

4.Children with dyslexia are not just facing literacy barriers; they may also be excluded from wider opportunities that build confidence and identity.

A final thought

If we truly believe in equity in education, we need to look beyond the classroom.

Some children are playing the game of education while others are still trying to get onto the pitch.

And until we address that, the playing field will never be level.

At Beyond Spelling, we often talk about children “falling behind.”

But the truth is they’re not falling behind. They were never given the same starting point.

When a child struggles with reading, the focus quickly becomes:

• phonics

• interventions

• catch-up

Because while they are working twice as hard just to access the curriculum, they are also more likely to be:

• opting out of clubs

• avoiding activities where they feel “behind”

• missing opportunities that build confidence

And confidence is everything.

At Beyond Spelling, we are concerned about the children who don’t just struggle they disengage.