Lee Elliot Major

Lee Elliot Major is Britain's first Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter's School of Education. Previously Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust (2006-2018), he is a leading expert dedicated to improving educational and life prospects for children and young people from under-resourced backgrounds. His work bridges academic research with practical policy applications through close collaboration with school leaders, universities, global employers, and governments.

Professor Elliot Major maintains significant academic affiliations beyond Exeter:

• Associate Member, Nuffield College, University of Oxford
• Associate, London School of Economics, Centre for Economic Performance
• Visiting fellow at LSE's International Inequalities Institute
• Honorary professor at UCL Institute of Education

His research challenges deficit discourses in education and focuses on developing practical, evidence-based solutions to address structural barriers to social mobility. Elliot Major's work examines how educational policies and practices can either perpetuate or mitigate inequality, with particular attention to the impact of socioeconomic factors on educational outcomes. He advocates for approaches that transform teaching practices to specifically address the needs of disadvantaged learners while working to change the language and frameworks used to discuss educational disadvantage.

His publications reveal a consistent evolution in understanding educational inequality, moving from documenting the problem of low social mobility to proposing concrete, evidence-based interventions. Recent work emphasizes the disproportionate impact of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic on disadvantaged students and advocates for systemic changes rather than individual solutions. His research increasingly focuses on practical implementation of evidence-based teaching approaches at scale.

Notable honors include:

• OBE in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to social mobility
• Honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield (2017)
• Fellowship in the Academy of Social Sciences

Professor Elliot Major serves on the Department for Education's Schools Strategy & Delivery Advisory Group and previously served as trustee of the Education Endowment Foundation (2011-2019). His policy influence extends to proposing initiatives like a National Tutoring Service to address educational disparities. He regularly contributes to national media and international forums on education and social mobility issues, maintaining his position as one of the UK's most prominent public voices in education debates.

Through his work at the Centre for Social Mobility at the University of Exeter, Elliot Major leads research initiatives examining the intersection of education, employment, and social opportunity. His approach connects academic rigor with practical application, engaging directly with school leaders, policymakers, and community organizations to develop and implement strategies that create more equitable educational pathways.