The UK is famous for elite education. Mention education and the UK abroad and people will probably think of Oxford, Cambridge or the private schools that have educated many world leaders. But is this actually a good thing? Who benefits from an educational system which concentrates financial and cultural wealth into a handful of institutions? Is this model of unequal prestige, selection and hierarchy actually compatible with a desire for a more equal society? Other more egalitarian systems of education are possible and necessary for a positive future. Moving beyond elitism in education is the educational challenge of this century. I am a sociologist and a geographer of education with a strong commitment to the politics of education and envisaging alternative futures for education and society more broadly. My interests lie at the intersection of sociology, geography and history and the central theme running through my work is how structures and experiences of power and inequality in education are reproduced over time and through different local and regional geographies. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx