About this day
For A-level students
This outstanding enrichment day for enthusiastic A-level Sociology students is back in London this autumn! In a cutting-edge and inspiring programme, leading sociologists, academics and media personalities will address a range of challenging and powerful questions on how society functions, the factors which influence our choices and how we experience life. Presenting a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in today’s big sociological issues, this day will take students beyond their classroom experience, and leave them buzzing with new ideas and fresh perspectives.
Topics covered on this day will include education, crime, disability, resilience, race and beliefs. This exciting day will include an invaluable lunchtime exam session to propel students to even greater success. Join us for an inspirational, immersive and interactive day of sociology!
Book now to secure your places!
“Excellent, it exceeded all of our high expectations. This event really brought learning to life!”
— St John Bosco College, Autumn 2025 —
“The day was interactive and every talk was enlightening – it showed everyone’s passion for sociology!”
— Student, Autumn 2025 —
Programme & speakers
Sociological insights into the criminalisation of UK drill music Lambros Fatsis, City St George's, University of London
Drill music frequently appears as ‘evidence’ of ‘criminal’ wrongdoing in Britain’s courtrooms – turning a form of creative, artistic expression into a punishable offence. While police, prosecutors and judges insist on blaming drill for making people kill, however, there is little concrete evidence to prove any such link between drill and individual or collective offending. This talk will explore how and why drill is transformed from a music genre into incriminating evidence. Drawing on my own research and experience as an expert witness for the defence in court, I will offer an overview of the legal processes that turn beats and rhymes into punishable crimes – by exposing the racist logic that pose as evidence-based argument in the legal and political culture of the UK.
About Dr Lambros Fatsis
Lambros Fatsis specialises in and has published widely on the criminalisation of UK drill music and the history of policing against Black/Afro-diasporic music culture(s) from the era of colonial slavery to the present day. He is the author of Policing the Beats: Black Music, Racism and Criminal Injustice and works as a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at City St. George’s University of London. In addition to his scholarly work, Lambros is also a core member of the Art Not Evidence campaign against the criminalisation of UK drill and Prosecuting Rap and he has worked as an expert witness for the defence in 12 cases that relied on drill music material as incriminating ‘evidence’ in court.
What’s so sociological about disability? Tom Shakespeare CBE, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
In an illuminating session based on up-to-date research, Tom will show how ‘disability’ is ripe for sociological analysis, from the point of view of medical sociology, social policy, cultural sociology, or political sociology. But it’s not just an academic issue; it’s about changing lives and transforming the world.
About Professor Sir Tom Shakespeare CBE
Tom Shakespeare is a Professor of Disability Research. His primary research interests are in disability studies, medical sociology, and social and ethical aspects of genetics. He has focused on qualitative research about the lives of disabled people and the barriers that they face and led projects about disability and sexuality.
Is Britain a 'Godless' Country?: Religion and Society in Contemporary Britain Dawn Llewellyn, University of Chester
In 2021, in response to the Census findings for England and Wales, media headlines declared Britain a ‘Godless’ country and Christianity the ‘new minority religion’. However, is Christianity really in decline? Is it losing its influence in British society? Or are we as ‘sacred’ as ever? In this session, we’ll explore the importance of religion in contemporary Britain; examine recent generational trends about identity, belief, non-belief and belonging; debate whether religion is – or is not! – relevant to private and public life, and consider what the future holds for the place of religion in our society.
About Dr Dawn Llewellyn
Dawn is Associate Professor at the University of Chester, where her teaching focuses on religion and gender, religious change in contemporary society, Christian Studies, and research methodologies. Her research is grounded in qualitative approaches and she draws mainly on sociological perspectives to examine gender and feminism in contemporary Christianity and new spiritualities. She has published widely and her expertise means she has featured on the BBC’s documentary Sex After Religion, and radio programmes including Beyond Belief, Sunday, The Sunday Show, and All Things Considered.
How has Black Lives Matter affected racism in education? Kalwant Bhopal, University of Birmingham
This lecture will explore the impact of Black Lives Matter on education. It will argue that Black Lives Matter created a backlash which worked to perpetuate a system of white supremacy in education.
About Professor Kalwant Bhopal
Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on processes of racism, exclusion and marginalisation in white spaces. Her book, White Privilege: the myth of a post-racial society, came out in 2018 and her most recent book is Race and Education.
Second chances Khushal Yousafzai, Youth mentor and founder, Yousafzai Academy
Khushal draws on his own experience of setbacks and recovery, arriving in the UK as a boy, adapting to a new language and education system, and retaking his A-levels before earning his place at King’s College London, to show students that a stumble is never the end of the story. The session explores resilience, confidence, masculinity and finding transformation through adversity, with one simple message at its heart: you are allowed to start again.
About Khushal Yousafzai
Khushal Yousafzai is a youth mentor, speaker, and content creator, and a graduate of King’s College London. The younger brother of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, he draws on his own journey, arriving in the UK as a boy, overcoming personal adversity, and retaking his A-levels before earning his place at King’s, to help young people build resilience, confidence, and self-belief. He went on to found the Yousafzai Academy, mentors students at Oxford summer camp programmes at the University of Oxford, and has spoken openly about masculinity and mental health, including in a recent feature with the BBC.