Dr Jodie Pennacchia is a researcher in the policy-sociology of education and youth. She began her career working in learning support roles in mainstream and alternative schools, and has undertaken research across a range of educational contexts. Uniting Jodie’s research is a concern for the social justice issues that stem from policy and its enactments, and the educational experiences of disadvantaged groups. Her recent research has explored how social justice concerns are managed in the context of college governing; the implications of education policies such as ‘academisation’ for disadvantaged learners; and the effects of policy and institutional arrangements for young people on the edge of/outside of mainstream school. Jodie has undertaken applied research projects across the Further Education sector, including research to inform the development of the National Retraining Scheme in England, and the evaluation of Department for Education’s Career Learning Pilots.