Jamie Oliver upset as he slams 'harmful' school system and demands change

Jamie Oliver has a bone to pick with the British education system - and he’s not mincing words.

In his latest documentary, Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution, the celebrity chef, author and outspoken advocate is taking his lifelong fight with dyslexia public in a bold new way.

With raw honesty and righteous anger, Jamie Oliver lifts the lid on how deeply the system is failing neurodivergent children - and confronts Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson in a fierce campaign.

“Our young people deserve better,” he says in his compelling feature, “We want truly inclusive schools where every child can thrive. That change is a long time overdue.”

For Jamie, the fight is personal. Though now a bestselling author of over 20 cookbooks and a household name, his own school experience was shaped by struggles, shame and silence.

As a child, Jamie was placed in special needs classes for five years. “I really struggled to read in primary school,” he says, “I read my first [book] when I was about 33.”

Leaving education behind was a relief. “When I left school, it was, ‘good riddance to you,’” he admits. “The memories of no books, spelling errors, crosses repeated. I expected very little of myself because success in school is built on things a dyslexic brain isn’t good at.”

Now 50, Jamie still grapples with challenges most take for granted. “My inner voice isn’t as confident when I’m reading,” he says. “My eyes aren’t really tracking well. I’m used to it. Some days are better than others. I’m better when I’m less tired.”

Despite the hurdles, Jamie has built a wildly successful career and a happy personal haven. Married to former model and writer Juliette Norton, he’s a proud father of five.

But fatherhood brought some uncomfortable reckonings. “I knew things were bad when my own children were reading better than me,” he says.

He also realised he wasn’t alone in feeling out of place in school. “School was tough because I didn’t get it, now seeing kids and families go through that same pain in 2025 makes me angry. I didn’t realise how big this was and how upsetting it is.”

That anger became fuel for Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution, a hard-hitting, eye-opening journey through the lived experiences of neurodivergent people across the UK. He’s not alone in the crusade.

Celebrity friends join him to share their own painful experiences. Holly Willoughby recalls how her self-worth was chipped away by red-inked spelling tests.

“I was terrible at spelling,” Holly says, “I knew that because I’d always get really poor results at spelling tests. When I’d get my homework back, there’d be red pen all over it where there would be ‘silly’ mistakes.’”

Reality star and entrepreneur Jamie Laing echoes the frustration and daily challenges dyslexic individuals face. “I don’t understand how people can write down a word they’ve heard,” he says, “I don’t understand how the words go, to the point where some of them look upside down and backwards.”

At school, his struggles often led to punishment rather than support. “I would get in trouble a lot,” he says, “I would be in detention because I was frustrated.”

Dyslexia, as defined by the NHS, is a common learning difficulty that primarily affects reading, writing and spelling. But its impact is far more widespread - touching memory, processing, self-esteem and even long-term outcomes in life.

It’s estimated that up to one in every ten people in the UK has dyslexia, though many go undiagnosed for years, if at all. And while it has nothing to do with intelligence, the stigma and misunderstandings persist.

Jamie Oliver knows that first-hand. “It didn’t feel like (dyslexia doesn’t affect intelligence) when I was in school,” he says, “A lot of dyslexic kids don’t feel that. Those feelings can affect your start in life.”

One of the documentary’s most compelling moments comes when Jamie confronts the brutal reality of where that stigma can lead. Speaking to Albert McEyeson, CEO of Action Youth Boxing Intervention, Jamie learns in his documentary that an estimated 50% of the UK prison population is dyslexic.

“If you’re dyslexic, you’re three and a half times more likely to get expelled from school,” Albert says. “And if you don’t find anything else you’re good at, you turn to criminality.

These may be good kids but, because of their dyslexia, they are being treated badly. They have anxiety and they can’t cope with their environment.” It’s a damning indictment of a system that has failed to evolve.

In Jamie’s case, cooking became a lifeline. “Cooking really saved me. I felt free to create in the kitchen. Cooking gave me the confidence to not go too dark with dyslexia,” he says.

“Being extracted out of class for a special needs class isn’t cool. It came with a bit of a tag, a dunce’s hat. Before long, the feelings of not being enough or being dumb, even in primary school, were in my psyche.”

The documentary doesn’t just highlight the issue - it demands change. Jamie calls for training and a shift in how we measure success in school. His message is loud and clear - the system isn’t just broken, it’s harmful.

“Getting into trouble and going to prison is massively amplified by dyslexia and neurodiversity,” he says. “But this isn’t destined for them, it’s a reaction to never feeling like they fit in.”

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