The Coalition came to power in 2010 with a radical, controversial vision for education and set about transforming the UK landscape. The Secretary of State described how, in future, autonomous schools and colleges would compete with one another to raise standards, high performers would expand and others improve or disappear. His aim is for children and their parents to have greater choice over their education, academic rigour to be prized above all else and as a result intelligent children from poorer backgrounds will have the same chance to succeed as their more affluent peers. Critics argue his vision will allow schools to wither on the vine, remove support from those who most need it and further disadvantage the already disadvantaged. In response, the Secretary of State has accused them of tolerating failure. The intensely polarised nature of the debate throws social justice and high standards into opposition; two principles that are not just complementary but interdependent. In this article, the author talks about what a socially just education would look like. She posits that a socially just education system would recognise that what happens outside the classroom matters as much as what happens in it. She stresses that a fair system relies on a strong and well resourced network of help and support for those children who need it. (Contains 7 notes.)